8GB of RAM suitable for gaming in 2019
8GB of RAM suitable for gaming in 2019
Last evening I chose to crank up the heat, meaning activating another PC and running some distributed computing tasks. I pulled out an older model. Since it hadn’t been used recently, I let it refresh through various updates. It ran Windows 10 version 1909, updated the GPU driver, and for curiosity’s sake, downloaded the ROTTR demo to check its performance on a 280X now. I wasn’t expecting much. Hardware specs: i5-5675C Z97, 2x4GB RAM, 1866 DDR3, 280X 3GB, 40GB SSD (OS), 1TB HDD (other stuff). The 280X was decent back then, but it feels like a distant memory. I started ROTTR and it defaulted to 1080p high quality. That sounds promising? Well... yes. Loading times felt like ages. I imagined myself playing FFXV on the PS4 once more. On average, FPS was around 35, though rendering caused frequent stutters. The graphics card reported using about 7GB of RAM—almost all available. That’s a lot! If I lowered the settings a bit, framerates improved but I never hit 60fps even at low levels. At those lower settings, RAM usage dropped slightly and the stutters disappeared. I suspected my 8GB was nearing its limit, but 16GB seems realistic for modern games? Probably not. This setup felt too old for heavy workloads. It was also worth noting that the motherboard BIOS sometimes caps TDP as a power limit, so the CPU didn’t reach its full speed. I ignored those restrictions and had to rely on XTU to work around them. Considering how GPU-bound it was, I didn’t think much about upgrading now.
Broadwell includes an L4 cache that reduces its dependence on memory speed, though not its capacity. I verified that 8GB RAM works well for current games when the browser and other apps are closed, and with a graphics card offering 6-8GB of VRAM, upgrading to RX578 or RX588/590 could be beneficial.
This setup helped me understand the performance limits. For compute tasks it outperformed Skylakes even with just a single RAM stick, since bandwidth mattered more than memory usage. During my test, other processes weren’t running, but I suspect the 3GB VRAM might have been using system RAM for textures too. Previously I saw tests showing that 8GB RAM plus a large GPU still works well, though I’m not sure if that’s the current standard. This machine seems like a "leftover bits" build—maybe I’ll upgrade to a better GPU someday. I still have three RX580 cards elsewhere that I haven’t tested extensively yet. I doubt the PSU can handle much more than one of those.
It depends on the specific model. The 5th generation Intel CPU refers to processors from the 2011-2013 series, such as the Core i5-4400 or similar. Mobile chips typically use different architectures like ARM, so they wouldn't be classified under Intel's 5th gen CPUs.
Are you repurposing your current RAM or installing new for both systems? For example, using two 8GB modules on one machine and moving the 4GB module to another. The Broadwell desktop CPU had a brief existence. You’re aware of Intel’s recent manufacturing issues with 10nm? Similarly, the transition to 14nm was also challenging. Only two desktop CPUs were released—i5-5675C and i7-5775C—and they seemed to be a quick release. I believe Intel introduced them mainly to announce their availability, but they were discontinued soon after Skylake launched. I actually purchased this CPU after buying a 6700k for my main system. It felt like Intel simply adapted a mobile processor for desktop use, including the uncommon 128MB eDRAM L4 cache found on desktops, mainly to enhance iGPU performance on mobile devices. I saw that video, but it didn’t seem affordable enough for me to pursue. I’d rather focus on future options than past ones, except in specialized niches. I still might need a budget 7700k or 7740X if I want to run quad-core benchmarks, though I doubt I’ll find one.
I only have 8 GB of memory on my system built last winter, and it hasn’t caused any problems with the games I play. There’s not much stuttering or signs of low RAM. However, AAA titles especially use up a lot of space quickly. I expect to add another 8 GB next year after upgrading the CPU and GPU. A 16 GB setup would feel like a fresh machine, and I’d recommend 16 GB if you can afford it. From what I see, a 580 GB RAM should work well with your current CPU without hitting any bottlenecks.