We used either one or two sticks of Corsair DDR3 RAM running at DDR3-1600 (9-9-9-24) settings. Thus, the 4GB system not only has a memory deficit, it was also running in single-channel mode (resulting from the use of just one stick of RAM). Our test system consisted of an Intel Core i5-4670K, Asus Z87 Gryphon motherboard, Sapphire Radeon HD7870 2GB video card, Corsair 2x4GB or 1x4GB DDR3-1600 RAM, and Windows 8 圆4. We ran six tests, all at a resolution of 1920×1080, and all averaging three 60-second runs through the actual gaming world, rather than built-in benchmarks. Take a look at our benchmarks that follow to come to your own conclusions! In our opinion, it’s no longer a question of “RAM’s cheap, should I just get 16GB?” It really does come down to whether anyone focused on gaming should even consider 16GB, and furthermore, whether 4GB might be a viable option when trying to save some money. Who knew that buying RAM in 2012 could be such a good investment? That’s a 100 percent increase in six months! Common sense would suggest that prices on technology products drop over time. Well, as of this writing, the price of the average midrange 8GB RAM set is $70, twice the price that similar sets sold for in December 2012. We’ve been tracking the memory market closely since the beginning of 2013, sounding alarms along the way about the incredibly rapid increase in RAM prices. While many gamers may just go all in and buy 16GB without a concern about its impacts on gaming, we believe others may want to weigh the other options available – and the results of our testing may surprise you!

In this article, we’ll be providing gaming benchmarks using 4GB, 8GB, and 16GB of RAM to show you exactly what you get for your money when it comes to gaming performance for the dollar.

8gb vs 4gb ram