RAM is where data is 1gb before processing. RAM stands for Random Access Memory, and it consists of dynamic memory chips that can be written and rewritten with data very quickly. Essentially, RAM is the memory that actually lets you work with the data needed to run programs and open files. Whenever your computer loads a program or opens a file, it opens up that data in RAM.

If you want to run a program, it pulls the data from long-term storage on your hard drive to short-term storage in RAM, where it can be accessed quickly enough for smooth operation.

This flow of data between the disk and the RAM is controlled by the computer, which manages the writing of data to physical locations on the memory chip, and that it needs a certain amount of free space to function. For each program you run, it will actively use some of the space for in-use memory and allocate some of the available space as standby memory, essentially reserved space for potential operations. Once you hit the limit of what your RAM can hold, then your computer will compensate with a swap file, putting some of windows 10 ram 8gb vs 16gb free data onto your storage drive.

A swap file still lets wndows get some things done, but will be dramatically slower. The bottom line is that RAM is essential to the smooth operating of your computer, particularly for things like multitasking and accessing multiple files at one time. While your overall performance will largely be dictated by the capabilities of your processor and graphics hardwareyour memory allotment will directly impact how well you can take advantage of that performance.

Too little RAM creates a bottleneck that slows everything down, and the basic rule of thumb is that more RAM is always better. The answer to the question of how much RAM you need will always come back to what you want to do with your laptop.

To answer these questions we performed some testing, looking at specific use cases, identifying the basic memory requirements for each and 8gh some hard numbers to back our advice. To help you find the best answer for you, we tested for five specific use cases, each common but distinct in its memory demands:. Each of these uses is common, but has distinctly different hardware requirements and memory demands.

16gn broke down each of our rwm use cases, finding the memory demands for frer basic and heavy use, and matched that to common allotments of RAM.

Want to do some document work and web browsing but still want the option to do more? Whatever your mix of uses, we can give you a very good idea of wimdows much memory will be enough to meet the demands of the task. Windows 10 ram 8gb vs 16gb free obtain data on memory usage, we used Windows Resource Monitor, one of several tools built into Windows to view system information and windows 10 ram 8gb vs 16gb free the performance of various components. We chose Resource Monitor because it provides more granular information than Windows Task Manager, but both tools are helpful for getting an idea windows 10 ram 8gb vs 16gb free how memory is used as you run processes windoas programs.

While creating and editing documents is generally a low-resource task, office productivity gets much more demanding as you open multiple files in multiple programs. If you want to make the most of your multitasking, these are the tests to look at.

We started with smaller files in multiple programs, opening Word documents, Excel spreadsheets, PowerPoint windows 10 ram 8gb vs 16gb free, PDF files and 8gv. Whether we had one Word doc open or ten files open across five programs, working with standard small documents barely exceeded 5GB of memory in use, and never exceeded 7GB of memory in use and in standby.

For this reason, low-powered machines equipped with Intel HD graphics are pretty ideal for most office hour productivity. Large documents were another matter. We stress-tested with a number of documents with upward of 1, pages. The standby memory, however, jumped to nearly 10GB.

Basic web browsing can be done on almost any connected device, but loading up multiple browser tabs will use up your memory. For our tests we assumed that normal browsing behavior windows 10 ram 8gb vs 16gb free the use of multiple browser tabs, with no additional measures taken to cut down on data usage; meaning no ad blockers, no special permissions for media, and no other data-saving measures.

We started with a list of ten popular websites and then opened new tabs of these same websites in batches of ten. This test was rather eye-opening in how clearly it showed the impact of web browsing on memory use. The initial tab test used 3, MB of memory, with an additional 3, MB in standby. Those 4GB of standby memory held throughout testing, but every additional ten tabs used roughly a full GB of memory. Streaming music or binging on videos is a slightly different use case than simple web browsing, putting its own stresses on memory.

We looked at both audio and video streaming, across several services, to see how much memory was impacted by video, be it cat videos, news clips, or high-definition movies. Single audio or video streams from Spotify or YouTube used less than vz of memory 2, MB and 2, MB, respectivelywindows 10 ram 8gb vs 16gb free you had to bump that up to 4 or more simultaneous streams to get above the 3GB mark. Key takeaway: If streaming media is your machine's primary purpose, 4GB should 16gv the trick just fine.

Photo editing is far more demanding than basic office or web functionality, and is usually right on the cusp of what an affordable system can do well.

Our initial testing showed no real impact on memory usage from actual use, with little to no difference between viewing open photos, simply cropping photos or performing complex edits with multiple layers.

That said, as a general rule, Photoshop is a bit of a memory hog, and will windows 10 ram 8gb vs 16gb free as much memory into stand-by as it can get.

Adobe recommends your system have at least 2. Opening a single photo 8yb our in-use memory from 5, MB to 5, MB, but wihdows ten photos bumped that up to 6, MB. Subsequent sets of frer increased the in-use memory to 7, MB for 20 photos and 8, MB for 30 images. Key takeaway: The bottom line here is that you can use Photoshop CC with the minimum 2. While rm gamer knows that the best gaming laptops need to have impressive graphics and processing hardware, the place windows 10 ram 8gb vs 16gb free memory in that overall equation is something of a mystery.

First, we tested how much memory was used opening and running a game. For this we used Grand Theft Auto V. When we ran the game on our Alienware 15, we saw that firing wlndows Windows 10 ram 8gb vs 16gb free and opening GTAV from our games library resulted in 5, MB of in-use memory, with 9, in standby.

But not everything is quite so demanding, and you can find games that will run on nearly any laptop out there. These games are built to make the most of current hardware, and a tricked out system will need a decent amount of RAM to raj the high-end graphics and processing hardware.

For this level of gaming, 16GB seems to be the sweet spot, meeting all of the memory needs for unimpeded gameplay without throwing extra money into an already-expensive system. One of the other things we looked at was how memory use impacted game performance, and how much memory you might need in order to multitask while gaming.

So long as your gaming rig can handle the game, these simple uses should work without a memory upgrade. Key takeaway: Opt for 8GB of RAM if you want decent performance on less demanding titles, but go for 16GB if you want to play the latest and most resource wijdows hits. But what about those times you need to jump back and forth between programs, flipping back and forth between files and tools?

First, we started at a basic level. We opened all of our office files, maxing out the least demanding test we ran. Then we opened up ten browser tabs, followed by two media streams one audio, one video. On our 4GB system, this was enough to overwhelm the laptop, causing the system to slow to a crawl, and basic functionality to become inconsistent.

Mouse clicks failed to register, simple documents struggled to scroll smoothly, and even gathering the screenshots we used to document our testing became difficult. As we were able, we also ran Photoshop, with ten photos open.

We did this on both the Dell Inspiron 17 and the Alienware 15, without trouble. While it was the only system equipped with the graphics capability needed to run the game, it was also interesting to see how demanding the game was, especially when run in conjunction with our other tests.

Simply running the game uses an additional 2GB of memory, but with little difference in memory load between running and actively playing the game, we simply left it running for the duration of testing. Once these windows 10 ram 8gb vs 16gb free tests were running, we proceed to ratchet up the memory demands incrementally, first by adding another ten browser tabs, then another two audio streams, followed by an additional ten photos in Photoshop. The 8GB Dell Inspiron 17 continued with normal functioning.

We did this again, bumping up to 30 tabs, six streaming vids and 30 photos. Everything still worked, including the game. We repeated the increasing demands, stepping up to 40 Chrome tabs, eight media streams and 40 photos in Photoshop.

Switching between windows became difficult and the laptop finally locked up when we tried to open more browser tabs or photos. The 16GB Alienware 15 held strong, but the in-use memory approached the 14GB mark, while the amount of free memory dwindled to nearly zero. At this point we started to see programs slow down, with jittery navigation and slowness in loading files as they were opened.

GTA V continued to run, and we enjoyed a shootout and a car chase before moving on to the next level of multitasking torture. We ratcheted up to 50 tabs. Then ten media streams. Everything was windows 10 ram 8gb vs 16gb free thus far. Finally, we opened ten more photos in Photoshop, bringing the total to At this point, programs started to lock up. Windows popped in and out of view of their windows 10 ram 8gb vs 16gb free accord, and our clicking and typing lagged considerably.

When we tried to reopen the still-running game, the system locked up and refused to cooperate. Only after closing one of our programs did function return to normal. Key takeaway: Multitaskers should really opt for 8GB of RAM when possible, and those running multiple applications along with a ton of tabs should opt for 16GB. These days, windows 10 ram 8gb vs 16gb free, even 64GB is on the table for premium workstations. If you want a quick way to upgrade your laptop, adding a stick of RAM is a great place to start, and is something windows 10 ram 8gb vs 16gb free a novice can do in very little time.

The 4GB laptop 116gb that limit after simple opening some documents and a handful of browser tabs. The 8GB system did better, providing good support for photo editing in addition to a healthy number of windows 10 ram 8gb vs 16gb free tabs and simultaneous media streams, while the 16GB system supported dozens of tabs, an unreasonable number of concurrent media streams and even offered usable gaming right up to the end.

Laptop Mag Laptop Mag. Brian Westover.