best ram for gaming: 16gb or 32gb for a new am5 build in 2026?
Posted by Hulyk-Clarita@reddit | buildapc | View on Reddit | 22 comments
I’m planning a new pc build and trying to figure out what the best ram for gaming actually is right now. I’m going with an am5 platform and ddr5, but I keep getting mixed advice about capacity more than speed.
Some say 16gb is still fine for pure gaming, others say 32gb is basically the new standard. I only use the pc for gaming at 1440p, mostly competitive fps and some open world games. What would actually make more sense long term without wasting money on extra ram I won’t really use?
Frolock@reddit
I would go 32 mainly because 4 DIMMS on AM5 is not great, so if you wanted to upgrade from 16 then you might run into stability issues.
I_Love_Cape_Horn@reddit
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hr6p1tqeM3M&t=1057s
4 sticks is slightly better.
ACiDxCHRiST@reddit
There are currently only a small few games that show any improvement with more than 16GB of RAM. And those few that do, only show a slight performance benefit.
My answer would normally be, if you were building a system right now, go for 32GB, not because you need it today, but for future-proofing. But seeing as RAM prices are fucking ridiculous right now, I think it is prudent to only get 16GB because that's all that you will really benefit from today, and buying unnecessary RAM at today's inflated prices is kinda dumb.
I speculate that in a couple years, the RAM situation will have stabilized and prices will be better than today. If at that point, games have come out that show significant benefits from having more than 16GB, then you can upgrade.
(This is all based on the use case of a Gaming Machine and general computer. If you have multimedia production/editing needs or other Workstation use-cases that benefit from high amounts of RAM, then you need to do what you need to do.)
NickiChaos@reddit
Me with 64gb of ddr5.....
Sakuroshin@reddit
If the prices dont scare you then 32gb. If prices are too high for you then I would buy a single 16gb stick and plan to add another 16gb stick later on. There is a slight performance loss using 1 stick but nothing substantial.
Legal_Climate_3381@reddit
There are quite a few articles I've read on how the baseline for minimum requirement ram keeps going up. Many in games that already are out but add updates for RT and PT. Investing in higher ram now rather than later when starting a new build is always a good thing to me. Of course you can also always add more ram later in case the games you play are ok with a lower amount. This is what I did before and it worked out ok as my bottleneck at the time was ram in my previous build.
DavidKollar64@reddit
16gb was not fine for gaming 4 years ago🙂...i have 64gb some games go over 32gb (DCS mainly) those days. 32gb is base line.
Akumax33@reddit
24gb
Marlice1@reddit
64gb
WitnessFeisty4076@reddit
32 gbs, its pretty much necessary, especially for future proofing
4K4llDay@reddit
2x16GB
Fragluton@reddit
Depends on the rest of the rig. Entry level am5 is different to a 7800x3d or better. If lower end rig I'd go 16, of mid to high end I'd look to 32, personally.
Loyal_Dragon_69@reddit
High end is still 64gb. Prostations and heavy workstations absolutely need the extra ram.
Opteron170@reddit
32GB however pricing now isn't great.
DisturbedFennel@reddit
Normally 32GB is recommended for headroom and future proofing, However with the absurd prices, 16GB seems more reasonable. 16GB will do everything fine. Just be prepared to add another 16GB in the nearby future (hopefully when prices stabilize) when applications become more RAM thirsty
Loyal_Dragon_69@reddit
They already are more ram thirsty.
ICastCats@reddit
Single stick of 16gb CL30 6000mhz is cheaper than 2x8gb, so I'd go with that and add another once the RAMpocalypse settles down.
CustardCivil@reddit
32gb
TabScarlet@reddit
Spds seems to generalize around 5400/6000 which is more than fast enough. Size is just different for some games but if your multitasking with multiple programs it may be pushing 16 GBs at 1400p. Even with BF6 and just chrome and some of the background apps like lights, etc says I'm using 18GB/32GB.
theflavoryellow@reddit
16 is fine, though most new games will fill it fast. 32 GB gives you a bit more head room.
Ok_Fan_1637@reddit
i play genshin, uma musume while opening 7 tab chrome with 2 tab youtube, used 17gb ram here.
PretendingImNotAnApe@reddit
There's a few games that use a lot of ram. Hogwarts legacy i think. They can stutter a bit with only 16 but that just 4 or 5 games out of hundreds and just a few seconds here and there.