RAM, or random access memory, is one of the most important components of a gaming laptop. It allows your laptop to store and access data quickly, which can improve the performance and responsiveness of your games. But how much RAM do you really need for gaming? Is 8GB RAM enough, or do you need more?
The answer depends on several factors, such as the type of games you play, the resolution and graphics settings you use, the other applications you run in the background, and the future requirements of new games.
In this article, we will explore these factors and help you decide if 8GB RAM is good for gaming in 2023 or how to choose the right RAM for your gaming laptop.
What Games Do You Play?
The first factor to consider is the type of games you play. Different games have different RAM requirements, depending on their complexity, graphics quality, and optimization. For example, some popular games in 2023 have the following minimum and recommended RAM specifications:
- Elden Ring – 16GB recommended (12GB minimum).
- Marvel’s Midnight Suns – 16GB recommended (8GB minimum).
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare – 12GB recommended (8GB minimum)
- Fortnite: Battle Royale – 8GB recommended (4GB minimum).
- League of Legends – 4GB recommended (2GB minimum).
As you can see, some games require more than 8GB RAM to run smoothly, especially at higher settings. If you play these games, you may experience lag, stuttering, or crashes with only 8GB RAM. On the other hand, some games can run fine with 8GB RAM or even less, as long as you don’t use too many background applications or browser tabs.
Therefore, if you want to play the latest and most demanding games in 2023, you may need more than 8GB RAM. However, if you only play casual or older games that are not very resource-intensive, 8GB RAM may be enough for you.
What Resolution and Graphics Settings Do You Use?
The second factor to consider is the resolution and graphics settings you use. Higher resolution and graphics quality can enhance your gaming experience, but they also consume more RAM and other resources. For example, playing a game at 4K resolution with ultra settings will require more RAM than playing the same game at 1080p resolution with low settings.
Generally speaking, if you want to play games at higher resolutions and settings, you will need more RAM. However, the exact amount of RAM you need also depends on your GPU (graphics processing unit) and CPU (central processing unit). These components are responsible for rendering the graphics and processing the game logic, respectively. If your GPU or CPU is too weak for your desired resolution and settings, adding more RAM will not help much. You may need to upgrade your GPU or CPU instead.
What Other Applications Do You Run in the Background?
The third factor to consider is the other applications you run in the background while gaming. These applications can include your operating system, antivirus software, web browser, music player, chat client, streaming service, and so on. These applications can consume RAM and other resources, which can affect your gaming performance.
Therefore, if you want to optimize your gaming performance, you should close any unnecessary applications and browser tabs before launching your game. You should also disable any background processes or services that are not essential for your system or security. This will free up RAM and other resources for your game, which can improve your framerate, loading time, and stability.
However, if you need to use some applications or browser tabs while gaming, such as for communication, research, or entertainment, you will need more RAM to accommodate them. For example, if you want to stream your gameplay on Twitch or YouTube, you will need more RAM to run the streaming software and browser without affecting your game. Similarly, if you want to listen to music or podcasts while gaming, you will need more RAM to run the music player and browser without causing stuttering or buffering.
The amount of RAM you need for background applications depends on how many and how resource-intensive they are. For example, Chrome is known to be a RAM hog that can use up several gigabytes of RAM with multiple tabs open. On the other hand, Firefox is more RAM-efficient and can use less RAM with the same number of tabs open. Therefore, you should choose your applications and browsers wisely and monitor their RAM usage with a task manager or a system monitor.
What Are the Future Requirements of New Games?
The fourth factor to consider is the future requirements of new games. As technology advances and game developers create more realistic and immersive games, the RAM requirements of these games will also increase. For example, the average recommended RAM for PC games in 2019 was 8GB, but in 2023 it is 16GB. This means that if you want to play the latest and upcoming games in 2023 and beyond, you will need more than 8GB RAM.
Of course, this does not mean that you cannot play new games with 8GB RAM. You may still be able to run some games at lower resolutions and settings with 8GB RAM, as long as your GPU and CPU are adequate. However, you may not be able to enjoy the full potential of these games or experience their optimal performance and quality. You may also encounter more issues such as lag, stuttering, crashes, or compatibility errors with 8GB RAM.
Therefore, if you want to future-proof your gaming laptop and prepare for the next generation of games, you may want to invest in more than 8GB RAM. This will ensure that you can play any game at any resolution and setting without compromising on performance and quality. It will also give you more flexibility and headroom to run other applications and browser tabs while gaming.
Final Thoughts
In conclusion, 8GB RAM is good for gaming in 2023 only if you play casual or older games that are not very resource-intensive, use low to medium resolutions and settings, close any unnecessary applications and browser tabs while gaming, and don’t care about future requirements of new games. However, if you play demanding or newer games that require more than 8GB RAM, use high resolutions and settings, need to use some applications or browser tabs while gaming, or want to future-proof your gaming laptop for the next generation of games, you may need more than 8GB RAM.
The amount of RAM you need for gaming depends on several factors, such as the type of games you play, the resolution and graphics settings you use, the other applications you run in the background, and the future requirements of new games. Therefore, you should consider these factors carefully before buying a gaming laptop with 8GB RAM or upgrading your existing one.
We hope this article has helped you decide if 8GB RAM is good for gaming in 2023. If you have any questions or feedback, please feel free to leave a comment below. Thank you for reading