32GB DDR4 - overkill now but what about in 5 years time?

[Cern]

I'm putting together a build for a new PC, either Z170 or x99 (still deciding). Either way it will be DDR4.

I'm considering buying 32GB of DDR4 (4 x 8GB) rather than 16GB because prices seem in a good place at the moment.

I know this is overkill for current applications and games, but I want any new build to last about 5 years without needing to upgrade.

I use my PC for productivity (Photoshop, Painter, Illustrator), gaming (mostly MMOs, RPGs like Witcher 3, DA:I, Mass Effect etc and space games like Elite Dangerous and Star Citizen). Plus media consumption (Prime etc).

I know no-one has a crystal ball, but anyone care to speculate on where prices and requirements might go over the next 5 years? How long will DDR4 be with us (as older RAM becomes harder to find later and more expensive)?

 

[Cern]

Really depends what you do. If you just run one game at a time, close it, then do other stuff then 8GB would probably be OK. I would really struggle with 8GB at home and just about hit 16GB regularly at work (Photoshop, Visual Studio, VMs, etc.).

All these things are also still optimised for your average user, so unless you run them all at once, you're not going to need that much RAM.

I tend to multitask a lot. I'll often have Photoshop, Painter and Illustrator all open at the same time. Or I might be running a game on one monitor and TV on the other (if its a game that's not taking my full attention). I'm rarely just doing one thing on the PC.

My current system has 8GB, built at a time when 4GB was considered a lot. But I've never felt it was too much ram.

I guess I'm answering my own question aren't I ... 32GB probably isn't overkill for my uses, at least not in the long run.