16 GB vs 32 GB: How much RAM do you need for gaming laptops?

Many games these days require you to have 32 GB RAM, as mentioned in their system requirements list. Graphically intensive games like Hogwarts Legacy, Returnal, Spider-Man Remastered, and The Last of Us: Part 1 have 32 GB RAM requirements mentioned on their system requirements list. Enabling ray-tracing in games may require even more RAM capacity, without which such games could stutter.

It begs the question, how much RAM do you actually need for gaming laptops? 16 GB or 32 GB? While 16 GB of RAM should be fine for most games at 1080p, if you play at 2K or 4K with ray-tracing turned on, you will need 32 GB.

This article discusses the need for 16 GB and 32 GB RAM in detail with real benchmarks.

Note: Aspects of this article are subjective and reflect the writer's opinions

---

16 GB vs 32 GB RAM: Real benchmarks

Hogwarts Legacy system requirements (Image via WB Games)

A couple of years ago, there were endless debates on 8 GB vs 16 GB RAM, where people said 16 GB is overkill and 8GB should be fine. We've come full circle now since the topic of contention is 16 GB vs 32 GB RAM. Keeping the argument aside, here are some real-world game benchmarks to see if 32 GB RAM can provide some difference in gaming.

Thanks to data provided by Ancient Gameplays on YouTube, we got enough data to get a clear answer. Here's how modern games run on 16 GB and 32 GB RAM at 1080p resolution.

	16 GB RAM	32 GB RAM
Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora	154 FPS	153 FPS
Assassin's Creed: Mirage	160.7 FPS	168 FPS
Hogwarts Legacy	151.3 FPS	155.4 FPS
Cyberpunk 2077	188.9 FPS	192.2 FPS
Counter-Strike 2	506.1 FPS	518 FPS
COD: Modern Warfare 2	276 FPS	277 FPS
The Last of Us: Part 1	149.9 FPS	156.4 FPS
Spider-Man Remastered	162.9 FPS	164.9 FPS
Spider-Man Remastered at RT	118.7 FPS on average | 71 1% Low	113.9 FPS on average | 73.6 1% Low
Robocop: Rogue City	184.8 FPS	190.4 FPS
PUBG: Battlegrounds	320 FPS	334.2 FPS
Fortnite	141.3 FPS	143.2 FPS

As observed, the difference in performance between 16 GB and 32 GB is pretty small in most games and likely a result of variation. However, the FPS differences in games like Assassin's Creed Mirage, Hogwarts Legacy, The Last of Us: Part 1, and Robocop: Rogue City are noticeable.

Also, Spider-Man running with RT enabled was a curious case. With 32 GB RAM, the average FPS decreased, but its 1% low improved. The 1% low describes the lowest FPS the game went to. So, it's good that the 1% low numbers improved, but the difference is marginal.

However, there's another metric called 0.1% low, which is even more important than the average FPS and 1% low. The 0.1% low numbers determine whether your game is stuttery or smooth. If you find stutters in any game, the 0.1% low numbers will probably be too low. Having 32 GB RAM may improve the 0.1% low, and the game would stutter less.

Hogwarts Legacy running on a system with 16 GB RAM vs 32 GB RAM (Image via S2Games Bench channel/YouTube)

According to a test done by the S2Games Bench channel on YouTube, the stutters are visible in Hogwarts Legacy running on the 16 GB RAM system, and its 0.1% low number is abysmally low. The system with 32 GB RAM runs the same scene with no visible stutters and a higher 0.1% number.

Also, check out the RAM usage on both systems. The 16 GB RAM system used 13 to 14 GB, but the 32 GB RAM system used 17 to 19 GB. This significant difference in RAM usage explains the huge jump in the 0.1% low numbers on the 32 GB RAM system.

---

How much RAM do you need for gaming laptops?

You only need 16 GB RAM for gaming at 1080p, at least for now. 16 GB RAM is enough for most games, but games like Hogwarts Legacy or The Last of Us: Part 1 may not run quite well.

Also, turning on Ray Tracing or playing at 2K or 4K will require even more RAM and may cause stutters with 16 GB RAM. Having 32 GB will fix those issues and make your gaming system future-ready. More games down the line will need 32 GB RAM.

If you're in the market to buy a new PC, getting one with 32 GB RAM would be my recommendation. But if you already have a PC with 16 GB RAM, that should be fine since the performance difference isn't too big. It would be best to upgrade later down the road with even faster RAM kits.