I'm not super experienced with PC building, but I've been gifted two Kingston RAM sticks that I've installed. Primarily, I use my PC for gaming and some home tasks, but no heavy editing or rendering. The games I play include CS2, Naraka, GTA V, and Battlefield 6, and I'm aware that my CPU is a bit of a bottleneck. I've been told that it might help performance if I switch from a setup of 16GB at 2400MHz to 24GB at 2133MHz. I've had different advice on this, with some saying that I should stick with the 16GB, while others argue that the 24GB setup is preferable. Here's what I currently have:
- Kingston 8192MB 2400MHz (2 sticks)
- Corsair 4096MB 2133MHz (2 sticks)
My other components include an RX 9060 XT GPU and an Intel i5-8600 CPU. I plan to upgrade my CPU soon and eventually my motherboard as well. Given all this, which RAM setup would be better for my gaming performance?
2 Answers
Honestly, it really depends on the games you play. If 16GB is enough for your gaming needs, then having that at a higher speed (2400MHz) could give you slight benefits, but generally, more RAM is better when you’re close to capacity. If you ever push your RAM usage above 16GB, you'll definitely want that 24GB setup. Beyond that, the difference in speed from 2133MHz to 2400MHz isn’t huge for gaming.
I'd go with the 24GB at 2133MHz. The difference in speed you get from 2400MHz isn’t substantial enough to make a real impact, especially if you’re not overdoing it with RAM-heavy games. More RAM means better multitasking and future-proofing your PC for newer games that might require more memory.
Exactly! Plus, modern games tend to use more RAM over time. 24GB gives you a little breathing room!