My friend has an older prebuilt computer with a Ryzen 7 5700G, RTX 3060, and 16 GB of DDR4-3200 memory installed as a single stick. Their RAM appears to be nearly full while playing Valorant, and their frame rates feel inconsistent. Would adding more memory noticeably improve performance, or is the bigger issue that the system is running in single-channel mode? If they upgrade, should they add another 16 GB stick, replace the current memory with a matched kit, or use the old stick as a third module? Any other suggestions for getting more consistent frames would be appreciated.
Motherboard: Lenovo 3716 (AM4)
CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 5700G
GPU: NVIDIA RTX 3060
Current memory: 1x16 GB DDR4-3200, Lenovo LMKUFG68AHFHD-32A
2 Answers
If the current 16 GB is actually being maxed out, moving to 32 GB can help prevent stuttering from memory pressure. For Valorant alone, though, switching from one stick to two sticks is likely the more important improvement. After installing the memory, check that it is running at its rated 3200 MT/s in the firmware or system monitor, since some prebuilts may use conservative default settings.
The main problem is probably the single memory module, not simply having only 16 GB. One stick runs the system in single-channel mode, which can hurt performance and frame-time consistency, especially with a Ryzen APU. The best upgrade would usually be a matched 2x16 GB DDR4-3200 kit. Adding a second compatible 16 GB stick may also work, but matching specifications and compatibility matter.
I would avoid using the old module as a third stick unless testing shows it works well. Three DDR4 sticks can result in an uneven memory configuration and may reduce stability or performance compared with two matched sticks.