How Much RAM Do You Need in a Gaming Laptop?
RAM is the short-term memory your laptop uses while games and other programs run. Too little forces the system to shuffle data to the drive, which shows up as stutter. Here is a simple way to choose.
16GB: the sensible starting point
16GB handles most current games along with a browser and a chat app in the background. For a laptop used mainly for gaming, it is a comfortable minimum.
32GB: for heavier multitasking
32GB gives headroom if you stream, record, run several programs alongside a game, or do video editing and 3D work. Some large or heavily modded games also benefit.
64GB and above: creators and specialists
This much memory suits professional video, large 3D scenes and virtual machines. Most players will not notice it in games.
Things that matter as much as the amount
- Dual-channel: two memory modules usually perform better than one of the same total size.
- Speed and type: newer laptops use DDR5. Faster memory helps a little, mostly on systems that share memory with integrated graphics.
- Upgradeable or soldered: some laptops have SO-DIMM slots you can fill later; others solder the memory to the board, so you must buy the amount you need. Each product page here notes the memory configuration.
Don’t forget the graphics card
For frame rates, the GPU matters more than RAM. Compare the graphics chip first, then choose the memory. Browse our gaming laptops to see memory, graphics and storage side by side.