Have you heard the saying, too much of anything is bad, but how can that possibly apply to RAM? Is it possible to have so much RAM that it has adverse effects, we’ll that’s what we’re going to examine in this post. Having too much RAM usually means that no applications you run no matter how RAM intensive it is, the RAM can never bottleneck it’s performance.
In this post, we’re going to go over what happens when you have an unnecessary amount of RAM, and what scenarios there are where you can have too much RAM. Hopefully with this post, you’ll know what the right amount of RAM is needed for you, so you don’t overspend on components you don’t need.
Answer: Having too much RAM technically isn’t bad, the computer’s memory is arguably the most important component when it comes to building a component, this is because RAM communicates directly with the computer’s CPU by sending and receiving instructions. The more RAM you have, the easier the CPU can send and receive instructions without having to rely on non-volatile storage such as the HDD and SSD.
What Happens If You Buy Too Much RAM?
Having too much RAM does not have any negative effects on your computer’s performance, but at some point, it won’t contribute by making it faster. Applications only use a certain amount of RAM, so when you have a massive surplus, the performance won’t get any better, but it also won’t get any worse. The worst thing that can come from having too much RAM is overspending.
If you overspend on your RAM, this can be an issue for 2 reasons: you’re spending too much, and the money can go to purchasing better components. Purchasing 64GB of RAM is completely unnecessary when the main applications you run only take up 8GB, plus you can use that money to purchase a better processor or a better graphics card.
When you spend a lot of money on RAM, it can be a good thing from one perspective. Having a massive surplus of RAM technically future proofs your PC build, so when the future comes, you’ll be ready. For example, today 16GB of RAM is considered to be the sweet spot for most applications, that goes for gaming, streaming, and video editing, but if you purchase 32GB of RAM, that can keep you safe for when applications get more RAM intensive.
How Much RAM Is Too Much?
For most applications, we recommend at least 16GB of RAM, this is because a lot of applications today do not use more than 16GB. If you’re a gamer looking to build a mid-top tier PC, 16GB is usually all you would need, this is because games won’t use that much RAM. If you’re a hardcore gamer, then 32GB of RAM could be a good idea, usually if you’re running a lot of mods. But having 64GB of RAM is plain unnecessary, it’s only needed for niche purposes.
You’re probably wondering why someone would need so much RAM, some applications actually use more than 16GB of RAM therefore justifying the extra RAM. A lot of professional work, in the high end spectrum, uses more than 16GB of RAM, this is usually high end 4-8K video editing, having a lot of tabs open, photoshop, illustrator, and running a lot of virtual machines. If you don’t fit in this category, you honestly don’t need more than 16GB of RAM.
Although this scenario is pretty rare, and it shouldn’t really apply to you, if you’re running a 32bit version of windows, then it’s definitely possible to have too much RAM. The 32bit version of windows can only allow so much RAM, and that number is a measly 4GB. Exceeding this RAM capacity means you won’t be able to use the excess RAM therefore wasting more money. Another thing you need to do is check the RAM capacity of your motherboard, some motherboards only allow for so much RAM, so we recommend checking the motherboards manual and specifications for more information.
Is 32GB Of RAM Overkill?
32GB of RAM is often said to be overkill, this is simply because in normal scenarios, 32GB of RAM isn’t necessary. For example, if you’re a normal gamer, playing at 1440P, or even 4K, then 32GB of RAM would be considered overkill as you can easily get away with 16GB of RAM. The average streamer also doesn’t need 32GB of RAM as you can honestly get away with only 8GB of RAM.
So, yes for standard scenarios 32GB of RAM is overkill. However, professional applications require a lot of RAM, this is due to them handling an absurd amount of information. For example, if you’re handing a massive excel spreadsheet, then you may actually require 32GB of RAM, or if you’re working on a massive photoshop project then you most definitely need 32GB of RAM.
You’ll be surprised to find out that your web browser can consume huge amounts of RAM, this is usually due to having multiple tabs open. The more instances of tabs you have on your web browser, and including the plugins you install can have a huge impact on the RAM consumption. This is why a lot of people say chrome and other similar browsers use a lot of RAM.
Also Read: Is 32GB RAM Overkill
Is 64GB Of RAM Overkill?
For the majority of users, there is very little use for 64GB of RAM, the majority of desktop computers will use 16GB of RAM, and laptops will have around 8GB of RAM on average. This is because applications that require 64GB of RAM are usually professional based applications such as video editing, or music production.
If the average user had 64GB of RAM, they would find it extremely hard to saturate even half of it, especially if you’re a gamer. For video editors however, you may use up to 50% of the 64GB of memory you have, but rarely all of it.
So yes, 64GB of RAM is definitely overkill, but some applications which handle complex data can benefit from it. High resolution video editing, music producers, and other applications that handle uncompressed data can benefit from 64GB of RAM.
Also Read: Is 64GB RAM Overkill
Conclusion
The verdict is that it’s not possible to have too much RAM from a performance perspective unless you’re running a 32bit instance of windows. This is because you’ll eventually meet a point where you’ll have a surplus of RAM not being used therefore there are no performance gains.
This is why we recommend you understand what types of applications you’re running, and how much RAM is necessary, this saves you from overspending, and allows you to allocate more money to better components.
A lot of people say 32GB of RAM is overkill, but we’ve concluded that for traditional purposes such as gaming, streaming and light video editing, 32GB of RAM is indeed overkill. But if you’re an enthusiast that likes to have a lot of RAM, then who cares, there’s no kill like overkill.
We’ve also found out that there are applications where 32GB of RAM may be necessary, this included – Running a lot of tabs in chrome, massive photoshop projects, and massive spreadsheets,
