Does RAM speed and size affect gaming performance?

This question never get old, does it?

Generally, there are two main metrics to rank RAM; their speed and their size. Speed refers to the frequency with which the RAM can draw from and send data to other components like the HDD and SSD in each second. While size means how much data RAM can store within itself at any moment. RAM retrieve data from the HDD and SSD and store it on themselves temporarily while the application is running for a smooth performance.

Specifically talking about RAM for gaming, both speed and size are important to consider when you are buying RAM for your gaming setup. Let’s talk about these one by one:

1. The Bigger, the Better.... or not?

The most common RAM size configurations are 8GB, 16GB, 32GB and a much less common 64GB. Now almost all of your games will do well with an 8GB RAM with all settings maxed out. Since your PC will be with you for a while before it is due for an upgrade, you can choose to go for a 16GB RAM that will provide a much greater buffer for 3 4 years of tech improvements.

Understand this that 16GB of RAM means a game like Valorant with a size of 5GB can run twice (if it was ever possible) on the same PC. So, it is more than just enough. Plus, I do not expect (and experts like Linus Tech have proved) that upgrading to a 32GB will not provide a significant boost to your gaming performance.

2. Is Speed everything?

If we talk about the RAM speed, you can find anywhere from 2133Mz to 4266Mhz. Size does not affect much so probably speed will, right? Unfortunately, the answer is a ‘May be’ inclined towards a ‘No’.

Graphics, FPS and latency matter a lot in gaming and while a faster RAM can increase performance to a slight extent, it is actually the vRAM on your graphics card that is primarily responsible for this and increasing the RAM speed does not get you much.

Additionally, if you have a motherboard and a CPU that supports a maximum 3200Hz speed, a 4266Hz will automatically be limited to 3200Hz. So, there’s that as well.

Lastly, some manufacturers allow you to clock the RAM up to a higher speed using Xtreme Memory Profiles or XMPs, provided your CPU and motherboard can handle them. This will provide a slight boost to your setup performance during gaming and then you can revert to the normal mode when you do not need it.

The Final Verdict:

Yes, they matter if you are that desperate to cut every last corner and are already done with the GPU and stuff. Else, you have many more important things to upgrade first.