Which is better: Larger RAM capacity or faster RAM frequency?

Computers rely on a form of actual storage memory called Random Access Memory (RAM) as well as Virtual RAM. System memory or RAM does not function the same way mechanical and hard drives do, which retain content when the computer is shut down. When starting up a program, the central processing unit (CPU) gives a command to retrieve instructions from the storage disk/hard drive. Once these instructions are retrieved, the system needs workspace to work on processing this data and allow the user to interact with it, this space is the Random Access Memory or RAM.

The operating system is responsible for storing all program instructions in RAM, but you might wonder, why isn’t this workspace on the storage disk instead of RAM? The answer is simple, because RAM operates at multiple times the speed of static storage solutions when it comes to the CPU requesting data for analysis and processing. This raises an important question, do I need to increase the capacity of RAM or do I need higher frequency RAM?

Understanding Random Access Memory

First and foremost, the larger the Random Access Memory you have, the better chance you have of providing the largest work area possible while dealing with multiple programs at the same time. If you face noticeable performance slowdown due to a clear shortage of Random Access Memory capacity, your only option is to increase memory capacity or rely on alternative methods as a temporary solution, such as using a flash drive and turning it into virtual RAM.

However, you will eventually need to purchase an additional RAM chip as soon as possible in order to interact more effectively with the system, and because the CPU has the ability to access Random Access Memory faster than external storage drives. This brings us back to the starting point to remember that Random Access Memory has two main characteristics that affect system performance: capacity and speed.

Capacity of Random Access Memory: The larger the capacity of Random Access Memory in gigabytes, the more programs and applications you can run at the same time. For example, it used to be recommended to have a capacity of 2 to 4 gigabytes with XP and Vista operating systems, which was the same time laptops were being shipped with the same capacity. This capacity did not allow for the use of many applications at the same time, and it was always best to run one application at a time.

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Currently, some budget laptops are still being shipped with capacities of 4 to 6 gigabytes, which are sufficient for browsing the internet, responding to emails, and using productivity software such as word processing programs and blogging. For RAM capacities from 6 to 8 gigabytes, they are suitable for casual gamers and some multimedia business application methods, as they allow for running multiple different programs at the same time. Anything beyond 8 gigabytes is for experienced gamers, creators, and professional users using editing software for images, videos, and more.

Speed of Random Access Memory: Speed refers to the amount of time it takes RAM to receive instructions from the CPU and work on writing or reading data. In general, the higher the frequencies of RAM speed, the more it helps in processing in shorter time periods. Frequency speed plays a crucial role in sending information to other hardware components, meaning that the faster the CPU’s access to Random Access Memory at higher frequencies, the better its chance of dealing with Random Access Memory operates.

The speed of Random Access Memory frequency is measured in megahertz and means millions of cycles per second, the same way the clock cycles of the CPU are calculated. However, speed is not everything in RAM, as the Integrated Memory Controller (IMC) frequency speed and the motherboard’s bus speed play the most important roles in determining the actual working speed of RAM.

Why Do We Need Random Access Memory in the First Place?

If you narrowed down the source of your computer’s slowdown to Random Access Memory, then which of the two would be better, increasing RAM capacity or purchasing RAM with higher frequency speeds? To answer this question, you need to consider Random Access Memory as short-term memory used by the CPU as a workspace that allows it to store instructions and data that have been processed until it needs them again. At that point, it will be able to access them quickly and in a short period of time and repeatedly as needed.

This memory allows the operating system to accelerate the process of responding to commands instantly rather than waiting for seconds, you might think that a few seconds is a short period of time, but in reality, seconds in the computer operating system mean extreme slowness in task execution and noticeable delay in overall performance – which means that this computer is considered old and will feel like it’s from the middle ages even though the rest of the computer hardware specifications might be good.

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Therefore, we always need immediate responsiveness, which is in nanoseconds rather than seconds or even one second. But if you feel that your computer is struggling heavily when opening and running programs, or if it delays in loading the main interface of programs and applications or responding to commands requested by these programs during your work, all of these are signs of a lack of Random Access Memory capacity, not speed. 

This slowdown and delay and a decrease in performance are due to the central processing unit being forced to dump tasks and processes that have been processed to the storage disk memory instead of Random Access Memory due to the lack of available space on it. The storage capacity on the hard drive may be very large, and it is possible that you have high-speed solid-state storage solutions, but no matter how fast they are, they are very slow compared to Random Access Memory, and the physical distance between the integrated memory controller and storage drives is much greater than the distance between it and RAM.

The Difference Between Capacity and Speed

The capacity of Random Access Memory can be measured in megabytes MB or gigabytes GB or terabytes TB. The larger the RAM capacity in gigabytes, the lower the chances of the CPU needing to use hard drive RAM when storing temporary files. But once you have enough RAM that meets all your work requirements and needs, you’ve reached a point where any additional increase in capacity won’t benefit you and is not important for improving or enhancing the computer’s performance. Only in this case can you benefit from higher frequency speed RAM – even if it’s the same capacity.
 

There are two criteria that determine the speed of Random Access Memory: Frequencies and Timing, which mean the bandwidth of the data size that can be sent and received with the CPU per second. Frequency speed is measured in megahertz, and the lower the values of timing are, the faster the Random Access Memory responds to the CPU’s request for execution of commands and tasks.

So when you have enough Random Access Memory capacity for your uses, start thinking about RAM with faster frequencies and lower timings because they will play a role in increasing the data size that can be stored or transferred in faster time periods, and this is the same reason that calls for users to use overclocking or activate XMP profiles for RAM. Ultimately (in theory), faster frequencies and lower timings will give you higher performance efficiency and speed for the entire computer working system.

What is the sufficient capacity or frequency speed of RAM for you?

It is expected that 8 to 16 gigabytes of RAM would be sufficient to handle professional business programs, video editing, and audio clips in the best possible way, this capacity will allow you to not think about upgrades or increases for several upcoming years. If you are a casual gamer, it is necessary to have 16 gigabytes of Random Access Memory capacity, however, there are many games that do not require more than 8 gigabytes at this current time.

At this time, we can consider Random Access Memory of 32 gigabytes as unnecessary – if you are not thinking of building a server or a workstation for example – 32 gigabytes is excessively large capacity, especially as there is a high chance that you may consider changing the platform completely in the coming years, at which point we may have started dealing with the next generation DDR5 RAM. Before discussing the necessary frequency speed, remember that the motherboard determines the supported RAM frequency and the integrated memory controller in the CPU is what determines the RAM speed and bandwidth supported by Random Access Memory.

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Here we question, if the integrated memory controller in the CPU works at a speed of 2133MHz maximum, why do we have RAM with frequencies above 2666MHz, 3600MHz, or higher? The answer to this question lies in overclocking or activating XMP profiles. With CPU overclocking, the bandwidth of data that the integrated memory controller can send and receive is increased.

However, remember, although higher frequency speeds play a role in increasing the size of data that can be transferred, there are many theories and reviews that confirm that the performance increase is not significant in reality, meaning that there is no need to buy RAM with higher frequencies than the bandwidth supported by the integrated memory controller in the CPU. So if the CPU supports a memory frequency of 2133MHz, there is no need to buy RAM with frequencies higher than this because the performance difference in real-world scenarios does not justify the cost difference that will fall on you, and if the memory controller supports 2933MHz then there is no need for RAM with a frequency speed of 4200MHz.

As for professionals and enthusiasts who break speed limits and own motherboards that support high frequencies, perhaps this is their opportunity to achieve record numbers in benchmarks and reviews only, but real work does not benefit significantly from these frequencies.