16GB still overkill for modern games?

[Regs]

Can you imagine entire games being loaded into RAM? Woot.

 

[alcoholbob]

Can you imagine entire games being loaded into RAM? Woot.

It'll be 2030 before we can load MGS4 into RAM. That game doesn't even install completely on a PS3, only in 1/3 segments at a time (which have to be deleted to install and play the next 1/3 of the game) because the launch 60GB PS3 couldn't the entire decompressed game in its hard drive

 

[Bateluer]

It'll be 2030 before we can load MGS4 into RAM. That game doesn't even install completely on a PS3, only in 1/3 segments at a time (which have to be deleted to install and play the next 1/3 of the game) because the launch 60GB PS3 couldn't the entire decompressed game in its hard drive

Not every game is as large as that though, and if you remove the cutscenes it gets much much smaller.

 

[reallyscrued]

Um, I guess the 4 GB of VRAM the average gamer will have in 2013/2014 are gonna sit around and do nothing?

8 GB system RAM, 4 GB VRAM will be the sweet spot, mark my words.

 

[BladeVenom]

What games even need more than 4GB? Benchmarks?

 

[Bateluer]

What games even need more than 4GB? Benchmarks?

Sigh . . . because most games have been using the 256MB limitation of the X360 & PS3 as their LCD. With the PS4, that limit gets jerked upwards considerably. Developers WILL be using the hardware available to them when that system launches.

 

[Majcric]

Bf3 needs 8gb to be maxed out. It stutters a bit with 4gb. Bf4 will require at least 12-16 but nobody buys 12, so we assume 16. Not 32gb. 32gb then will be the 16gb of now. Allowing you to open dozens of chrome tabs, a few additional apps, bf4 and still be silky smooth. That will require 24-32gb so we assume 32gb. Bf4 should run fine with 16gb. But games which release in end of 2014 will need at least 16gb to be maxed out, the top 10% intensive games that is. This is without multitasking or any buffer. That is where 32gb comes in.

As a simple run, every 2-3 years the amount of ram needed at least doubles. 8gb became the norm in 2010 or so. Time for 16gb is now. 16gb will become required by 2013/2014 in some game or the other.

Max Payne 3 already recommended 16gb for ultra high end setups.

As you can see in my sig, I only have 4gb and BF3 does not stutter on my setup in single or multiplayer. This is at max settings.

 

[Rinaun]

Bf3 needs 8gb to be maxed out. It stutters a bit with 4gb. Bf4 will require at least 12-16 but nobody buys 12, so we assume 16. Not 32gb. 32gb then will be the 16gb of now. Allowing you to open dozens of chrome tabs, a few additional apps, bf4 and still be silky smooth. That will require 24-32gb so we assume 32gb. Bf4 should run fine with 16gb. But games which release in end of 2014 will need at least 16gb to be maxed out, the top 10% intensive games that is. This is without multitasking or any buffer. That is where 32gb comes in.

As a simple run, every 2-3 years the amount of ram needed at least doubles. 8gb became the norm in 2010 or so. Time for 16gb is now. 16gb will become required by 2013/2014 in some game or the other.

Max Payne 3 already recommended 16gb for ultra high end setups.

This guy is on some serious drugs, just ignore him. Battlefield 3 does NOT use 8gb. I'm amazed someone would even say something as stupid as that in a tech forum.

 

[Sleepingforest]

If you actually go to the Max Payne 3 site, you'll notice that it's actually called the "highest tested specs" rather than the recommend high end specs (3GB).

 

[Texashiker]

We already know that the PS4 is going to have 8GB of RAM which is basically 15X as much as the PS3.

Consoles will be the least common denominator.

If the PS4 is going to have 8 gb of memory, chances are 8 gb will be the standard for the next decade.

I think it would be safe to say a PC gamer would be good with 12 -16 gig by 2020.

 

[dpodblood]

If he said 16x, I could have accepted that as jut some wrong information.

But fifteen? Really? That isn't even a power of 2.

Ah gotcha. Yeah I guess that was a dumb estimate on my part. And I was counting both the RAM and VRAM for the PS3 so your right. It would actually be 32X as much (which is pretty amazing when you think about it.)

 

[aaksheytalwar]

In nine months.

Hold on, gotta write that down. :whiste:

When I say, 2014, I mean sometime in 2014. Could be Q1, could be Q4. I don't know the exact quarter. But I guarantee it will be within 2014.

 

[aaksheytalwar]

Consoles will be the least common denominator.

If the PS4 is going to have 8 gb of memory, chances are 8 gb will be the standard for the next decade.

I think it would be safe to say a PC gamer would be good with 12 -16 gig by 2020.

Wrong.

By 2020, the minimum requirement will be 16-32gb 90% probability. And recommended 32-128gb or somewhere in between. 90% probability. By 2020 end latest that is.

 

[aaksheytalwar]

This guy is on some serious drugs, just ignore him. Battlefield 3 does NOT use 8gb. I'm amazed someone would even say something as stupid as that in a tech forum.

You have no clue about IT bro. If you play BF3 on Ultra settings with a 4gb rig it will stutter bad. Me and others have faced this. Nobody cares whether it uses 1mb or 10gb, to play BF3 stutter free, without lag and smooth, you need at least 6-8GB in your rig. Whether it uses that much actively or not is irrelevant. It is a known fact that 1080p ultra stutters with 4gb rigs in bf3, everybody knows this.

 

[aaksheytalwar]

As you can see in my sig, I only have 4gb and BF3 does not stutter on my setup in single or multiplayer. This is at max settings.

Just like some people say SLI doesn't have MS. It is BS!

You can't perceive it. But there are enough people including me who vouch for the fact that upgrading a 4GB rig to 8GB made BF3 smoother. Going to 16GB made no difference at all in any game assuming zero multitasking.

BF3 runs decently with 4GB but it runs ideal only with 6-8GB in your rig.

 

[Tweak155]

Consoles will be the least common denominator.

If the PS4 is going to have 8 gb of memory, chances are 8 gb will be the standard for the next decade.

I think it would be safe to say a PC gamer would be good with 12 -16 gig by 2020.

I don't know about THAT... the current consoles have what, 512mb (and that is shared)? We're already 8x that just about for decent gaming (4gb), and if you take out the sharing it is 16x that. But keep in mind it took 4 years or so (or more) to reach that. Back in 2005 1gb was still plenty. So it will take time to reach these levels, it isn't going to happen instantly as suggested (2014 is only a year after our FIRST console release...).

 

[aaksheytalwar]

Back in 2005 games like fear already needed 2gb ram to run smoothly. This is given the fact that no game in 2004 needed more than 768mb ram and no game till 2003 needed more than 384mb ram and no game till 2002 needed more than 256mb ram. So ram requirement went up hugely in 2005-2007 from sub 512mb to 3gb plus in just 3 years or so.

 

[smackababy]

Consoles will be the least common denominator.

If the PS4 is going to have 8 gb of memory, chances are 8 gb will be the standard for the next decade.

I think it would be safe to say a PC gamer would be good with 12 -16 gig by 2020.

Isn't that 8gb of shared memory though? Now, most PC gamers will have a 2gb vram video card in 2014+. That means to equal the PS4, we would need 6gb of ram. Considering most recommended specs are 4gb, I don't see a problem in it jumping up to 8gb. That is likely going to happen. However, requiring the full 8gb for games is highly unlikely. We might see a jump to the 4gb required. I don't think we can predict the rate at which our memory needs will go up though.

 

[Tweak155]

Back in 2005 games like fear already needed 2gb ram to run smoothly. This is given the fact that no game in 2004 needed more than 768mb ram and no game till 2003 needed more than 384mb ram and no game till 2002 needed more than 256mb ram. So ram requirement went up hugely in 2005-2007 from sub 512mb to 3gb plus in just 3 years or so.

You can still get away with 4gb right now for most (every?) games. 8gb is currently overkill, it isn't the standard needed.

 

[aaksheytalwar]

Till 2011 you could. Games of 2013 will stutter with only 4gb.

 

[PrincessFrosty]

Considering very few games even have true 64 bit engines you could make a argument anything over 4 GB is overkill let alone 16GB.

The Large Address Aware flag in the executable can be set in 32bit exes to bump up the amount of RAM usage to 4Gb on x64 operating systems, then with the overhead of other applications and the OS itself you can get way over 4Gb of usage.

6Gb is really a safe minimum these days, 8Gb is probably the perfect balance, but honestly with RAM prices being so cheap you might as well spring for 16Gb and future proof it now, RAM prices are extremely volatile.

I expect we'll see a huge growth in RAM usage very soon, with the next gen sporting 8Gb and with video cards in the pipeline that help unify the system RAM and vRAM we could see a lot of use for this super fast memory in the coming years.

Oh and also...epeen.

 

[Texashiker]

Wrong.

By 2020, the minimum requirement will be 16-32gb 90% probability. And recommended 32-128gb or somewhere in between. 90% probability. By 2020 end latest that is.

I doubt microsoft could make bloatware that would need 16gb of memory.

Database or webserver, yea maybe so. But for a gaming machine and for getting on the net?

 

[aaksheytalwar]

Nope. Just to run the latest games on the lowest settings.

 

[Tom]

There might be an unexpected revolution in pc gaming..in which case games will require at least 64 gbs of ram.

Or there will never be a reason to have more than 8gb of ram for gaming.

Those are the only possible scenarios.

 

[Midwayman]

Wrong.

By 2020, the minimum requirement will be 16-32gb 90% probability. And recommended 32-128gb or somewhere in between. 90% probability. By 2020 end latest that is.

So its 2020 now, is it? Who knows. That might be around the time of the next consoles, if there are next consoles. They they keep up the same progression they might be using 128gb of ram by then. Certainly in the realm of possibility at least. Unlike the 2014 predictions.