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Quick Answer
32GB is the new standard for gaming in 2026. Several modern titles use 14-16GB of RAM, leaving 16GB systems with no headroom for background tasks. The price gap is only $30-50 AUD for DDR4 and $40-60 AUD for DDR5, making 32GB the clear choice.
Multiple 2026 games routinely use 14-16GB. With Windows and background apps consuming 3-5GB, a 16GB system runs at 100% and starts paging to disk.
When RAM fills up, the system uses the SSD as overflow (page file). This causes:
Always run 2 sticks (2x16GB for 32GB, 2x8GB for 16GB) in dual channel mode. Two sticks provide double the memory bandwidth of a single stick, directly improving gaming performance by 10-20%.
Our Verdict
32GB is the minimum recommendation for gaming in 2026. The $35-55 AUD premium over 16GB is trivial, and multiple modern games benefit immediately. Running 2x16GB in dual channel is the optimal configuration.