I'm building a new PC for virtualization and gaming, and I'm at a crossroads. I have a Ryzen 7 9700X planned, but I'm considering whether I should prioritize 64GB of RAM or stick with a Ryzen 5 9600X and get the extra RAM instead. For context, my setup includes various high-end components like a Sapphire Radeon Nitro+ 9070XT and three NVMe SSDs (one for Linux boot, one for Windows boot/games, and one for Linux games). I know that 32GB might be enough for most gaming scenarios, but I'm concerned about handling virtual machines effectively. What do you all think? Should I go with the Ryzen 5 9600X and 64GB of RAM or the Ryzen 7 9700X with 32GB?
1 Answer
It really depends on what you're planning to do with those VMs. If you're certain you'll benefit from having 64GB of RAM, then go for it. However, if you’re not sure, I’d suggest the 9700X now, and you can always add more RAM later if you find you need it.
That's my thought too. It's easier to add RAM later than to upgrade a CPU, especially if you find running multiple VMs becomes too much with only 32GB.