Ram – Random Access Memory – is one of the most important components of a computer and is one of the most talked-about components in the computer hardware market. However, there is a never-ending debate about how much RAM is good for a Gaming Laptop?
Speaking technically, RAM is responsible for processing data at a fast rate as well as storing short-term information to produce it quickly.
The amount of RAM your device has determines its speed and overall performance. This doesn’t necessarily mean that RAM increases the speed of your laptop. However, it does mean that when your RAM is full, your laptop will slow down and your laptop might become laggy.
Each game has its recommended RAM requirement. Therefore when thinking about the amount of RAM needed for high-end games, you should consider the recommended requirement for the games you will be running as well as the other things you will be using your laptop for.
If you’re the type that likes to play music in the background while playing games or you use your laptop to run a lot of videos, then you’ll need more RAM than another person who just uses their laptop for games and web surfing.
Contents
- How does RAM affect gaming?
- How much RAM should I buy?
- How to check your laptop’s RAM?
- Can you upgrade RAM on a gaming laptop?
- How does VRAM differ from RAM?
- Recommended RAM for a Gaming Laptop
- What other specs should I look for?
1. How does RAM affect gaming?
RAM is an important component for a gaming laptop as it allows your games to run smoothly. If your laptop doesn’t have the required RAM needed to run a game, it will stutter and lag.
Does more RAM equal better gaming performance?
Yes, the more RAM you have, the better the performance of your games.
2. How much RAM should I buy?
When thinking of buying a gaming laptop, questions like how much RAM to buy come to mind.
To answer these questions, we’ll have to consider each RAM’s storage capacity in gigabytes:
- Is 4GB RAM enough for a gaming laptop?
- Is 8GB RAM enough for a gaming laptop?
- Is 16GB of RAM good for gaming?
- Is 32GB RAM too much for a gaming laptop?
is 4GB RAM enough for a gaming laptop?
4GB gaming laptops are the most affordable kind of laptops. Due to its affordability, many people opt for it.
Well, it is enough for some games but not suited for many games.
This is because your operating system also needs a bit of RAM for optimal performance and other background activities and unfortunately, your 4GB RAM might not suffice.
Therefore, if you want to experience the best gaming experience, it is not advisable to go for a setup with 4GB RAM as it is more likely to lag.
is 8GB RAM enough for a gaming laptop?
Some games run just fine on a 4GB RAM laptop. However, as mentioned earlier laptops with 4GB RAM are not suitable as Gaming Laptops. Because, if a game requires a minimum of 4GB RAM to run, then what will happen to the other things that run in the background?
These background applications will get transferred to the Laptop’s hard disk which doesn’t allow data transfer as fast as your RAM. This causes your laptop as well as your games to slow down and become choppy and laggy.
However, when game developers calculate the amount of RAM needed to run a game, they make allowances for background activities on your laptop. Therefore, your laptop will only lag if you’re also using it to run other heavy-duty software.
However, is 8GB RAM enough for a gaming laptop?
Well Yes!
Notwithstanding, the games that won’t run on a 4GB RAM laptop will most likely run on a laptop with 8GB RAM. Also, the games that lag and become choppy on a 4GB RAM laptop will most likely run smoothly on an 8GB RAM system.
Using an 8GB RAM gaming laptop will allow you to experience a top-notch video game performance.
Is 16GB of RAM good enough for a gaming laptop?
Definitely Yes.
Any game you run on a 16GB laptop will run smoothly without any lagging and hence, a 16GB RAM is a recommendation for a fast Gaming Laptop.
If a lot of games lag on a 4GB RAM system but run smoothly on an 8GB RAM system, how do you think they would run on a 16GB RAM system? Let me tell you that they would run extremely well. This is because most games require 4GB or 8GB RAM to run.
If you’re looking to buy a gaming laptop of 16GB, then you can look forward to the best gaming performance. However, it is important to note that they are usually more expensive than their lower-capacity counterparts.
Is 32GB RAM too much for a gaming laptop?
Although no amount of RAM is too much for gaming, however, a 32GB setup sounds like an overkill.
However, technology, as well as games, are still evolving so we can expect that very soon, game requirements will increase.
Also, the fact that you may be considering opting for it means that you’re probably going to be running a lot of heavy-duty software apart from games on your laptop.
After considering each RAM’s gigabyte, you are now able to choose a gaming laptop with a suitable RAM for yourself.
3. How to Check Your Laptop’s RAM?
Are you lost trying to find out the RAM your laptop uses? Don’t worry. Simply follow these steps to check your RAM:
- Click on the Windows Start menu
- Type System Information
- From the list, locate System Information Utility and click on it
- At the bottom, locate Installed Physical Memory (RAM)
- Here, you can check how much RAM your laptop has
4. Can you upgrade the RAM on your Gaming Laptop?
After checking your laptop’s RAM, you may realize that it is not good enough for the type of games you run.
Fortunately, most gaming laptops have a second slot for RAM which allows you to upgrade the RAM on your setup. You can buy additional RAM according to your needs and install it into the provided slot.
It is advisable to install two RAM sticks of the same configuration in a dual-channel configuration for the best performance possible.
5. How Does VRAM Differ From RAM?
VRAM – Video RAM – is a type of RAM that stores image data to produce smooth graphics for your laptop. it is responsible for ensuring that your game’s graphics display is top-notch.
The same way RAM stores memory on your laptop is the same way VRAM stores memory. The difference is that while RAM stores physical memory, VRAM stores graphical memory.
6. Recommended RAM For a Gaming Laptop
A common question we ask ourselves is; how much RAM is needed for gaming? As earlier said, the RAM needed depends on the type of games you’re running.
Nevertheless, after considering each RAM’s gigabytes, the minimum recommendation for a gaming laptop is 8GB RAM.
If you’re already using a laptop with 4GB RAM, you can upgrade it as most laptops come with a second slot for RAM. All you need to do is check that your laptop has that second slot. If it does, buy a RAM of at least 4GB and a lot of it in.
To avoid lags and enjoy a high gaming performance, 16GB RAM is a recommendation for a gaming laptop. However, if you are on a budget but you want a 16GB RAM gaming laptop, simply get an 8GB RAM laptop with a second slot for RAM and then upgrade it in the future.
Note: The more RAM your device has, the higher its gaming performance will be.
7. What other specs should I look for in A Gaming Laptop?
RAM is not the only hardware that affects your gaming performance. Every game has specific requirements to be able to run the games on your laptop.
These requirements encompass your RAM as well as your CPU and Operating System. Some games may also require you to install an SSD (Solid State Drive), sound card, and graphics card.
Knowing the other hardware besides RAM that affects gaming performance invites the question of what specs to look for in this hardware.
Here is a list of some hardware and their specs:
| CPU | Intel Core i3, i5, i7 or i9 | AMD Ryzen 3, 5, 7 or 9 | The higher the number of cores, the better the performance. |
| Graphics Card | Discrete GPU | More memory = Better Performance |
| Storage | Minimum of 512GB SSD | It is advisable to get an SSD of 1TB |
Conclusion
Hopefully, this information will influence your decision and ensure that you get the best gaming laptop for you.
Further Reading
