How Memory Capacity affects Starfield

Starfield, the hugely anticipated space RPG from the creators of Skyrim and Fallout 4, has finally landed and with it plenty of gamers are keen to make sure they have the best possible experience from their hardware. Will you need to upgrade to get the most out of Bethesda’s latest? We embark on a quest to highlight what we’ve found out so far.

Here are the official recommended specs for Starfield:

• OS: Windows 10/11 with updates
• Processor: AMD Ryzen 5 3600X, Intel i5-10600K
• Memory: 16GB DRAM
• Graphics: AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080
• DirectX: Version 12
• Network: Broadband Internet connection
• Storage: 125 GB available space, SSD required

It shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise to learn that a modern game requires a modern graphics card, and to enjoy the best experiences at 4K you’re going to need a seriously powerful GPU, we’re talking Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090 and AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX territory here. Those two top-end GPUs will handle pretty much everything that Starfield can throw at it using the Ultra Performance graphical preset, thanks in no small part to FSR2 upscaling.

Your options are a bit broader at 1440p, where the likes of the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 Ti and AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT can achieve an all-important 60fps on average using the Ultra Performance preset. If you’re happy to enjoy the game at a more modest 1080p, then the likes of the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 and AMD Radeon RX 6800 are advised. Of course, if you’re happy to play the game at lower graphics settings, then you should be able to make do with older hardware, at least in terms of your graphics card. For a more-detailed run-down of graphics cards in Starfield, Tom's Hardware has a good in-depth article.

Starfield isn’t just demanding of your graphics card though. Bethesda’s reputation for pushing what’s possible is alive and well, with plenty of examples of its physics capabilities showing up on social media: ships packing far too many potatoes, impressively realistic domino rallies, as well as classic ways of stealing things right under people’s noses without them realizing it. All, classic Bethesda.

This impressive physics engine does mean that Starfield demands more from your processor than most games, and to that end you’ll want an up-to-date CPU to enjoy what it has to offer. There are no major surprises here—for the most part, the latest CPUs provide significantly better performance. Hardware Unboxed has done the testing at 1080p at a variety of in-game settings across 44 CPUs if you want more information.

One thing that has stood out in some Starfield benchmarking is the game’s love of memory. Both in terms of memory speed, but also when it comes to capacity. PC Games Hardware tested memory performance using an AMD Ryzen 7 7700X and an Intel Core i9 12900K and saw average performance increase by as much as 13% jumping from DDR5-5200 up to DDR5-7200. If you’re trying to get the best experience possible from the games, then running fast memory makes sense.

It’s a similar story when it comes to memory capacity too. We’ve tested the game with 8GB, 16GB, and 32GB of DRAM to see how it measures up, and our results line-up with the recommended specs—you do need at least 16GB, and preferably 32GB, to enjoy the game at its best. It isn’t just the average frame rate that’s worth looking at here, as the minimums impact what the game feels like when really pushed. Again, 32GB gives the best experience.

Note that the above figures were garnered using an AMD Ryzen 7 5800X paired with an AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT, with the game running at 1080p using the games Ultra graphical settings. These tests were run using DDR4, although you will similar performance difference using DDR5. It’s worth pointing out that DDR5 is generally only available at 32GB and above.

To get the most from Starfield you don’t just need to make sure you have enough capacity to handle its realistic worlds, you need fast memory to hit the high frame rates to make it an epic experience. Ideally, you’re looking at a DDR5 platform at this point, which gives you the option of upgrading to our latest CORSAIR DOMINATOR TITANIUM memory, which ticks both of these boxes nicely. Kits are available at up to 192GB capacities and speeds up to 8,000MT/s, ensuring you have all your bases covered.

If you’re looking for a specific recommendation, then our DOMINATOR TITANIUM 32GB 7,200MT/s kit with a CAS Latency of 34 should see you right. This will not only provide a premium experience in Starfield, but in pretty much any game you can throw at your machine.