How much to hang in grams? We determine the amount of RAM for the gaming PC
Hi, Giktayms! Are you surprised by the system requirements of modern games? More precisely, disappoint. What potential superhit will not work out - be sure to apply a powerful and modern graphics adapter and a Core i7 level processor. The AAA-class titles and components such as RAM are not bypassed. It is clear that the "RAM" does not happen much, but we still decided to find out how many gigabytes the modern gaming computer needs.
Like last time when we were torturing the poor graphics integrated into the processor , we suggest starting with statistical calculations. Let's look at the official Steam data.
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Statistics of one of the most popular gaming clients clearly says: mostly (more than one-third) gamers using Steam have 8 GB of RAM installed. The second place is occupied by the indicator “12 GB or more”, and therefore an additional question that will be revealed in this material, we propose to put as follows: is there any point in increasing the memory array of the gaming PC to 16 GB? Or as an upgrade to get something more useful. For example, SSD.
Let's see what advise igrodely. Here is a list of recently released games and recommended RAM requirements:
• Mass Effect: Andromeda - 16 GB;
• Ghost Recon Wildlands - 8 GB;
• For Honor - 8 GB;
• Sniper Elite 4 - 8 GB;
• Resident Evil 7: Biohazard 8 GB.
As you can see, in most cases, if you believe the developers, for a comfortable game in 2017, 8 GB of RAM is enough. It turns out that there is still no need for 16 GB. Or not?
"Gaming PC" is a loose concept. Today, there are a large number of video cards on sale, which are quite suitable for games in resolutions such as Full HD, WQHD and Ultra HD. Popular models are GeForce GTX 1060 with 3 GB and 6 GB of video memory, respectively, as well as GeForce GTX 1070 and GeForce GTX 1080 with 8 GB. Well, we all lick at GeForce GTX 1080 Ti 11 GB. Among AMD adapters, models such as the Radeon RX 470 and Radeon RX 480 with 4 GB and 8 GB of video memory, respectively, are popular. We specifically touched on this point, since the level of memory consumption depends on the 3D accelerator installed in the gaming computer. Below is a table of video memory consumption by modern games on the example of the GeForce GTX 1080 video card.
Source: 3dnews.ru
The situation, in our opinion, is very visual: most games at high and maximum graphics quality settings require more than three gigabytes of video memory. What does it mean? The GeForce GTX 1080, fortunately, with the "brains" is all right. The flagship accelerator is therefore flagship: a user who has the means to buy such a device will probably not save money on RAM. The most popular video cards in Russia are cheap Radeon RX 460, GeForce GTX 1050 Ti, GeForce GTX 1060 3/6 GB and Radeon RX 470/480 with 4 GB. If there is a shortage of video memory, the game records all data that does not fit into the RAM. Therefore, we have the following paradox: the system unit with a cheap video card needs more RAM. The proof is attached.
For this small experiment, we took two video cards: GeForce GTX 1060 3 GB and GeForce GTX 1080 8 GB. On both systems, 12 games were launched with maximum graphics settings in Full HD resolution. Video memory consumption was measured for 5 minutes using the MSI Afterburner program. The most important lot is the use of the Kingston HyperX Predator HX430C15PB3K4 / 64 RAM kit. With such a whale there is no point in worrying about the lack of RAM in games.
The result is obvious: games that require more than 3 GB of video memory at the graphics quality settings that we set, we also need more RAM. We deliberately somewhat “aggravated” the situation by the fact that Steam, Origin, Uplay, NVIDIA 378.49 driver and Google Chrome browser with eight open tabs (VK, Facebook, Gmail, Youtube, Geektimes) automatically started running along with the games on the Windows 10 operating system. , Google search, Yandex.Market and Twitch). In general, we tried to reproduce the usual computer usage scenario by a regular user.
On the example of such games as Rise of the Tomb Raider and Watch Dogs 2, we see that the presence of 16 GB of RAM in the system does not look like a reinsurance. Given the fact that out of 12 applications, more than 8 GB of RAM was consumed in 11 of them, there is no doubt that the presence of 16 GB in the gaming system is a harsh reality.
Well, it's time to round out. Measurements of the consumption of RAM in the games are given, the numbers were more than visual. Until we meet ... stop, let's do a couple more tests. The issue of lack of RAM for gaming PCs makes one more question relevant.
“ I already have 8 GB of RAM in the system for a long time, and I calmly play all modern games! The reader will exclaim. Indeed, you can play with such input parameters. If, with a lack of video memory, the application uses RAM as the paging file, then already with a lack of RAM, a swap file is used that is located on the drive. Without it now can not do.
“The Witcher 3”, GTA V, Rise of the Tomb Raider, Watch Dogs 2 - not a single game started with the paging file disabled and there is only 8 GB of RAM in the system. And what if you use a solid-state drive as a paging file? As you know, SSD is noticeably faster than classic mechanical hard drives. In addition, the solid-state drive isnot only valuable fur speed in games, but also speed in general. Who will deny himself the pleasure of speeding up the loading of the operating system and related programs? Perhaps the speed of the swap file will be enough so that if there is a shortage of RAM, the game does not slow down.
This time we turned off the browser with open tabs. In the next small test, it was decided to additionally check whether it would be better: use an SSD with the paging file placed on it, or add another 8 GB to the system so that it would end up with 16 GB?
The test bench consisted of a Core i7-7700K processor and a GeForce GTX 970 4 GB video card. The memory we chose Kingston HyperX Fury HX421C14FB2K2 / 16 , it quietly starts at an effective frequency of 2400 MHz. The games were installed on a Kingston SSDNow UV400 SUV400S37 / 240G solid-state drive and on a Western Digital WD10EZEX hard drive. The result was three configurations: SSD + GeForce GTX 970 + 8 GB of RAM; HDD + GeForce GTX 970 + 8 GB of RAM; HDD + GeForce GTX 970 + 16 GB of RAM.
Alas, even the use of a sufficiently productive Kingston solid-state drive in the system with a shortage of RAM led to noticeable FPS drawdowns. Especially clearly it looks in Rise of the Tomb Raider and Watch Dogs 2. During gaming, the systems with 8 GB of RAM clearly lacked smoothness. To get rid of the drawdowns associated with the lack of operational and video memory, it is necessary to reduce the quality of graphics. In particular, turn off anti-aliasing.
However, we see that the SSD still helps the system with a shortage of RAM. There are framerate drawdowns, but they are not as critical as when using a bundle with HDD. In the case of a hard disk, Watch Dogs 2 and Rise of the Tomb Raider have very real freezes, it's absolutely impossible to play!
Plus, the SSD is also in the fact that the game installed in the memory cells just loads faster. This moment is relevant for online games, when you need to break into the game as quickly as possible.
Well, we clearly demonstrated that a modern gaming computer needs at least 16 GB of RAM. Especially the presence of such a volume of RAM is important for gaming PCs of an average hand, that is, in systems that use video cards with 3 GB, 4 GB, and even 6 GB of video memory.
At the same time, we demonstrated that the solid-state drive also does not interfere with the gaming system. Yes, in the event of a shortage of RAM from FPS drawdowns, a fast SSD does not always save, but at least it saves the system from micro-insertions. Plus, we don’t forget that the operating system works faster with the solid-state computer, and the games themselves load much faster. Therefore, SSD and 16 GB of RAM are necessary attributes of a modern gaming PC.
Subscribe and stay with us - it will be interesting!
For more information about Kingston and HyperX products, visit the company's official website . In choosing your kit HyperX help page with visual aids .
Like last time when we were torturing the poor graphics integrated into the processor , we suggest starting with statistical calculations. Let's look at the official Steam data.
')
Statistics of one of the most popular gaming clients clearly says: mostly (more than one-third) gamers using Steam have 8 GB of RAM installed. The second place is occupied by the indicator “12 GB or more”, and therefore an additional question that will be revealed in this material, we propose to put as follows: is there any point in increasing the memory array of the gaming PC to 16 GB? Or as an upgrade to get something more useful. For example, SSD.
Let's see what advise igrodely. Here is a list of recently released games and recommended RAM requirements:
• Mass Effect: Andromeda - 16 GB;
• Ghost Recon Wildlands - 8 GB;
• For Honor - 8 GB;
• Sniper Elite 4 - 8 GB;
• Resident Evil 7: Biohazard 8 GB.
As you can see, in most cases, if you believe the developers, for a comfortable game in 2017, 8 GB of RAM is enough. It turns out that there is still no need for 16 GB. Or not?
How much RAM is consumed by modern games
"Gaming PC" is a loose concept. Today, there are a large number of video cards on sale, which are quite suitable for games in resolutions such as Full HD, WQHD and Ultra HD. Popular models are GeForce GTX 1060 with 3 GB and 6 GB of video memory, respectively, as well as GeForce GTX 1070 and GeForce GTX 1080 with 8 GB. Well, we all lick at GeForce GTX 1080 Ti 11 GB. Among AMD adapters, models such as the Radeon RX 470 and Radeon RX 480 with 4 GB and 8 GB of video memory, respectively, are popular. We specifically touched on this point, since the level of memory consumption depends on the 3D accelerator installed in the gaming computer. Below is a table of video memory consumption by modern games on the example of the GeForce GTX 1080 video card.
Source: 3dnews.ru
The situation, in our opinion, is very visual: most games at high and maximum graphics quality settings require more than three gigabytes of video memory. What does it mean? The GeForce GTX 1080, fortunately, with the "brains" is all right. The flagship accelerator is therefore flagship: a user who has the means to buy such a device will probably not save money on RAM. The most popular video cards in Russia are cheap Radeon RX 460, GeForce GTX 1050 Ti, GeForce GTX 1060 3/6 GB and Radeon RX 470/480 with 4 GB. If there is a shortage of video memory, the game records all data that does not fit into the RAM. Therefore, we have the following paradox: the system unit with a cheap video card needs more RAM. The proof is attached.
For this small experiment, we took two video cards: GeForce GTX 1060 3 GB and GeForce GTX 1080 8 GB. On both systems, 12 games were launched with maximum graphics settings in Full HD resolution. Video memory consumption was measured for 5 minutes using the MSI Afterburner program. The most important lot is the use of the Kingston HyperX Predator HX430C15PB3K4 / 64 RAM kit. With such a whale there is no point in worrying about the lack of RAM in games.
The result is obvious: games that require more than 3 GB of video memory at the graphics quality settings that we set, we also need more RAM. We deliberately somewhat “aggravated” the situation by the fact that Steam, Origin, Uplay, NVIDIA 378.49 driver and Google Chrome browser with eight open tabs (VK, Facebook, Gmail, Youtube, Geektimes) automatically started running along with the games on the Windows 10 operating system. , Google search, Yandex.Market and Twitch). In general, we tried to reproduce the usual computer usage scenario by a regular user.
On the example of such games as Rise of the Tomb Raider and Watch Dogs 2, we see that the presence of 16 GB of RAM in the system does not look like a reinsurance. Given the fact that out of 12 applications, more than 8 GB of RAM was consumed in 11 of them, there is no doubt that the presence of 16 GB in the gaming system is a harsh reality.
Well, it's time to round out. Measurements of the consumption of RAM in the games are given, the numbers were more than visual. Until we meet ... stop, let's do a couple more tests. The issue of lack of RAM for gaming PCs makes one more question relevant.
16 GB or SSD?
“ I already have 8 GB of RAM in the system for a long time, and I calmly play all modern games! The reader will exclaim. Indeed, you can play with such input parameters. If, with a lack of video memory, the application uses RAM as the paging file, then already with a lack of RAM, a swap file is used that is located on the drive. Without it now can not do.
“The Witcher 3”, GTA V, Rise of the Tomb Raider, Watch Dogs 2 - not a single game started with the paging file disabled and there is only 8 GB of RAM in the system. And what if you use a solid-state drive as a paging file? As you know, SSD is noticeably faster than classic mechanical hard drives. In addition, the solid-state drive is
This time we turned off the browser with open tabs. In the next small test, it was decided to additionally check whether it would be better: use an SSD with the paging file placed on it, or add another 8 GB to the system so that it would end up with 16 GB?
The test bench consisted of a Core i7-7700K processor and a GeForce GTX 970 4 GB video card. The memory we chose Kingston HyperX Fury HX421C14FB2K2 / 16 , it quietly starts at an effective frequency of 2400 MHz. The games were installed on a Kingston SSDNow UV400 SUV400S37 / 240G solid-state drive and on a Western Digital WD10EZEX hard drive. The result was three configurations: SSD + GeForce GTX 970 + 8 GB of RAM; HDD + GeForce GTX 970 + 8 GB of RAM; HDD + GeForce GTX 970 + 16 GB of RAM.
Alas, even the use of a sufficiently productive Kingston solid-state drive in the system with a shortage of RAM led to noticeable FPS drawdowns. Especially clearly it looks in Rise of the Tomb Raider and Watch Dogs 2. During gaming, the systems with 8 GB of RAM clearly lacked smoothness. To get rid of the drawdowns associated with the lack of operational and video memory, it is necessary to reduce the quality of graphics. In particular, turn off anti-aliasing.
However, we see that the SSD still helps the system with a shortage of RAM. There are framerate drawdowns, but they are not as critical as when using a bundle with HDD. In the case of a hard disk, Watch Dogs 2 and Rise of the Tomb Raider have very real freezes, it's absolutely impossible to play!
Plus, the SSD is also in the fact that the game installed in the memory cells just loads faster. This moment is relevant for online games, when you need to break into the game as quickly as possible.
Conclusion
Well, we clearly demonstrated that a modern gaming computer needs at least 16 GB of RAM. Especially the presence of such a volume of RAM is important for gaming PCs of an average hand, that is, in systems that use video cards with 3 GB, 4 GB, and even 6 GB of video memory.
At the same time, we demonstrated that the solid-state drive also does not interfere with the gaming system. Yes, in the event of a shortage of RAM from FPS drawdowns, a fast SSD does not always save, but at least it saves the system from micro-insertions. Plus, we don’t forget that the operating system works faster with the solid-state computer, and the games themselves load much faster. Therefore, SSD and 16 GB of RAM are necessary attributes of a modern gaming PC.
Subscribe and stay with us - it will be interesting!
For more information about Kingston and HyperX products, visit the company's official website . In choosing your kit HyperX help page with visual aids .
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/403063/
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