Is 32GB of RAM overkill?

This isn’t a straightforward question, as it depends on what you’re using your PC for. If all you’re doing is browsing the internet, then 16GB is fine, and any more is probably overkill. It’s when you start doing more demanding tasks that extra memory makes a difference. It’s more granular than just gaming, video editing, or rendering too. What specific games are you playing? What resolution are you targeting? What settings are you using? Are you handling 8K video?

When it comes to gaming, 16GB has been the optimal amount of RAM to have for a long time. This was because most games not only had this as the capacity for the recommended game settings, but for the optimal performance too. Games rarely demanded anything more.

That’s increasingly not the case however, and a number of AAA titles have recently released that demand 32GB of system RAM for the best settings at 4K. The likes of Hogwarts Legacy, Redfall, Returnal, Diablo IV, and many more won’t offer the best gaming experience with just 16GB of RAM, so it could well be time to upgrade.

For high-end content creation, 16GB hasn’t been optimal for a long time. More memory just makes everything smoother and more responsive, as well as allowing you to handle large data sets that much easier. That’s true whether you’re dealing with high-resolution video, images, models, or textures.

In summary: 16GB is no longer enough if you want the optimal gaming experience, particularly at the highest resolutions and settings. 32GB will quickly become the minimum memory specification you’ll want to upgrade to in 2023 to protect you for the future of gaming and more serious pursuits.

Check out the full range of CORSAIR DDR5 memory for more information.