Do Any Games Need 64GB of RAM?

The short answer is no, my friend. Based on my extensive analysis as a business data expert, 64GB of RAM is overkill for the vast majority of gaming setups. However, there are some niche professional use cases where it can provide performance advantages. Let me walk you through the data so you can make the best RAM choice for your needs.

RAM Recommendations for Gaming

First, let‘s look at how much RAM is generally recommended for smooth gaming performance:

8GB – The bare minimum required. Allows playing at medium settings, but you may experience lag and stuttering in demanding games. Upgrading from 4GB can provide a significant boost.

16GB – The ideal RAM capacity for most gamers. Enables high to ultra settings in 1080p gaming while smoothly multitasking. Provides headroom for future games too.

32GB – Best for extreme multitasking, future proofing, and high resolution 1440p/4K gaming. Overkill for many users given the cost.

64GB – Excessive for most people. Only beneficial in certain professional workflows requiring massive multitasking.

Here‘s a breakdown of RAM usage in popular games according to testing site GameDebate:

As you can see, even very demanding modern games are designed to run smoothly with 16GB RAM. Upgrading to 32GB provides breathing room but diminishing returns start kicking in.

When Extra RAM Boosts Gaming Performance

Don‘t get me wrong – having more RAM can certainly improve your gaming experience. Here‘s how:

• More RAM enables loading higher resolution textures faster, reducing pop-in and texture swapping stutter.

• It provides ample headroom for gaming while multitasking and running other applications/browser tabs simultaneously.

• Faster RAM speeds up asset loading from storage which cuts down on lag, especially in open world games.

• An ample RAM buffer prevents memory swapping to the page file which can cause major stuttering.

According to Hardware Unboxed benchmarks, upgrading from 8GB to 16GB RAM can increase average frame rates by up to 20% depending on the game. So if you currently have 8GB, a capacity upgrade should be your first priority.

But once you hit 16GB, further RAM upgrades provide diminishing returns. Going from 16GB to 32GB only increased gaming fps by an average of 2% in their testing.

When 64GB RAM Makes Sense for Gaming

For the average user, 64GB of RAM is overkill for gaming alone. However, if you fit one of these niche use cases, the extra capacity can be justified:

• Heavily Modded Games – Some graphics mods recommend having at least 24GB RAM available. Modding Skyrim or Cities Skylines with dozens of texture packs can use all the memory you have.

• Future Proofing – If you plan to keep your rig for 5+ years without upgrading. New titles are slowly requiring more RAM, so 64GB provides wiggle room.

• Professional Esports – When you need every last bit of performance and smoothness for competitive gaming. An advantage of a few extra frames per second matters most here.

• Game Development – Compiling and testing games while multitasking easily eats up RAM.

But I would only recommend 64GB for gaming if you have already maxed out on other components like your GPU, CPU, and SSD. Spending the money on a faster GPU will make a much more noticeable impact for most people.

When 64GB RAM is Worth It

While 64GB is overkill for the majority of gamers, there are some professional creative workflows where this capacity is fully warranted:

4K/8K Video Editing – Working with high resolution RAW footage in Premiere Pro and After Effects is extremely RAM hungry. Sites like Videomaker actually recommend a minimum of 64GB for editing 4K video, or up to 128GB for 8K footage.

3D Rendering – Animators working with complex 3D scenes in Cinema 4D, Maya, and Blender can cut render times significantly by loading more scene data into RAM instead of slower storage drives.

Data Science & Machine Learning – Crunching immense datasets when training neural networks and building machine learning models requires ample RAM capacity.

Software Development – Compiling large projects with many dependencies can easily eat up 32GB+ RAM. So can running multiple virtual machines for coding and testing.

CAD Workstations – For architects and engineers working with RAM intensive CAD software suites like AutoCAD, Solidworks, Vectorworks etc. Fast rendering of complex 3D designs requires lots of memory.

In these professional scenarios, the 64GB investment pays for itself by increasing productivity and saving time. But only you can judge if it aligns with your own needs and budget, my friend.

The Downsides of Overbuying RAM

Before deciding to max out your RAM capacity, be aware of a few downsides of going overboard:

• You likely won‘t see any performance improvement in games between 32GB and 64GB configurations. That‘s because most games simply don‘t require more than 16GB in the first place.

• Faster RAM speeds have a bigger impact. Prioritize getting at least DDR4-3200 memory before paying for more RAM capacity.

• If your CPU or GPU is outdated, excess RAM will sit idle waiting for those components to catch up. Focus on balancing your upgrades.

• Having unused RAM does nothing. It won‘t make your PC faster or more optimized unlike an SSD or stronger CPU/GPU.

Keep these factors in mind before taking the plunge on 64GB RAM. There are often better ways to spend your money when building or upgrading your gaming rig. Pick the RAM capacity aligned with your needs and workflow rather than overspending on potential overkill.

The Bottom Line

At the end of day, my friend, while 64GB of RAM is unnecessary overkill for the average gamer, it can certainly provide performance advantages in select professional use cases. But I recommend most people target 16GB or 32GB RAM configurations which offer nearly as much gaming benefit at a more affordable budget. Focus on your target resolution, settings, frame rates, mods, and multitasking needs, and choose the RAM to match.

Let me know if this overview helped explain whether it makes sense to go with 64GB for your particular situation. I‘m always happy to chat more in depth about optimizing your PC build and achieving the perfect balance of components for maximizing gaming performance without overspending. Game on!