Considering adding RAM, from 32gb to 64gb … will I notice any difference or will it mostly sit idle? If so, what differences will I notice? - Thanks!
What I have now:
I have 64GB DDR5 @ 6000MHz myself. I’m easily using 20+ GB in MSFS maxed out.
in my opinion regarding msfs, it will mostly sit idle, memory bandwith and cpu speed are the things that make a difference
at least with 2020
dont know for 2024, maybe it will use more memory, i sure hope it does
You willl not see everything double.
But, Windows will use all of the memory you have if it needs it.
I have 64 GB and everything seems quicker and more responsive.
I usually have Chrome (this discord and or browsing), Task Manager, and Excel running and then FS2020 with MSI Afterburner loaded and flying.
One thing to bear in mind, do not mix types of ram.
Make sure they are all the same.
I have 64GB for other reasons, but it’s completely pointless for MSFS.
Yeah I upgraded to 64GB for DCS.
Maybe faster RAM would bring more benefits than more RAM?
5600 is plenty and where you really want as fast as RAM as you can get is with AMD.
I do think 32GB is essential – but sufficient.
eg. A complex session in FS2020 with the FBW A320 at a large custom airport and FSLTL AI Traffic etc. can get my RAM usage up to about 29GB. And I have LittleNavMap running as well. But I don’t really see any need to go to 64GB.
If you decide to go for 64BG, make sure it is two sticks of 32GB each.
Many mainboards have problems with fast RAM - if each slot on the mainboard is used.
Which is absolutely crazy. If a motherboard falters with 4 sticks of RAM it shouldn’t have 4 slots.
The only “problem” I can think of would be slower memory timings, maybe. But not an actual problem as they stop working.
In the immortal words of Sergeant Schultz… “I know nothing. Nothing!”
However, I have read that with AMD CPU’s in particular, 4 DIMMS can result in memory errors which, if bad enough, can cause instability and crashes.
Of course we need to take things we read on the interwebz with a grain of salt, and my 4x16 GB RAM config has never been a problem on my AM4 system. Is it a little slower than if I had 2x32 GB? I haven’t done comparative tests, so who knows?
It’s simply a case of not being guaranteed to run the RAM at its rated speed when all four slots are used.
I originally had 2x16GB 6000MHz but adding another identical pair means I have to run it at 5200 for the sake of stability. Might be possible to tweak voltages etc. to get it stable at higher speeds, but this works and I’m happy with it.
In my Dell PC, I replaced 2 x 8GB with 2 x 16 (to upgrade from 16GB to 32GB total RAM).
In my machine there are 4 slots in total.
I understand that the stick in slot 1 must be identical to the stick in slot 3. And the stick in slot 2 must be identical to the stick inserted in slot 4.
So I could in theory put the original 8GB sticks into slots 2 & 4 to get to a total of 48GB.
But I’ve read that the motherboard’s RAM access speed may slow down from the current 2999MHz to a slower 2666MHz.
I’d also be worried about instability with a 48GB configuration.
Its not a simple comparison.
Windows will use the ram as virtual memory in 4k pages, which gets allocated to processes.
If you run several processes and they compete for virtual memory, the memory speed won’t help as Windows may swap the process to virtual memory allocated on the ssd; that will be dramatically slower than extra ram.
Look at memory speed throughput, it tends to only add a few percent. It is often overated compared to CPU speed and cache size. Empirically we know the 96mb to 100mb L3 Ryzen X3D cache makes a big difference*.
Windows can allocate half the 64gb as a buffer to the GPU for improved performance. That could help with large textures
Currently MSFS is constricted by the single thread rendering loop, which is dominated by CPU and GPU speed.
Historically since the 90s more memory has sped up Windows for generic tasks.
We have to wait and see how 2024 compares to 2020 on identical hardware. Improvements, if any, will be immediately obvious.
*The 5700X3D has recently dropped significantly in price. It uses the 5800X3D chips that don’t meet full clock speed tests. It’s now a real bargain and at the top of my upgrade list.
OP here … so I did upgrade my RAM from 32 to 64gb
Did a couple of time trials before and after … booting up my computer from no power there was no difference … starting up MSFS was about 2 or 3 seconds faster … so really no gains there.
Where I did notice a difference tho was in sim framerate … with my triple monitor setup (2k/4k/2k) I was getting 35-40 fps with 32gb RAM … now I’m getting 55-60 … and anecdotally I think less stutters, not that I had many to begin with.
This is using TAA and high-end settings.
First impressions only, more research to be done.
Hi @RB13853,
Interesting comparison. Did you add an extra 2 x 16 GB modules, or replace your existing 2 x 16 GB with 2 x 32 GB modules?
I’m running AMD and four 8GB sticks of CL14 PC-3200 @ 3600MHz with 14-14-14-34-48-1T (non-infinity) timings, it took a while to dial them in but I’ve never had a single memory issue ever since (2 yrs).
One thing to watch out for is temperature differences between individual sticks, assuming the same batch, placing the coolest running sticks in the two middle slots will usually improve stabiity.