I finally finished my first PC build after saving for a long time. AM5 was far too expensive where I live because of taxes and inflated prices, so I went with AM4 instead. The system includes a Ryzen 7 5700X, MSI B550-A PRO motherboard, Deepcool AG400 V2 ARGB cooler, MSI MPG A850GS power supply, MSI MAG Forge R320 Airflow case, Samsung 990 Pro 1TB SSD, 16GB (2x8GB) Corsair Vengeance LPX DDR4-3200 CL16 memory, and an RX 9070 XT Hellhound Reva graphics card. The entire build cost about $1,400, which is roughly my yearly income, so my budget was very limited. I keep seeing people say that 16GB is no longer enough for modern gaming and that a build with this graphics card should have 32GB. Should I sell my current kit and delay using the PC until I can afford 32GB, or will 16GB be fine for now?
3 Answers
You can use 16GB for now and upgrade when you can afford it. 32GB is preferable for newer games, but there’s no reason to sell your current kit or put yourself into debt just because other people say it’s necessary. Enjoy the system you built and add another 16GB later, ideally with matching specifications.
32GB is becoming the recommended amount, but it isn’t an emergency upgrade. Keep the current 2x8GB kit and save for another matching kit later. Try to match the capacity, speed, timings, and preferably the exact model; four sticks can sometimes require lowering the memory speed, so check stability after installing them.
16GB is still usable for most games, especially if you close unnecessary browser tabs, Discord, and other background programs. Some demanding games may get close to the limit, but lowering a few settings can help. If you run out of memory, you’ll usually notice stuttering or heavy paging, so monitor your actual usage before spending money.
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