Is 16 GB RAM enough for gaming laptops?

Modern games recommending 32 GB RAM in their specs sheets has been a concern for gamers as of late. They wonder if 16 GB RAM is still enough for gaming laptops, and it's a valid concern. Games like Last of Us: Part 1, Returnal, and more have 32 GB mentioned as a specs requirement to run the said games. So, will they run on your 16 GB RAM laptop?

Is 16 GB RAM still enough for gaming laptops? Yes, in most games, but some games require a bit more than 16 GB. This article will delve into this query and analyze if 16 GB RAM laptops can truly run the latest games.

Note: This article is subjective and solely reflects the writer's opinions.

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Do games really need more than 16 GB RAM?

The Last of Us: Part 1 Specs Sheet (Image via Sony)

Games like Last of Us: Part 1, Returnal, Star Citizen, and more, require 32 GB RAM. Although this is mentioned in their specs sheets, does it mean you can't run these games on your 16 GB RAM laptop? No, absolutely not. The specs sheets did state these games require 32 GB RAM, but where exactly was it mentioned? That's the important part. The 32GB requirement was presented under the Performance (1440p gaming) and Ultra (4K gaming) columns in the Last of Us: Part 1 specs sheet.

So, if you have mid-range specs and play at 1080p, you can most likely run such games easily. Since 16 GB is mentioned under Recommended (1080p gaming), there shouldn't be any problem with 1080p gaming. Returnal has 32 GB RAM as a requirement under the 4K gaming and ray tracing option. So, if you won't play at 4K resolution, you have nothing to worry about.

Games have various assets that are designed for specific resolutions. Higher-quality assets are large and require a lot of memory, while lower-quality ones require less memory. Thus, when you play at higher resolution, the game loads up higher-quality assets into the RAM, due to which 16 GB RAM may not be enough in some cases.

Having 16 GB physical RAM in your motherboard doesn't mean the games have access to all 16 GB of RAM. An integrated GPU could take around 512 MB of RAM. The Windows OS inside your computer also takes around 3-4 GB of RAM. Any programs running in the background, such as Discord, OBS, or a browser could take another 1-2 GB of RAM.

Hence, out of your 16 GB of RAM, a game will be left to access around only 9-10 GB of RAM. This is why many companies seem to put 32 GB of RAM in their specs list. Although they may not need 32 GB, the game designers want to ensure that there will be plenty of RAM for the game to use.

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Will games that require more than 16 GB RAM run on your laptop?

A YouTube channel called PC Support and Gaming Test tried playing The Last of Us: Part 1 on 16 GB and 32 GB RAM laptops, and it ran almost equally on both. There is a small difference in FPS in some scenes, but it could simply be a variation in different testing rounds and not an actual performance difference.

A difference of 3 FPS is not enough to recommend gamers to buy 32 GB RAM kits. The testing was done in 1080p, so it runs fine on 16 GB. But even if the games need more RAM for 1440p or 4K gaming, it doesn't mean that they will crash or not run at all. The performance could take a hit, and there could be occasional crashes. However, it won't be anything extreme, and the game should generally run well.

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Is 16 GB RAM enough for gaming laptops?

Yes, 16 GB of RAM is still enough for most games, at least for 1080p gaming. But if you play at 1440p or 4K resolution, it might lead to lowered performance, stutters, and occasional crashes. If you just bought a system with 16 GB RAM, there's no need to upgrade your RAM kits at this point, especially at 1080p.

However, if you play at 4K and the games run horribly due to this, you should upgrade. Additionally, if you don't already have a system and are in the market to buy, you can consider buying 32 GB RAM directly and be future-ready. Many upcoming games will need 32 GB RAM, and this is just the beginning.