Comparing 4x8GB and 2x16GB DDR4 RAM options.
Comparing 4x8GB and 2x16GB DDR4 RAM options.
RAM is currently a great deal for me, so I’m thinking about moving to 32GB. My setup is: Intel Core i7 7700K, Gigabyte GTX 980 WINDFORCE G.Skill (2x 8GB), DDR4 Ripjaws 2133MHz, on a Gigabyte Z270-HD3 LGA1151 ATX motherboard. I’m unsure whether buying two more 8GB sticks or getting two 16GB sticks is better. I’m curious if adding higher-speed RAM will actually help or hurt performance compared to using just two sticks. My main motivation is playing a lot of modded Minecraft and wanting to be able to use beastmode, plus I want my PC to stay relevant longer. Any advice would be helpful since this is my first memory upgrade in this configuration.
1. Minecraft runs smoothly on as little as 16GB RAM. You might even fit it into Java with around 5GB and avoid problems.
2. Reaching 16GB won’t secure your system for the long term. Performance will still depend on GPU or CPU first.
3. Ensure your RAM is compatible; 2133 is quite slow compared to DDR4, so go for something faster—ideally at least 3200.
Heavy modpacks using a 256/512x resource pack often require significant RAM, possibly around 16GB for larger packs. For standard content, 8GB should suffice.
Using that word is risky. I’d just install another 2x8GB if it were me. Are you hitting RAM limits? If not, there’s no need to upgrade.
Thanks for the responses. Regarding 'future-proofing,' it means using RAM that fits any new system you build without issues. I plan to prioritize cost by swapping my existing RAM for 3200MHz 16GB modules. I’ll likely sell or give away my current RAM. Appreciate everyone!