How much RAM do you need for gaming?
RAM is one of the most misunderstood parts of a gaming PC. Here's a simple guide.
8GB — The minimum
8GB will run many games, but modern titles like Warzone and Cyberpunk 2077 will struggle. You may experience stuttering, especially with background apps open. We only recommend 8GB for budget systems playing lighter titles like Fortnite and Minecraft.
16GB — The sweet spot
For most UK gamers, 16GB is the right choice. It handles modern AAA games comfortably, lets you run Discord, a browser and other apps alongside your game, and avoids the stuttering that 8GB systems suffer from.
32GB — For power users
If you stream, edit video, or play heavily modded games, 32GB gives you headroom. It's also a good long-term investment if you plan to keep your PC for years.
64GB+ — Enthusiast territory
Only worth it for heavy content creation or professional workloads. For pure gaming, 64GB won't give you a noticeable benefit over 32GB.
Speed matters too
RAM speed has a small but real impact, especially on AMD Ryzen systems. Faster RAM (DDR5 vs DDR4) helps with frame stability in CPU-bound games.
The bottom line
If you're unsure, 16GB is the safe choice for almost everyone. You can always upgrade later — RAM is one of the easiest and cheapest upgrades you can make. See our PC upgrade options if you want to add more RAM to an existing system.