Are 16GB (2x8GB) DRAM kits good for Gaming?

For a long time, 16GB of system memory was the default recommendation for gaming PCs. More recently, that guidance has shifted toward 32GB, as modern PCs are asked to do far more than just run a game. However, with recent volatility in DRAM pricing, many users are once again considering 16GB, especially those building or upgrading on a tighter budget. That leaves many gamers wondering whether 16GB and specifically a 2x8GB kit is still a viable option for gaming today.

The short answer, based on our testing, is yes. It may not be ideal, but it works better than many expect.

A big part of that comes down to how games use memory. While DRAM still matters, GPU VRAM carries much more of the workload. Most graphics data in games, such as textures and shaders, live in VRAM and, as long as there is enough of it available, games usually don’t lean heavily on system memory. Problems appear when VRAM runs out, forcing the GPU to pull data from DRAM, which is slower and more sensitive to latency. In such cases, users often report FPS drops and stuttering on GPUs with 8GB of VRAM and sometimes even on GPUs with 16GB of VRAM.

Another factor to consider is that 2x8GB DDR5 kits are less common. These DDR5 kits usually cannot reach the speeds that a 32GB kit can achieve. That said, games aren’t impacted much by this, and 16GB of DRAM can be borderline sufficient depending on the title. Make sure to check the compatibility of the 16GB DRAM kits with the motherboard and CPU that will be used.

For the reasons above, an RTX 4090 with 24GB of VRAM was chosen along with the following parts.

• CORSAIR VENGEANCE DDR5 CMH16GX5M2B5600Z40
• AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D
• ASUS ROG CROSSHAIR X870E APEX
• CORSAIR MP700 ELITE 1TB PCIe 5.0 NVME M.2 SSD
• PNY GeForce RTX 4090 24GB XLR8 Gaming UPRISING EPIC-X

During the benchmarks, Discord was running, Google Chrome had five tabs open, and both the Steam and Epic launchers were active.

Across all the titles tested, games ran smoothly with 16GB of DRAM. All the games were tested at 1080p resolution and the maximum settings. Memory usage was around 12–13GB, and it didn’t push far enough to cause stuttering or instability. The FPS results reflected this as well. While 32GB of DRAM offers more headroom, the actual difference in average FPS and 1% lows during gameplay was minimal. In short, the games ran fine. Although certain game titles may not work the same, but the games tested ran without issues.

Ideally, we would still recommend 32GB for a modern gaming PC. However, today’s DRAM pricing makes that harder for many users, making 16GB a practical choice for a budget-friendly gaming build.