Recommended memory for PC building in 2024?

[Capitano]

The standard of a few years ago was 16gb and thats what my current rig still does. However that number feels like more of a minimum spec if you are to build a new mid/high end PC in 2023/2024.

The speed of ram also matters due to modern chips taking advantage of DDR5 speeds.

All that being said, if I was to build a new PC in the next year or so that I plan on keeping for a good few years, what sort of RAM specs should I be aiming for?
32GB with DDR5 (4800mhz+) seems the sweet spot for RAM, but just curious to see if we I possibly may need more RAM or potentially faster

 

[Capitano]

What DDR5 to buy December 2023

DO NOT BUY 4x8, 4x16 or 4x24for 2x16/2x24/2x32/2x48 to get Hynix the following works:6000-6600 with a CL of 32 or lower6800-7200 with a CL of 34 or lower7200...

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awesome thank you

 

[Capitano]

I'd say the minimum unless on a very tight budget should be 32gb, I frequently use more than 16gb while gaming and that's only going to become more common.

As for memory speeds, that depends on the CPU, the AMD X3D variants don't particularly care about memory speed. That said, a decent set of 5600-6000mhz RAM can be had for very cheap so I wouldn't bother penny pinching and getting anything slower.

thank you, this was insightful

 

[Capitano]

- 16GB is budget build only (e.g. less than £500).
- 32GB is the standard.
- 64GB if you are building high-end gaming (e.g. £1500+), or use workstation apps. The extra money is better spent on other things with lower budgets (e.g. CPU, GPU).


I'd get a minimum of 5600 C36, but low latency 6000+ is pretty cheap, so you don't save much (£10-£20).

64gb it is then! I mess around with a couple VM's here and there so I think the more the better. Once i decide on the final build ill do some more research into what sticks go best with the processor I need

 

[Capitano]

I have 64GB of this to go with a 7800X3D. You can get cheaper, but it's not insanely expensive to begin with.

Crazy to think £260 is considered not too bad for RAM these days!

When I built mine 6-7 years ago, RAM was far far cheaper to get albeit being only 16gb at the time

 

[Capitano]

Inflation alone bumps prices up across the board, and to be fair, that is 4 times as much RAM as your 16GB kit!

but you would think that ram prices will generally go down over time (at least capacity wise)

 

[Capitano]

32GB of DDR4 is reasonable (though a fair chunk more expensive than after the oversupply). If you're willing to buy boring old stock RAM, then 64GB DDR5 is available for ~£160, which I don't think is too bad relative to the other costs of the PC.

tbh you're right thats not too bad

quite a few factors that go into ram pricing these days, as with most pc parts