RAM Speed vs More RAM in Gaming
RAM Speed vs More RAM in Gaming
I own an HP gaming PC equipped with an Intel i5-10400, Nvidia GTX 1650, and 12 GB of RAM (4 GB and 8 GB). I also have a 32 GB Vengeance RAM module at 3200 MHz, though the motherboard only supports it at 2166 MHz. My system runs GTA 5, Tomb Raider, and VMware Workstation Pro. I believe the main limitation is the graphics card. I’m not looking to upgrade the GPU. Should adding more RAM with a lower clock speed or reducing RAM with a higher clock speed be preferable?
Depending on your workload and how technical you want to be, this is a good thing. A "GPU bottleneck" means your GPU and your CPU can both be at 100% usage without either one needing to wait for the other to catch up. As far as your gaming question goes, speed tends to be better but in 99% of cases, we're talking minuscule differences that realistically won't matter unless you're playing shooters or esports at a professional level and absolutely need every single frame you can possibly get. If you're doing virtualization, more RAM is always better than faster RAM, regardless of speed.
When memory usage exceeds available RAM, speed becomes less important and may not improve performance. If you’re not utilizing additional RAM, it won’t offer any advantage either. Aim for the smallest amount of RAM needed to avoid using the page file, and make sure that RAM is as fast as possible. For example, with only 8GB of RAM, adding 32GB won’t help much, but a high-speed 8GB module can still deliver better results. There are some details like memory layout and channel usage that can affect speed, but they’re complex. In your mixed configuration, the first 8GB run in dual channels while the remaining 4 in single, so check if your apps require more than 8GB. If they do, choose the 32GB option for better overall performance, even if it’s slightly slower, because the extra space will be used effectively. Running a VM is likely to make the most of this upgrade, and you may avoid performance problems from your current setup.
Update the newest BIOS. Make sure to use the 32GB of RAM. 8+4 doesn't sound ideal.