If you are on this page, then most likely you want to get an answer to the question of how to find out how much random access memory on the computer. This information is often necessary to find out:
- will there be enough RAM for a computer game;
- the computer is running slowly and you want to buy more memory;
- you are just interested in knowing how much RAM is installed on your computer;
- are you going to install operating system and want to determine whether there will be enough memory to run it.
I have listed only a part possible options, in which you will need to know the amount of RAM. In this article I will try to tell you in as much detail as possible how to do this, but first, a little theory.
RAM(RAM (Random Access Memory),) is a volatile component of the memory system in which programs and various data are processed and processed. All devices communicate with RAM through the system bus. Data in RAM is stored only when the computer is turned on. When you turn it off, all data is erased. I’ll give an example of what a RAM board looks like in a computer and.
Using RAM allows applications to run faster than if they were using ROM (). Therefore, RAM is so important for the operation of various programs.
Because over time installed applications As your computer gets larger, there won’t be enough memory for everyone, so we’ll try to figure it out now: how to find out how much RAM is on your computer, so that if possible you can free it up or add another stick.
How to find out the amount of RAM using Windows.
As a rule, you can find out how much RAM is installed on your computer in several ways using the Windows operating system. Probably the simplest is to go to the operating system properties and look at the data.
To do this, open the “Start” menu - “Control Panel” - “System”
In the window that opens, look for the item “ Installed memory(RAM)” and see its volume. 
Note! As a rule, if your operating system is 32-bit, the amount of RAM will be shown to be slightly less than what is actually installed.
Another option to find out how much RAM is on your computer is to look in the task manager. To do this, click on the taskbar right click mouse and select “Task Manager” or use the hotkey combination “Ctrl” + “Shift” + “Esc”. 
In the task manager window that opens, go to the “Performance” tab and look at the “Memory” item. At this point we see how much memory is installed, as well as how much is used in this moment time. 
Maybe this information will be the deciding factor for you to add another RAM stick.
Advice! If you see that the memory is loaded at 80-90%, while no heavy applications or games are running, then most likely you need to increase its volume. This way you are noticeable.
IN command line write the command: wmic MEMORYCHIP get BankLabel,DeviceLocator,Capacity,Speed gjckt
After this, you will see how many RAM sticks are installed on the computer, their size and the speed at which they operate.
How to find out how much RAM is on your computer using programs?
In order to find out the amount of installed RAM, you can use various programs.
The first program on my list is CPU-Z, you can download it on the official website - http://cpuz.ru/gpuz_download.htm
After downloading, install the program and run it. In it, we are interested in the “Memory” tab. The program will show us such important data as “Memory Type”, “Memory Amount”, the frequency at which your RAM operates in real time. And you will also see quite a lot more useful information, which cannot be obtained using operating system tools.
You can also use another, more advanced program called AIDa (Everest), you can also download it on the official website: www.aida64.com/downloads, the program is paid, but for our purposes it’s enough trial period, which is equal to 30 days, so we download the program. Install and launch it. In the window that opens, open the item “ Motherboard" A drop-down list will open in which we are interested in two tabs “Memory” and “SPD”. In this utility, the information is presented in an even more detailed form. So, here we can see information about memory timings, manufacturer, release date and many other important parameters that may be useful. 
As you can see, if you use third party programs, then you can get more different information about the installed RAM. This information may be useful to you when purchasing an additional RAM stick, since it is desirable that the memory be of the same manufacturer, have the same timings as the one installed, and frequency.
Other ways to find out how much RAM is on your computer.
Since we are considering this issue in detail, let’s figure out where else you can see how much RAM is installed on your computer. There are times when, then you can see the amount of RAM by going to Motherboard BIOS fees. In order to go there you need to press the Del or F2 key when you turn on the computer, it all depends on. After you have entered the BIOS on home page you will see memory information.
You can also open the lid system unit and remove the RAM. As a rule, there is a sticker on the memory board with the following information:
- Manufacturer;
- Memory type;
- Memory timings;
- Frequency;
- Memory module capacity.
The next option is to find a sales receipt or a box of RAM. In most cases, all information about installed components in the system unit and basic information about them or on the packaging, but this is usually rare.
Conclusion.
As you can see, there are a large number of ways: how to find out how much RAM is on your computer. Which method to use depends on what information you need. If you only need to know the amount of memory, then the information that will be provided to the operating room will do. Windows system. If you need to know everything specifications memory modules, then you can’t do without third-party utilities. That's all for me. If you found this information useful, share it on social networks.
Those users who have at least once experienced the delight of increasing the size of their computer's RAM by two or more times are sure that the more memory, the faster the computer works. However, the rule “more memory - faster computer” does not always work. After certain value the effect decreases and then disappears altogether. Now let's try to figure out how much memory can theoretically be installed in a computer, and how much is actually needed for optimal performance applications and operating system.
How much memory can I install?
The theoretical limit for 32-bit systems is a little over 3 gigabytes. A 64-bit system could theoretically handle 16.8 million terabytes!
Today, when programs are optimized for working with large amounts of memory, the RAM disk is losing some of its attractiveness. And if you consider that all the data on it will be lost during a power failure, then the idea of creating such a virtual drive at home loses its relevance.
So, the optimal amount of memory for home computer- 8 GB. In this case, the memory sticks will justify the money you invested in them.
And the best answer to the question “What should I do with free memory?” sounds like this for modern operating systems: “Don’t interfere with your work!” Those. just leave the memory alone - the system itself knows how best to use it, just work with programs and games.
Be sure to pay attention to the article, which reveals many points on how memory works.
If the amount of RAM allows you to simultaneously use a large number of programs, this is great, because you can quickly switch between them without having to close programs.
Hello, friends! In this article, we tried to answer many of your questions regarding RAM. ? How can I find out what RAM I have installed and how much? How to choose the right RAM for your computer. How do you know if your RAM is running in dual channel mode or not? What is better to buy, one 8GB DDR3 memory stick or two 4GB sticks each? And finally.
- If you are interested, or, also read our articles.
- Hello admin, one of my friends asks me to install more RAM. The computer properties show a capacity of 2 GB. We turned off the computer, opened the system unit, there was one stick of RAM, took it out, and there were no marks on it. Interestingly, it was not possible to determine the model of the motherboard. The computer was purchased a long time ago, so the question arose - how to find out the type of RAM it needs? After all, RAM differs in type, frequency and timing.
- Hi all! I wanted to buy additional RAM, I removed the cover of the system unit, took out the RAM stick and I can’t decipher the information written on it, it’s just written there serial number that's all. It is completely unclear at what frequency it operates and what type it is, DDR3 or DDR2. How to distinguish DDR3 from DDR2 memory, how do they differ in appearance?
- I have one stick of 4 GB DDR3-1600 RAM in the system unit, I want to install another stick, also 4 GB, but running at a higher frequency DDR3-1866. Will my computer work normally, and most importantly, in dual-channel mode?
My friend installed three RAM sticks of different sizes and frequencies into the system unit. Is this allowed? But what’s strange is that his computer works fine! - Tell me, how can I check whether my RAM works in dual-channel mode or not? And what conditions are needed for my memory to work in dual-channel mode. Same volume? Same frequency or same timings? How much faster does a computer run in dual-channel mode than in single-channel mode? They say that there is also a three-channel mode.
- What will work better, two sticks of 4 GB of RAM in dual-channel mode or one stick, but with a capacity of 8 GB, respectively, the memory mode will be single-channel?
To find out all the information about a RAM module, you need to carefully examine it; usually the manufacturer labels the RAM with the proper information about the frequency, volume and type of RAM. If there is no such information on the module, then you need to find out everything about the motherboard and the installed processor; sometimes this action turns into a whole investigation.
- Important Notes: Friends, do not forget that all new processors Intel Core i3, Intel Core i5, Intel Core i7 The RAM controller is located in the processor itself (previously it was controlled by the north bridge of the motherboard) and the memory modules are now directly controlled by the processor itself, the same applies to latest processors AMD.
- This means that it doesn't matter what RAM frequency your motherboard supports. It is important what RAM frequency your processor supports. If your computer has a processorIntel Core i3, Intel Core i5, Intel Core i7, then the officially supported memory standards of these processors: PC3-8500 (DDR3-1066 MHz), PC3-10600 (DDR3-1333 MHz), PC3-12800 (DDR3-1600 MHz), it is at these frequencies that your RAM will operate, even if the motherboard's passport indicates that the motherboard can work with RAM strips high frequency PC3-19200 (DDR3-2400 MHz).
- It's another matter if your processor has unlocked multiplier, that is, with the letter “K” at the end, for example CPU Intel Core i7-4770 K, 3.5 GHz. An unlocked multiplier means that in a computer with such a processor you can install memory sticks of the highest frequency, for example DDR3-1866 MHz or DDR3-2400 MHz, such a processor can be overclocked and during overclocking the RAM will operate at its frequency of 2400 MHz . If you install the RAM stick DDR3-1866 MHz or DDR3-2400 MHz into a computer with a conventional processor, that is, with locked multiplier without letter" K” at the end, for exampleIntel Core i7-3770, 3.9 GHz then such a bar will work at best at a frequency DDR3-1600 MHz, and in the worst case, the computer will not boot. Therefore, buy RAM that is suitable for your processor.
- Concerning processorsAMD recent years, then they work with memoryPC3-10600 (DDR3-1333 MHz).
Firstly, the RAM stick itself should contain all the information you are interested in, you just need to read it correctly. I don’t argue, there are memory strips that have practically nothing on them, but we can handle them too.
For example, let’s take a Hynix RAM stick, it has the following information: 4 GB PC3 – 12800.
What does the following mean:
firstly, the volume is 4 GB,
secondly, 1Rx8 - Rank - a memory area created by several or all chips of a memory module, 1Rx8 are single-sided memory ranks, and 2Rx8 are double-sided memory ranks.
As you can see, on this bar it is not written that it is DDR2 or DDR3, but it is indicated throughput PC3-12800. PC3 is a designation for peak bandwidth belonging only to the DDR3 type (for DDR2 RAM the designation will be PC2, for example PC2-6400).
This means that our Hynix RAM stick is DDR3 and has PC3-12800 bandwidth. If the bandwidth of 12800 is divided by eight and you get 1600. That is, this DDR3 memory stick operates at a frequency of 1600 MHz.
Read everything about DDR2 and DDR3 RAM on the website
http://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/DDR3 and everything will become clear to you.
Let's take another RAM module - Crucial 4GB DDR3 1333 (PC3 - 10600). This means the following: volume 4 GB, memory type DDR3, frequency 1333 MHz, PC3-10600 bandwidth is also indicated.
Manufacturer Patriot, capacity 1 GB, PC2 bandwidth – 6400. PC2 is a designation for peak bandwidth belonging only to the DDR2 type (for DDR3 RAM the designation will be PC3, for example PC3-12800). We divide the bandwidth of 6400 by eight and get 800. That is, this DDR2 memory stick operates at a frequency of 800 MHz.
One more plank- Kingston KHX6400D2 LL/1G
Manufacturer Kingston, bandwidth 6400, type DDR2, capacity 1 GB. We divide the bandwidth by 8, we get a frequency of 800 MHz.
But this stick of RAM has more important information
, it has a non-standard microcircuit supply voltage: 2.0 V - set manually in the BIOS.
RAM modules differ in the size of the contact pads and the location of the cutouts. Using a cutout, you will not be able to install a RAM module in a slot not intended for it. For example, you cannot install a DDR3 memory stick in a DDR2 slot.
Everything is clearly visible in this diagram.
Sometimes there will be no clear information on the RAM module other than the name of the module itself. But the module cannot be removed, since it is under warranty. But by the name you can understand what kind of memory it is. For example
Kingston KHX1600 C9D3 X2K2/8G X, all this means:
KHX 1600 -> RAM operates at 1600 MHz
C9 -> Timings (Delays) 9-9-9
D3 -> RAM type DDR3
8G X -> Volume 4 GB.
You can simply type the name of the module in search engines and you will find out all the information about it.
For example, information from the AIDA64 program about my RAM. Kingston HyperX RAM modules are installed in RAM slots 2 and 4, memory type DDR3, frequency 1600 MHz
DIMM2: Kingston HyperX KHX1600C9D3/4GX DDR3-1600 DDR3 SDRAM
DIMM4: Kingston HyperX KHX1600C9D3/4GX DDR3-1600 DDR3 SDRAM
Is it possible to install RAM sticks with different frequencies into a computer?
The RAM frequency does not have to be the same. The motherboard will set the frequency for all installed RAM sticks according to the slowest module. But I want to say that often a computer with brackets of different frequencies is unstable.
Let's do a simple experiment. For example, let's take my computer, it has two identical Kingston HyperX RAM modules, memory type DDR3, frequency 1600 MHz.
If I run the AIDA64 program on my Windows 8, it will show the following information (see the following screenshot). That is, the program AIDA64 shows simple technical characteristics of each RAM stick; in our case, both sticks have a frequency1600 MHz. But the programAIDA64 does not show at what frequency the RAM modules are currently operating; this needs to be looked at in another program called CPU-Z.
If you run free program CPU-Z and go to the Memory tab, it will show you exactly what frequency your RAM sticks are operating at. My memory works in dual channel Dual mode, frequency 800 MHz, since the memory is DDR3, its effective (double) speed is 1600 MHz. This means that my RAM sticks operate exactly at the frequency for which they are designed: 1600 MHz. But what will happen if next to your RAM strips operating at a frequency 1600 MHz I will set another bar with frequency 1333 MHz!?
Let's install an additional DDR3 memory stick in my system unit, operating at a lower frequency of 1333 MHz.
Let's look at what AIDA64 shows, the program shows that an additional 4 GB stick is installed, with a frequency of 1333 MHz.
Now let’s run the CPU-Z program and see at what frequency all three sticks operate. As we can see, the frequency is 668.7 MHz, since the memory is DDR3, its effective (double) speed is 1333 MHz.
That is, the motherboard automatically set the operating frequency of all RAM sticks to the slowest module at 1333 MHz.
It is not advisable to install RAM sticks in your computer with a frequency higher than what the motherboard supports. For example, if your motherboard supports a maximum RAM frequency of 1600 MHz, and you installed a RAM module operating at a frequency of 1866 on your computer, then in the best case, this module will operate at a lower frequency of 1600 MHz, and in the worst case, the module will operate at its frequency 1866 MHz, but the computer will periodically reboot itself or you will receive when you boot your computer blue screen, in this case you will have to enter the BIOS and manually set the RAM frequency to 1600 MHz.
Timings(signal delay) determine how often the processor can access RAM. If you have a quad-core processor and it has a large second-level cache, then too long timings are not a problem, since the processor accesses RAM less often. Is it possible to install RAM sticks with different timings in a computer? The timings also do not have to match. The motherboard will automatically set timings for all modules according to the slowest module.
What conditions are needed for my memory to work in dual-channel mode? Before buying RAM, you need to study as much information as possible about the motherboard. All information about your motherboard can be found in the manual that came with it upon purchase. If the manual is lost, you need to go to the official website of your motherboard. You will also find the article “How to find out the model and all information about your motherboard” useful.Most often these days there are motherboards that support the RAM operating modes described below. Dual Mode (two-channel mode, most common)– if you look closely at the motherboard, you can see that the RAM slots are painted in different colors. This was done on purpose and means that the motherboard supports dual-channel RAM operation. That is, two RAM modules with the same characteristics (frequency, timings) and the same volume are specially selected and installed in RAM slots of the same color.
If your computer has one stick of RAM installed, but the motherboard supports dual-channel mode, you can buy an additional stick of RAM of exactly the same frequency and capacity and install both sticks in DIMM slots of the same color.
Is there an advantage to dual channel mode over single channel mode?
At regular work On a computer you won't notice the difference, but when working in applications that actively use RAM, such as Adobe Premiere Pro(video editing), (Canopus) ProCoder (video encoding), Photoshop (working with images), games, you can feel the difference.
Note: Some motherboards will operate in dual-channel mode even if you install RAM modules of different sizes in the same color DIMM slots. For example, you will install a 512MB module in the first DIMM slot, and a 1GB stick in the third slot. The motherboard activates dual-channel mode for the entire volume of the first 512MB stick, and for the second stick (interestingly) also 512MB, and the remaining 512MB of the second stick will work in single-channel mode.
How do I know if my RAM is working in dual channel mode or not? Download the free CPU-Z program and go to the Memory tab, look at the Channel parameter in our case - Dual, which means the RAM operates in dual-channel mode. If the Channels parameter is Single, then the RAM operates in single-channel mode.
My opinion is that during normal work on a computer they will work the same, I personally didn’t notice much of a difference. I worked for a long time on a computer with one large stick of RAM and the performance was the same as on exactly the same computer with two sticks of RAM running in dual-channel mode. A survey of friends and acquaintances of system administrators confirmed me in this opinion. But when working with programs that actively use RAM, for example Adobe Premiere Pro, Canopus ProCoder, Photoshop, games, a computer with two sticks of RAM will work faster.
Of course it is possible, but not advisable. The computer will work more stable if it implements the RAM operating mode recommended in the motherboard datasheet. For example, two-channel mode.
A short guide that will help you find out the actual amount of memory on your Android device and see what services and applications it is used by.
As a rule, the characteristics of a smartphone indicate two types of memory: RAM and built-in. However, the numbers on paper usually do not match the volume that is actually provided to the user. Find out exactly how much free memory is at your disposal, in the device settings.
How to find out the amount of RAM?
How to see the amount of free RAM:
1. Go to the settings menu.
2. Open the “Memory” section.
The amount of used and free memory is displayed here (and you can view data for 3, 6, 12 hours or per day), the total amount of available memory, and its average use as a percentage.
3. To find out what and how much RAM is used for, click on “Memory usage by applications”. Here you can also view information for different periods of time.
1. To do this, go to the settings menu.
2. Select the “Applications” section.
3. Find an unused application and open its page.
4. Click on the “Stop” button.
How to find out the amount of internal memory on Android?
Permanent memory, unlike RAM, does not require power to store data, so even after the phone is turned off, all information recorded on it is retained. Part of this memory is occupied by the operating system; it can only be changed with (or superuser) rights. The second part is the internal memory, it is used to install applications, settings and store files.
Typically, the actual amount of this memory does not coincide with what is indicated in the specifications, since part of it is used for the system and pre-installed applications. Sometimes the manufacturer installs programs such as file manager, antivirus or music player that may be useful to the user. In other cases, these turn out to be games or advertising applications that can be removed as unnecessary.
How to find out the actual amount of internal memory:
1. Go to settings.
2. Open the “Storage and USB drives” item.
The example device has a total storage capacity of 8 GB. As we can see, only 3.71 GB of them are free for the user. Currently 3.32 GB is in use. By clicking on the “Internal storage” section, you can find out what exactly this amount of memory is occupied by.
This item also displays information about removable storage, or memory card. The user can independently choose where new files will be saved: internal memory or microSD card.
We hope that our short instructions will help you not only find out the real amount of memory on mobile device, but also to optimize its use.
I think it’s no secret to anyone that RAM is an important component of a gaming system, and the performance in games is affected by several RAM parameters. For example, not long ago the 3DNews laboratory found out that the central AMD processors Ryzen is very sensitive to DDR4 frequencies. Testing has shown that using fast DDR4-3200 memory compared to standard DDR4-2133 with the same timings increases FPS in games by 12-16%, depending on the application. Therefore, if you want to get the most out of your system, buying a fast RAM kit is one of the most powerful options.
Performance is affected not only by frequency, but also by latency. And yet the most important parameter of RAM is capacity. If, in the case of using a slow kit, we lose units of FPS, then if a certain number of gigabytes is missing, the game will either slow down or not start at all. Therefore, we decided to find out how much RAM a gaming computer needs in 2017. Obviously, the main “battle” will take place between 8 and 16 GB kits.
A good example is that a user upgraded his computer, adding a GeForce GTX 1060 3 GB video card to the existing configuration. Now its system unit fully complies with the recommended requirements of Watch_Dogs 2, which I so wanted to play. However, even without using the maximum graphics quality settings, spending time in your favorite “sandbox” was marred by microfreezes that appeared every now and then. And the GeForce GTX 1060 seems to do its job perfectly, since the average figure stays around 50 FPS, but the whole impression is spoiled by these drawdowns! It turns out that the lack of RAM was involved in the visually noticeable drop in frame rate, because adding another 8 GB partly solved this problem - with the same settings and with the same video card, it became more comfortable to play.
The main topic has been outlined, but, in my opinion, it is no less important to answer one more question: will the use of fast file swaps?
⇡ Modern gaming platforms
Under the definition " gaming computer» a very large number of configurations fall into place. For example, the monthly column “” discusses ten different systems. The most inexpensive one includes a Pentium G4560, GeForce GTX 1060 3 GB and 8 GB DDR4. Using this amount of RAM is the most common option, according to the official statistics of the Steam game client. But modern platforms allow you to install 64 and even 128 GB of RAM.
| Current gaming platforms | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Intel | AMD | |||||||
| Socket | LGA1155 | LGA2011 | LGA1150 | LGA2011-v3 | LGA1151 | AM3+ | FM2/2+ | AM4 |
| Year of sale | 2011 | 2011 | year 2013 | year 2014 | 2015 | 2011 | year 2012 | 2017 |
| Supported processors | Sandy Bridge, Ivy Bridge | Sandy Bridge-E, Ivy Bridge-E |
Haswell, Haswell Refresh and Devil's Canyon, Broadwell | Haswell-E, Broadwell-E | Skylake, Kaby Lake | Zambezi, Vishera | Trinity, Richland, Kaveri, Godavari (Kaveri Refresh) | Ryzen, AMD 7th Generation A-series/Athlon |
| Memory controller | DDR3-1066/1333 | DDR3-1066/1333 /1600/1866 |
DDR3-1333/1600 | DDR4-2133/2400 | DDR4-1866/2133/ 2400, DDR3L-1333/1600 |
DDR3-1066/1333/ 1600/1866 |
DDR3-1600/1866/ 2400 |
DDR4-2133/2400/ 2666 |
| Built-in, two-channel | Built-in, four-channel | Built-in, two-channel | Built-in, four-channel | Built-in, two- duct |
Built-in, two-channel | Built-in, two-channel | Built-in, two-channel | |
| Maximum amount of RAM | 32 GB | 64 GB | 32 GB | Haswell-E— 64 GB Broadwell-E — 128 GB | 64 GB | 32 GB | 64 GB | 64 GB |
Even now, without testing, we can safely say: the specified maximum amount of RAM is excessive for gaming configurations, although the entertainment sector is in Lately the most active engine of computer progress. As already mentioned, most users install 8 or 16 GB in their systems. The table lists both the most modern (LGA1151, LGA2011-v3, AM4) and time-tested platforms, which can easily be classified as gaming in 2017. In most cases, AMD and Intel CPUs use dual-channel RAM controllers. This means that motherboards for the corresponding platform use either two DIMM slots or four. And boards with LGA2011 and LGA2011-v3 sockets have four or eight slots for installing RAM, respectively. For Haswell-E and Broadwell-E processors there is an “exotic” exception to the rule - ASRock X99E-ITX/ac.
Dual channel built-in mode CPU memory controller implies the use of an even number of modules. In order to easily increase the amount of RAM over time, it is better to use a motherboard with four DIMM slots. So, we can purchase a 16 GB memory kit, consisting of two 8 GB modules, and over time, purchase two more modules with similar characteristics. Some motherboards have only a couple of slots for installing RAM - these are either very budget boards (for example, based on H110, B250 and A320 chipsets for Kaby Lake and Ryzen processors), or devices of the mini-ITX form factor, or exclusive overclocking solutions, such as ASUS Maximus IX Apex. These devices support half the amount of RAM: 32 GB for Skylake, Kaby Lake and Ryzen processors; 16 GB for Haswell, Broadwell, Sandy Bridge, Ivy Bridge and Vishera processors. Take this point into account when upgrading or when assembling a system unit from scratch.
⇡ Test stand
All tests used the LGA1151 platform along with Core processor i7-7700K, overclocked to 4.5 GHz. Video cards, RAM and storage drives were changed. A complete list of components is presented in the table.
| Test bench configuration | |
|---|---|
| CPU | Intel Core i7-7700K @4.5 GHz |
| Motherboard | ASUS MAXIMUS IX Hero |
| RAM | Kingston HyperX Predator HX430C15PB3K4/64, DDR4-3000, 4 × 16 GB |
| Kingston HyperX Fury HX421C14FB2K2/16, DDR4-2133, 2 × 8 GB | |
| Drives | Western Digital WD1003FZEX, 1 TB |
| Samsung 850 Pro | |
| Video cards | ASUS GeForce GTX 1060 (DUAL-GTX1060-3G), 3 GB |
| ASUS Radeon RX 480 (DUAL-RX480-O4G), 4 GB | |
| power unit | Corsair AX1500i, 1500 W |
| CPU cooler | Noctua NH-D9DX |
| Frame | Lian Li PC-T60A |
| Monitor | NEC EA244UHD |
| operating system | Windows 10 Pro x64 |
| Software for video cards | |
| AMD | Crimson ReLive Edition 17.4.2 |
| NVIDIA | GeForce Game Ready Driver 381.65 |
| Additional software | |
| Removing drivers | Display Driver Uninstaller 17.0.6.1 |
| FPS measurement | Fraps 3.5.99 |
| FRAFS Bench Viewer | |
| Action! 2.3.0 | |
| Overclocking and monitoring | GPU-Z 1.19.0 |
| MSI Afterburner 4.3.0 | |
| Optional equipment | |
| Thermal imager | Fluke Ti400 |
| Sound level meter | Mastech MS6708 |
| Wattmeter | watts up? PRO |
⇡ RAM consumption in modern games
Determining how much RAM modern games consume is not that difficult. There are a large number of diagnostic utilities. But it is important to understand that the amount of RAM used depends on several parameters, and therefore may differ significantly depending on the different systems. So, along with the launch of games, various software does not stop working.
For example, the opening of only ten Chrome tabs leads to an increase in RAM consumption by 1.5 GB. The appetites of the Google browser have long become a “meme,” but let’s not forget about the constantly active messengers, antiviruses, drivers and other utilities that are loaded along with the operating system.
|
|
|
|
I recently spent comparative testing GeForce GTX 1060 3 GB and Radeon RX 470 4 GB. There is an opinion among users that an additional gigabyte of video memory is another argument in favor of an AMD graphics adapter. A small experiment showed that out of twelve games, exactly half consume more than four gigabytes of video memory in Full HD resolution. The stand used a GeForce GTX 1080 accelerator with 8 GB GDDR5. It turns out that if there is insufficient video memory, all data that does not fit into GDDR5 cells will be placed in RAM. Some games immediately inform the user that the video memory limit has been exceeded. Some - GTA V, HITMAN, Battlefield 1 - will simply not allow you to set more high quality graphics until the user himself removes the special “fuse” in the settings menu. Therefore, to study the issue in more detail, it is necessary to use several video cards. My choice was made on three popular NVIDIA models: GeForce GTX 1060 with 3 and 6 GB GDDR5, as well as GeForce GTX 1080.
| Graphics settings in games | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| API | Quality | Full screen anti-aliasing | ||
| 1920 × 1080 / 2560 × 1440 / 3840 × 2160 | ||||
| 1 | "The Witcher 3: wild Hunt", Novigrad and surroundings | DirectX 11 | Max. quality, NVIDIA HairWorks incl. | A.A. |
| 2 | Mass Effect Andromeda, first mission | Max. quality | Temporal smoothing | |
| 3 | Ghost Recon Wildlands, built-in benchmark | Max. quality | SMAA + FXAA | |
| 4 | GTA V, city and surroundings | Max. quality | 4 × MSAA + FXAA | |
| 5 | Rise of the Tomb Raider, Soviet base | Max. quality | SMAA | |
| 6 | Watch_Dogs 2, city and surroundings | Ultra, HBAO+ | Temporal Anti-Aliasing 2×MSAA | |
| 7 | Fallout 4, Diamond City and surrounding area | Max. quality, textures high resolution, bullet fragments off. | TAA | |
| 8 | HITMAN, built-in benchmark | DirectX 12 | Max. quality | SMAA |
| 9 | Total War: WARHAMMER, built-in benchmark | Max. quality | 4xMSAA | |
| 10 | Battlefield 1, mission "Job for the Young" | Ultra | TAA | |
| 11 | Deus Ex: Mankind Divided, Utulek complex | Max. quality | 2 × MSAA | |
| 12 | Sid Meier's Civilization VI, built-in benchmark | Ultra | 8×MSAA | |
| 13 | Star Wars Battlefront, Battle of Endor map | Max. quality | TAA | |
| 14 | Tom Clancy's The Division, built-in benchmark | Max. quality | SMAA | |
| 15 | DOOM, OIC mission | Vulkan | Ultra | TSSAA 8TX |
RAM consumption was measured in fifteen applications. The graphs show the maximum load rate, which was recorded after 10 minutes of random gameplay. For clarity, results have been rounded. RAM load indicators were recorded using MSI programs Afterburner with 100ms polling rate. Among other programs, only Steam, Origin and Uplay clients were active when launching games, as well as “ Windows Defender", FRAPS and MSI Afterburner.
The assumption made earlier has become a fact - already in Full HD resolution we see that using the 3 GB version of the GeForce GTX 1060, nine out of fifteen games exceeded the 8 GB RAM bar. That is more than half. The same games run on stands with GeForce GTX 1060 6 GB and GeForce GTX 1080 turned out to be less RAM-hungry.
With increasing resolution, the trend continued - already thirteen out of fifteen games consumed more than 8 GB of RAM in a stand with a GeForce GTX 1060 3 GB installed. Seven projects consistently consumed more than 10 GB of RAM. The RAM load also increased noticeably when using the GeForce GTX 1060 6 GB in the test bench. This means that six gigabytes of video memory are no longer enough for games at the graphics quality settings we have specified.
Testing in Ultra HD resolution was carried out only with the GeForce GTX 1080, because there is no point in using versions of the GeForce GTX 1060 in this resolution - GPUs These video cards simply cannot cope with the increased load.
The results turned out to be quite predictable. We can safely say: many modern AAA projects at close to maximum graphics quality settings consume more than 8 GB of RAM. In addition, measurements in Rise of the Tomb Raider, Watch_Dogs 2, Deus Ex: Mankind Divided and Mass Effect Andromeda demonstrate the lack of a serious safety margin when the system has 16 GB of RAM. In addition, testing was carried out with a minimum of active applications in Windows 10. In my opinion, there are all the prerequisites for the fact that projects will soon appear for which 16 GB of RAM will not be enough at maximum or close to maximum graphics quality settings.
I think many have already noticed the fact that I considered only one scenario - games at maximum (or close to them) graphics quality settings. However, most gamers use less powerful video cards, and therefore use different quality modes.
The good thing about computer games is that, as a rule, they have a large number of settings that worsen or improve the quality of the output picture. For example, Deus Ex: Mankind Divided has five pre-programmed modes: Low, Medium, High, Very High and Ultra. Many developers use similar categories. Please note that it is quite difficult (sometimes even impossible) to determine by eye where the quality is high and where the quality is very high. Thus, there is no point in turning the sliders to the maximum in some games. And significantly less video memory and RAM are used.
From the list of games that consumed the most RAM at maximum (or close to them) quality settings, I selected five applications: Watch_Dogs 2, Mass Effect Andromeda, Rise of the Tomb Raider, Deus Ex: Mankind Divided and Ghost Recon Wildlands. Using the same NVIDIA video cards, I measured the RAM consumption when activating modes prepared in advance by the developers. In some games (Watch_Dogs 2 and Ghost Recon Wildlands), when the overall graphics quality changes, the anti-aliasing automatically changes. In other applications, the anti-aliasing setting must be set separately. As a matter of fact, in Mass Effect Andromeda, Rise of the Tomb Raider, Deus Ex: Mankind Divided, anti-aliasing was not used at all for this part of the experiment. The results are entered into a summary table.
Areas in which the encouraging fact is recorded are highlighted in green - when a certain graphics quality mode is activated, games consume less than 8 GB of RAM. The table clearly shows that setting the “High” and “Medium” parameters is suitable for video cards with 4 GB of video memory or less, for graphics adapters with 6+ GB GDDR5 - even more so.
A sharp drop in RAM consumption in Rise of the Tomb Raider is also noticeable when using the 3 GB version of the GeForce GTX 1060. We see logical confirmation of the fact that when using the “High” picture quality mode, the game requires less video memory than at “maximum settings”.
Of course, the consumption of video RAM and system memory is also affected by disabling anti-aliasing, which should eliminate irregularities (ladders) along the edges of objects. Anti-aliasing is one of the parameters that is critical to the amount of video memory. Therefore, on a gaming system with 8 GB of RAM and a graphics accelerator with 2, 3 or 4 GB of video memory, it makes sense to turn off anti-aliasing or use “light” modes, if these are supported by the application.
Textures are the second parameter that is critical to the amount of video memory, and therefore RAM. The use of low-resolution textures noticeably spoils the image, but at the same time, there is no particular difference between the “High” and “Very High” modes in Rise of the Tomb Raider (in other games too). Therefore, if there is a lack of video memory and RAM, this parameter can be sacrificed in order to achieve a comfortable frame rate.
| Maximum RAM consumption ( NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 3 GB), MB | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texture quality | |||||
| Rise of the Tomb Raider ( General settings quality - maximum, but without smoothing) | Watch_Dogs 2 (general quality settings - "Ultra" mode, but without anti-aliasing) | Deus Ex: Mankind Divided (general quality settings - maximum, but no anti-aliasing) | |||
| Very high | 11600 | Ultra | 11000 | Ultra | 11000 |
| High | 6900 | High | 9700 | Very high | 9600 |
| Average | 6400 | Average | 8800 | High | 7800 |
| Low | 6200 | Low | 7800 | Average | 7100 |
| Low | 6900 | ||||
| Shadows | |||||
| Very high | 10700 | HFTS | 11600 | Very high | 11000 |
| High | 10500 | PCSS | 11000 | High | 10900 |
| Average | 10300 | Ultra | 11000 | Average | 10800 |
| Off | 10300 | Very high | 11000 | ||
| High | 10400 | ||||
| Average | 10400 | ||||
| Low | 10300 | ||||
Image settings in computer games so many. The developers work closely with hardware manufacturers - AMD, NVIDIA and Intel, and therefore the applications are replete with a different number of various options. For example, Rise of the Tomb Raider features a PureHair mode that significantly transforms the hairstyles of the characters in this game. They also use various ambient light blocking technologies (SSAO, HBAO, HBAO+, VXAO, etc.) that darken cavities and corners, adding visual depth to them.
All these settings to one degree or another affect the consumption of video memory and RAM. However, not as much as anti-aliasing, shadows and texture size.
It seems that the answer to the main question has been received: measurements of RAM consumption show that 16 GB is our everything if you plan to play with maximum settings graphics quality. On the other hand, there is proof that 8 GB of RAM is still enough for anyone modern project- you just need to reduce the image quality. Most often, it is enough to set the mode to “High” or “Medium”. According to the author, the picture will still be of a completely acceptable level. However, it is interesting to know how typical gaming systems behave when there is a lack of RAM? The second part of the experiment is devoted to this issue.
Loading...
