RAM has always been an essential part that contributes to system performance. Needless to say, every task performed by a computer requires RAM, Streaming included.
But the big question here is How much RAM for streaming do you need? With all the information given by team Digitalne.tv below, you should be able to grasp enough knowledge to start building your desired streaming system.
How Much RAM For Streaming?
Would 4GB Of RAM Be Enough For Streaming?
If you are using your computer to stream movies, then 4GB of RAM would be enough for streaming at 720p and would barely do the job at 1080p.
But if you are going to stream games, these 4GB won’t do the job. Most of the current games require at least 4GB of RAM or even more, so 4GB for streaming games is out of the question.
Would 8GB Of RAM Be Enough For Streaming?
8GB of Ram would be sufficient to stream movies at 1080p, but to stream at 4K, you may have to consider getting more RAM storage.
As for the games, 8GB of RAM will hardly do the job since most games require precisely that amount of RAM storage or even more just to run the game alone. Streaming games with 8GB of RAM will cause a lack of storage amount to stream and perform other tasks.
In that case, you will experience frequent lags, stuttering, FPS ( Frame per second) drops while streaming games.
Would 16GB Of RAM Be Enough For Streaming?
With 16GB of RAM in your system, streaming movies will be perfectly fine even at high resolutions like UHD 4K.
But if we are talking about streaming games, the stream’s quality will depend on what game you are streaming.
Most of the games recommend 8GB of RAM, so 16GB will be fine streaming them at 1080p with high settings. But for some recent AAA games, 16GB of RAM is required to meet recommended system requirements.
Streaming these hardware-demanding games with 16GB of RAM will not deliver an adequate streaming experience. To solve that problem, you will have to lower your streaming resolution or game settings, which is not everyone’s cup of tea when watching streams.
Would 32GB Of RAM Be Enough For Streaming?
With 32GB of RAM in your system, you won’t have to worry about streaming any games so far with high settings even at UHD 4K resolution. But to have that amount of RAM storage, you may have to consider your budget because getting 32GB of RAM won’t be cheap.
Moreover, if you are not a professional A/V editor, engineer, or involved in any jobs that demand a high-end PC system, 32GB would be a waste since other regular tasks don’t require that much RAM, and you won’t use all those RAM storage most of the time.
Does RAM Frequency Affect Streaming?
RAM frequency affects RAM’s data transferring speed. This means the higher RAM frequency, the faster it will transfer data, and the better streaming quality will be.
A RAM with higher frequency (ex. 3200MHz) will increase FPS (Frame per second), leading to the improvement in stream’s quality.
On the contrary, a RAM with lower frequency (ex. 2400MHz) will lower your FPS, which leads to distortions and lags during your stream.
What About RAM Compatibility?
It would be best to bear in mind that different RAMs have different compatibility with other computer components.
For example, motherboards or mains have different RAM speed limits. If you use a 3200MHz RAM on a motherboard that can only support up to 2666MHz, your RAM will be limited by the main and won’t perform at its peak performance.
You should also know that some RAMs are dedicated to either Intel or AMD CPUs. Of course, they will do fine with both, but when paired with the right type of CPU, your RAM will work at its best (for example, G.Skill Trident Z Neo RAM will perform better with AMD CPU).
Single Channel RAM vs. Dual-Channel RAM: What is the difference?
Single-channel RAM is when you only use one RAM stick in your system, while dual-channel RAM uses two instead. You can use more RAMs than that depending on the number of RAM slots on your motherboard.
Computer experts explained that dual-channel RAM performs slightly better than single-channel RAM. That means dual-channel RAM will deliver better quality when streaming, although the difference won’t be significant.
Giving that situation, you may consider getting more than one RAM stick to maximize your streaming progress. For instance, instead of buying one 16GB RAM stick, you can buy two 8GB RAM sticks to improve your system performance.
The Bottom Line
With so many types of RAM out there, building a streaming system has never been an easy task, especially for those who are new to this. But with all information given above, you should be able to decide how much RAM for streaming you need and how to utilize it to have the best streaming experience.
We hope this article helped you answer the big question of how much RAM for streaming do you need and guided you to get the best RAM for your streaming system.