I've been using the same PC for around five years, aside from replacing the power supply. It has an 11th-generation Intel Core processor, an RTX 3060, 16GB of DDR4-3600 RAM in a 2x8GB configuration, and an 850W PSU. Recently, games haven't felt as smooth as they used to. I mainly play World of Tanks, World of Warships, RDR2, Battlefield 6, and Elden Ring. I can usually play at high or maximum settings around 80–100 FPS, but I'd like to stay closer to a consistent 100–120 FPS. Game loading is also fairly slow, especially when loading graphical assets. Would upgrading to 32GB or 64GB of RAM noticeably improve smoothness, FPS, or loading times, or is another component more likely to need an upgrade?
3 Answers
First check whether your RAM is actually filling up while you play. If memory usage stays well below 16GB, adding more RAM probably won’t improve your frame rate. Use an in-game hardware overlay to monitor FPS, RAM, VRAM, CPU usage, GPU usage, temperatures, and whether any component is running at 100%. That will show what is limiting performance before you spend money.
For the slow loading, check where the games are installed. If they’re on a mechanical hard drive, moving them to an SSD or NVMe drive can make a major difference. An SSD will improve loading and asset streaming, but it generally won’t raise average FPS. Also make sure the RAM is running at its rated 3600MHz speed in the motherboard settings; if you upgrade, 32GB as a 2x16GB kit is the practical choice.
Moving from 16GB to 32GB is a reasonable upgrade for modern gaming, especially if you multitask or play newer titles, but 64GB is unlikely to increase FPS by itself. More RAM mainly helps prevent stuttering caused by running out of memory; it won’t turn 80–100 FPS into a consistent 120 FPS if the CPU or GPU is the bottleneck.
An 11th-generation Intel processor can also be starting to show its age, depending on the exact model. If the GPU is not fully utilized while the CPU is near its limit, a platform upgrade would help more than extra RAM.