Summary
Learn how much RAM you really need for your computer and find the ideal balance for optimal performance.
Table of contents:
Buying or upgrading your computer can be frustrating if you aren't sure what configuration will best suit your needs, especially when it comes to memory, or RAM. Getting the correct amount of RAM for your device is vital, as this affects its overall performance and efficiency. But to understand how much memory you need, you first need to know what RAM is and what part it actually plays in a modern computer.
What is RAM?
Your computer is reliant on access to data to operate. At a fundamental level, it takes in data, runs a set of instructions on that data, and then outputs the results. For example, you click on one of our YouTube videos. Your processor receives data that you clicked, where on the screen you clicked, and the context of what is on the screen. Based on that information, your computer interprets the data and makes some decisions. These decisions, also known as algorithms, are what computer code describes. In this example, it starts playing one of our videos, essentially outputting more data.
RAM vs Cache
If your computer has to wait to receive data or to send it out after processing, it will slow the whole thing down. Each computer has several data options available to prevent this. The fastest is cache, which is built directly into the physical processor. Cache, although very quick, is extremely small. Because of this, it is reserved for speeding up your computer by storing only the most frequently accessed data. Your computer accesses most of its data from memory, also known as RAM. Over the years, processor speeds have improved, so memory speeds have improved to keep up.
"Swapping"
But as you use your computer in real life, it will likely need to access more data than can be stored in memory. To solve this, your Operating System moves programs or parts of programs you aren't currently accessing out of memory into storage in a process called swapping. Then, when you need to access them again, it moves them back. Here's an example. Let's say you have Microsoft Word and Chrome open. You haven't used Word for a while, but you're opening more Chrome tabs. Your computer needs more memory to run those tabs, but it runs out and moves the data required by Word from memory to storage. If you switch back to Word, your computer must first bring that data back into memory. You may notice a slight slowdown as your computer waits for this process to occur. There is also a knock-on effect. Since your memory is already full, your computer must move something else out to bring this data back. It may move out data from an older Chrome tab you haven't accessed in a while. But if, after using Word, you click on the older Chrome tab that was just moved, you may notice another mini slowdown.
In reality, if you have a modern computer with fast PCIE 3 or even faster SSD storage, this slowdown won't be that noticeable. However, lack of memory will be most noticeable in applications that hit this situation many times over in quick succession. An example would be rendering a complex scene where you don't have enough memory to hold all the data needed. In these cases, those mini-slowdowns can quickly multiply and become major ones.
People may point out that SSDs have limited writes before the hardware degrades, so you should get more memory to avoid frequently using your storage for swapping. In theory, this is true. However, the maximum number of writes for an SSD should be enough for consumers or even pro users. We've never seen or heard of any drive failing due to this. This would only occur in a very specific scenario, like in a data center.
What You Use vs How You Use It
Sometimes, it's implied that you need a lot of memory if you have a lot of applications or browser tabs open. However, it's more about what you have open and how you use those things rather than how many things you have open in general. For example, a laptop with 8GB of memory can edit a 4K video project, but once you start layering multiple 4K clips with effects, the laptop will grind to a halt. In fact, once you bump the footage up to a higher quality level like 10bit 4.2.2, which requires a lot more data, even 32GB of memory may not be enough. The same goes for software development. If you are developing something that doesn't have substantial data dependencies, you may not need a lot of memory. But try to run a complex Monte Carlo simulation on a large data set, and it's game over.
Another thing to consider is that operating systems and software have become more efficient with memory use over time. For example, MacOS compresses data in memory. This means your memory can often go significantly further than it used to. Also, many applications have made substantial improvements to memory use. Browsers can clear data from memory in the tabs you are not currently looking at. For example, if you play a video on a browser tab and then switch to another tab, when you switch back, you may notice the audio is playing but not the video. It does this because you only need to hear the audio when you're not looking at the video. So, to conserve memory and reduce network traffic, it stops playing the video portion. However, even though software applications are implementing efficiency enhancements in terms of memory use, overall, our memory requirements are still increasing. This is because we are using far more data than ever before.
How Much Memory Do You Need?
That said, the amount of memory you need is specific to you, as well as how you use your computer. No one can tell you what amount of memory you should get without monitoring your actual usage. The best we can do is give you a general guide, show you how to monitor your own memory usage, and give you some additional things to consider when you buy.
If you only use your laptop for casual tasks like browsing the web or doing office work, 8GB is acceptable. This is also enough to get a taste of some other tasks like video editing. However, a laptop with only 8GB of RAM should cost around $800 or less. Anything above that price should have at least 16GB.
If you plan to do tasks that require a substantial number of additional applications, such as programming, video or photo editing, or gaming, we recommend 16GB. This is also an ideal amount if you plan to keep your computer for some time.
If you are doing professional-level work for intensive tasks, like the ones we just mentioned, 32GB is a good rule of thumb. Professionals tend to handle more complex projects and often work on multiple projects simultaneously. Our video projects, for example, can be edited 95% on a 16g RAM machine, but when doing this job day in and day out, that 5% adds up. The same goes for coding. Minor slowdowns multiply and become big ones. Plus, as a coder, this much memory could benefit you in many ways, like allowing you to run one or more virtual machines on your computer.
The only people who should go above 32GB are those who are 100% certain they need it. These scenarios are rare. Something to consider on the coding and data analysis side is once you start to require large amounts of memory, the amount of memory you need can fluctuate significantly based on the data you are running. You probably should consider running what you are developing on a cloud server. That way, you can easily scale the memory up or down as needed.
Your Personal Memory Usage
To check your personal memory usage on a Mac, open Activity Monitor and look at Memory Pressure. If you see frequent yellow or red, you likely need more memory. On Windows, open Performance Monitor and then graph the Paging data. If you see large continuous amounts of paging, your computer is swapping too much and likely needs more memory. Do not look at Memory Usage in Task Manager and assume you need more because your memory is almost full. It is normal for your computer to use it all before swapping out those older programs and data. Just because it states that you're almost at your memory limit doesn't mean that all the data stored in memory needs to be there. We recommend looking at Performance Monitor instead, as this shows the actual swapping and is a more accurate log of your memory usage.
If you are buying a laptop that you can't upgrade later on, consider purchasing a little more memory than you currently need. As we mentioned earlier, general memory usage increases over time, and you may also want to try doing new things on your laptop that you do not currently do that require more memory. However, do not over-invest in future-proofing your laptop. That additional money could be saved for your next one. We feel you should upgrade your laptop every 3 years and get 16GB of memory or get 32GB of memory and upgrade every 5 years.
Lastly, if you are choosing where to spend money on upgrades, choose the component you can't upgrade later. If you have soldered memory, prioritize having enough before upgrading something replaceable like storage. Most laptops have upgradeable storage, and you can always add a fast external drive for those that don't.
