Your computer system relies on random access memory, or “RAM,” to open, run, and manage applications, services, and programs.
PCs can be made or broken by RAM. The number of concurrently running applications increases with RAM.
Also: How much RAM is required for your Windows 10 PC?
However, if you don’t have enough, your computer could slow down to a crawl and become almost unbearable.
However, spending more money than necessary on RAM can be a waste.
What is the bare minimum amount of RAM that Windows 11 allows?
Let us begin here.
In the early days of Windows 10, a PC with only 1GB of RAM could run 32-bit Windows. This minimum was doubled to 2 GB in the 64-bit version.
Furthermore, it was truly the bare minimum. You could work with it, but at times it might hurt.
Things have changed for Windows 11, and Microsoft has raised the minimum storage requirement to 4GB. Although it is a significant increase, it strangely quickly feels like a minimum. After everything has started up, I’ve seen systems with about one gigabyte left over.
How much RAM do you really need for your Windows 11 computer?
You can get away with the minimum of 4GB. When you try to do serious photo editing or when Google Chrome is running with a few tabs open, things start to slow down a bit.
Also: You need to install this right away if you use Google Chrome. Forget about serious gaming or video editing (unless you’re just topping and tailing a video).
It will only result in frustration at the end.
If you want a computer that doesn’t make you angry, increasing the RAM by double to 8GB will give you much more freedom and flexibility. You will have enough RAM to play games, photo and video editing will be possible, and Google Chrome will feel much snappier.
Also: How to Choose a Computer for Your Child After Putting a lot of different systems through their paces, I now think that Windows 11 needs at least 8 GB.
Is it necessary to have more RAM than 8 GB?
Sure there is, however the value for the money begins to trail off.
When you run multiple resource-intensive applications simultaneously, especially high-end image or 4K+ video processing, CAD, or 3D modeling, more than 8GB of RAM becomes useful and begins to pay for itself.
Also: How to get Photoshop for free If you run Premiere Pro, Photoshop, and After Effects concurrently on a system with 8GB of RAM, you’ll start to notice a slowdown. This is not a problem on a system with at least 16GB.
If you use virtualization tools like Microsoft Hyper-V or VMware Workstation a lot, especially if you run multiple virtual machines at once, having more than 8GB is also helpful.
Also: How to make the perfect Windows 11 virtual machine Keep in mind that you will have to pay for the RAM, and anything beyond 8GB will start increasing the price.
Does a gaming PC require 24 or 32 GB of RAM?
No, mostly.
A lot of gaming systems have up to 32GB of RAM, which is nice because it provides a lot of overhead, but I find that most of the time this RAM is just sitting in the PC doing nothing.
Also: HDD vs. SSD: Which one should you buy and what makes them different?
Spend money on RAM if you have it, but better to spend it on faster SSD storage or a more powerful graphics card.
It is essential to keep in mind that a fast PC is constructed from a collection of fast components. It is just a waste of money to add a lot of RAM to a system with other bottlenecks like a slow CPU, slow storage, and a poor graphics card.
Also: What kind of video card do I have? How to check the drivers for your GPU How much RAM can my computer handle?
Fixed RAM, in which RAM chips are soldered directly to the motherboard and cannot be removed or upgraded, has become increasingly common in laptops.
Also: How to quickly and easily identify your motherboard What you buy is what you’ll have for the rest of the system’s life.
Fortunately, most desktop computers still have upgradeable RAM.
You must, however, be mindful of a few things. in particular, the type of RAM your machine utilizes and the maximum amount that is permitted.
How did you come across this data?
If your computer was built by an original equipment manufacturer (OEM), you can use a system checker like the one on Crucial.com to determine which RAM is compatible with your system. You can then go shopping once you have this information.
This should provide you with all the information you require.
What is the most RAM that Windows 11 can handle?
There is a maximum RAM allowance for each Windows 11 version.
Windows 11 Business: Windows 11 Education: 6 TB Windows 11 Pro Workstations with 2 TB: Windows 11 Pro, 6 TB: Windows 11 Home with 2 TB: 128 GB In point of fact, before you reach these operating system limits, you’ll hit a hardware limit.
