How Much Ram Does Your Linux Pc Really Need In 2025? I Did The Math

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ZDNET's cardinal takeaways

• RAM is simply a important constituent for a soft PC experience.
• Linux doesn't require arsenic overmuch RAM arsenic Windows.
• More is ever better.

I'm not going to commencement this pinch a "back successful nan day" because it's excessively easy and obvious. Besides, it's clip to unrecorded successful nan now, and today's rules and needs are not nan aforesaid arsenic they were 10, 20, aliases 30 years ago.

Modern Linux is powerful, flexible, stable, and secure. With nan objection of immoderate of nan much lightweight Linux distributions, it's besides acold much resource-dependent (just for illustration each modern operating systems).

Also: 5 things to see earlier leaping from 1 Linux distribution to another

Consider this: The minimum strategy requirements for Ubuntu Desktop coming see conscionable 4GB of RAM. I've tally Ubuntu connected a virtual instrumentality pinch only 3GB of RAM. Although those Ubuntu virtual machines are utilized only for testing purposes, nan 3GB of RAM does beautiful well. But I would ne'er propose you should get by pinch specified a mini amount.

Why is RAM truthful important?

Let's first reply nan mobility of why RAM is truthful important. RAM acts arsenic a fast, impermanent retention area for information that nan machine is actively using. Essentially, your OS stores information successful RAM because it's overmuch faster than your section storage.

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RAM is important for velocity and responsiveness, multitasking, amended capacity for demanding tasks, a soft personification experience, and future-proofing your computer. Without RAM, your machine would behave poorly (or not astatine all).

Doubling nan minimum magnitude of RAM

But what happens if you double that minimum strategy requirement? Instead of 4GB of RAM, you adhd 8GB. Sounds for illustration it should work, right? It would; however, you would soon tally into problem pinch Ubuntu (or immoderate modern, non-lightweight Linux desktop). Those problems could include:

• Limited tabs disposable for your browser: Open 10+ tabs successful immoderate browser, and it could origin problems pinch only 8GB. Of course, that depends connected nan sites successful nan tabs, but arsenic a wide rule, nan little RAM you have, nan less tabs you tin open.
• Gaming wouldn't beryllium an option.
• You wouldn't beryllium capable to usage a RAM thrust for impermanent files and thumbnails. A ramdrive helps trim deterioration connected SSDs.
• You wouldn't beryllium capable to usage virtual machines.
• You wouldn't beryllium capable to create pinch nan instrumentality (especially fixed really resource-intensive immoderate IDEs are).
• Editing and rendering videos would beryllium problematic.
• Editing and creating larger, much analyzable images successful GIMP would origin a slowdown.

Also: 7 things each Linux beginner should cognize earlier downloading their first distro

You spot wherever I'm going pinch this? 8GB of RAM would beryllium good for constricted usage. You could usage your browser, arsenic agelong arsenic you don't unfastened excessively galore tabs; you could usage an agency suite, email, terminal, and akin apps. Once you move distant from specified common, elemental tasks, things get very tricky pinch 8GB of RAM.

Double nan double

What if we move to 16GB of RAM, which has agelong been considered nan saccharine spot? Things are going to activity overmuch better. In fact, pinch 16GB of RAM, astir of nan problems pinch 8GB spell away, isolated from for 1 -- nan ramdrive. The bully news is that astir users (especially those caller to Linux) aren't going to fuss pinch a ramdrive.

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With 16GB of RAM, you tin unfastened acold much tabs successful your browser, do immoderate gaming, usage virtual machines, develop, and create video and images. I will opportunity this, however: Rendering videos pinch 16GB of RAM will mean you won't beryllium capable to do thing other until nan process is complete.

Double nan doubled double

What if we spell pinch 32GB of RAM? At this point, everything smooths out, you tin play moreover much demanding games (especially if you person a dedicated GPU), render videos while multitasking, and person amended luck pinch virtual machines. You could employment a RAM thrust and adhd arsenic overmuch oculus candy to nan desktop arsenic you like.

With each of that said, what is nan perfect magnitude of RAM for Linux today? In my opinion, that depends connected your task. Let maine break it down.

• If you're utilizing Linux for web browsing (with constricted tabs), penning and editing documents, reference and sending email, chatting, and person nary liking successful gaming, 8GB will beryllium OK.
• If you thin to person a batch of browser tabs open, want to do nan aforesaid tasks you'd do pinch 8GB of RAM, want to do immoderate ray development, and want to do a spot of gaming and virtual machines, I would propose 16GB of RAM.
• If you want to do each of that, play much superior games, and create larger projects, spell pinch 32GB.
• If you really want to future-proof your strategy (meaning you won't request to upgrade it for a agelong time), spell pinch nan maximum magnitude your strategy supports (which is often 64GB).

In nan end, nan much RAM nan better. The measurement I determine connected really overmuch RAM I request is to fig retired (from nan supra list) my minimum magnitude and past double it. For what I do connected my Linux strategy (which is simply a ton of tabs, editing large images pinch GIMP, a batch of virtual machines, and nan accustomed productivity work), I request astatine slightest 32GB of RAM. If you double nan magnitude of RAM you deliberation you'll need, you'll find your PC performs overmuch amended for a longer play of time.

Also: You tin effort Linux without ditching Windows first - here's how

Although Linux tin execute pinch a constricted magnitude of RAM, you could easy get disappointment arsenic nan strategy slows nether load. And pinch nan measurement today's websites are created, they spot a higher request connected your system. You surely don't want to unfastened one much tab, only to find it brings your machine to a halt.