Gaming with 8 Gigabytes of RAM in 2023: Is It Still Viable?
The Importance of RAM in Gaming:
RAM plays a vital role in gaming by storing data that the CPU (Central Processing Unit) needs to access quickly. It affects several aspects of gaming performance, such as loading times, smoothness, and overall responsiveness. As games become more complex, the demand for RAM increases to accommodate larger game files, higher-resolution textures, and improved graphical effects.
The State of Gaming in 2023:
By 2023, gaming has reached new heights in terms of graphics and immersive experiences. AAA titles continue to push the boundaries of what is possible, taking advantage of advanced rendering techniques, realistic physics simulations, and extensive open-world environments. These advancements inevitably put a strain on hardware, including RAM.
Limitations of 8 Gigabytes of RAM:
While 8 gigabytes of RAM used to be considered sufficient for gaming in the past, it may struggle to meet the requirements of modern games in 2023. Many newer titles recommend or even require more than 8 gigabytes of RAM to deliver optimal performance. Insufficient RAM can result in noticeable performance issues, including stuttering, longer loading times, and texture pop-ins.
Results:
I tested gaming with 8G gigabytes of RAM in Today's Mid to High range popular games.Here are the results of both visual and performance values of some games I tested...The test system was Intel Core I7 4790K processor with 4.4Ghz turbo clock speed, inserted into Asus Z97 Pro Gamer Motherboard, paired with Dual 4GB Gskill Ripjaws 1866 Mhz 9CL ram resulting total of 8Gigabytes of Ram. For releasing a game performance , Asus Strix GTX 960 4GB Graphics Card is for an example of Mid to High range gaming system. And Finally a Crucial 1TB M2 NVME inserted to Motherboard but it is performing at Maximum 10Gbits per second (800mb/s crystaldiskmark read and write results). Before the Gaming Performance results, system was resulting a perfect daily visual experience of performance at daily tasks like browsing , word processing etc...
Counter Strike Global Offensive:
At the system mentioned run in 8 gigabytes of ram, the game FPS was between 120-190 during the game which made the game run without any lags with good %0.1 values. The impact of SSD gave significent %0.1 value difference for the gaming performance at CSGO even with 8 gigabytes of ram.
ARMA 3:
For Arma 3, the 8 gigabytes of ram bottlenecked the gaming performance because of high asset loads and unoptimization of the game.Arma 3 run great on this system with 8 gigabytes of ram on Singleplayer mode at high settings but it bottlenecked the game to 28-30 fps in Multiplayer servers with mods (mods are the assets that can bottleneck the gameplay with low system requirements like cpu and ram...)
War Thunder:
Since War Thunder is a well optimized game and the Graphics Card and CPU of our system met the requirement well, the War Thunder run well even with 8 gigabytes of ram. Our system performed over 80-100 FPS in War Thunder in multiplayer mode at High Graphics settings. Shortly 8 gigabytes of ram did not bottleneck on War Thunder. We monitored GPU Usage during gameplay, %100 GPU usage we had in War Thunder means that CPU/Ram does not bottleneck our Gameplay Performance.
Insurgency Sandstorm:
As Insurgency Sandstorm being a game which continuously reads the game data from Disk, the game first of all made bottleneck when game installed on Hard Drive instead of SSD, which made serious lags and FPS loss during game. But moving the game to SSD fixed theese lags and 8 gigabytes of ram didnt became a important asset for bottleneck or FPS Loss. The system performed about 45-50 FPS in High 1080p settings and over 60FPS in Medium, the ram didnt became a bottleneck for our performance. As seen on GPU utilization is %100 during gaming , this shows that the bottleneck is due to Graphics Card in our System. But we had really well gameplay at Medium Settings.
Other Games:
Todays other significant game samples didnt done any performance loss caused by low ram. Minecraft, Valorant, Unturned, Rust, PUBG had run as expected at this system.
Workarounds and Optimizations:
If you find yourself with 8 gigabytes of RAM and wish to continue gaming, there are some workarounds and optimizations you can employ to improve your gaming experience:
Close Unnecessary Background Processes: Make sure to close any unnecessary applications and background processes to free up as much RAM as possible. This can help minimize the strain on your system and allocate more resources to the game.
Lower Graphics Settings: Adjusting the in-game graphics settings to lower levels can reduce the strain on your system's RAM. Decreasing texture quality, disabling anti-aliasing, and reducing other graphical effects can alleviate the memory demands and improve overall performance.
Upgrade to an SSD: Upgrading to a Solid State Drive (SSD) can help mitigate the impact of limited RAM by improving loading times. The faster read and write speeds of an SSD can compensate for the slower RAM access, resulting in a smoother gaming experience.
Optimize Virtual Memory: Virtual memory, also known as the page file, can supplement your physical RAM by using a portion of your computer's storage as additional memory. Adjusting virtual memory settings can help alleviate the limitations of 8 gigabytes of RAM, although it may not match the performance of physical RAM. But try not to allocate Virtual Memory at an Hard Disk Drive. Consider using SSD will make you have less bottlenecks because of the Speed of Virtual Memory.
Consider RAM Upgrade: If gaming is a priority and you have the means, upgrading your RAM to at least 16 gigabytes or more is highly recommended. This will provide a significant boost in performance and ensure compatibility with newer games. Ram prices are falling down due to overproduction, you can consider upgrading to 16 or 32 GB Ram without breaking the bank... Also know that there is more price drop at RAM prices is forecasted for next quarter.
Enable Ultimate/Maximum Performance Mode: On Windows 10 or 11 , you can enable Ultimate or Maximum performance in order to maximize your potential clock speeds of CPU and RAM to have the maximum capability of your pc. Lower the performance loss caused by low Ram.
Conclusion:
In conclusion, while gaming with 8 gigabytes of RAM was viable in the past, it may struggle to meet the demands of modern games in 2023. However, by employing various workarounds and optimizations such as closing unnecessary background processes, lowering graphics settings, upgrading to an SSD, optimizing virtual memory, or considering a RAM upgrade, you can still enjoy gaming to some extent. Ultimately, upgrading to a higher amount of RAM is the most effective solution for a smooth and enjoyable gaming experience in the long run.
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