Shopping for a computer in 2025 often begins with an ontological question — how much RAM do you really need? The answer will vary greatly based on your operating system and what you actually do all day. Here’s a straightforward, expert-approved guide that will help you cut through the marketing noise across both the Windows PC camp and the Mac crowd.
RAM is your system’s short‑term workspace. When it’s not, apps pause, tabs reload, and your machine relies on slower storage than with RAM. When it’s right‑sized, everything is instant. We can nail the target that’s right for you without overpaying.
The quick answer: baseline RAM for Windows and Mac
16GB is the baseline for productive usage on a modern Windows machine. Microsoft’s Copilot+ PC class also treats 16GB as a floor, which is indicative of how modern workloads (video calls, dozens of open tabs, shared apps, and on‑device AI processing) drink down memory. If you game, edit video or photos, or do a lot of programming on your PC, or use more than one monitor, 32GB is the better bet.
Mac: 8GB can go further with Apple’s unified memory architecture and aggressive compression, but it is hard to get by without some straining; therefore, 16GB could be your long‑term sweet spot. For creators and heavy‑duty multitaskers, 24GB–32GB or more (depending on app demands) is reasonable.
Windows: Select RAM based on your workload
Everyday work and school: 16GB will keep browsers, office apps, Slack/Teams, and video calls snappy. Windows 11 relies on memory compression to bloat capacity; even so, you’ll swap more when under 16GB and your system will feel slower.
Gaming: 32GB is getting to be the wise pick. Most AAA titles in recent years have 16GB in their “recommended” specs, but high‑res textures, background apps, and mods can all make good use of more headroom. Steam’s Hardware Survey from Valve is a good tell that enthusiasts are shifting toward 32GB.
Creative work: A comfortable amount of memory for Adobe Lightroom or larger Photoshop composites is 32GB. Adobe recommends 32GB for 4K video in Premiere Pro and more (around 64GB) if you’re using heavy effects, but you won’t notice much difference beyond that. 3D (Blender, Unreal Engine) will usually start to pant at 32GB and jumps above that with heavier scenes; Epic’s guidance for UE development tends toward a lot of memory.
Developers and power users: If you’re running multiple Docker containers, a local database or two, and several VMs, 32GB–64GB is a big step up in reducing friction. Memory is time — starve it and builds, tests, and context switches lag.
Mac: How unified memory changes the formula
Apple Silicon unifies the memory between the CPU, GPU, and Neural Engine into one high‑bandwidth fabric. That unified design combined with fast NVMe storage and system‑level memory compression allows 8GB to go further than an 8GB Windows ultrabook can. But “it stretches” is not the same as “it’s perfect.”
Light use (mail, docs, web, media): 8GB will get you by, but 16GB means fewer tab reloads and background apps that don’t slow down — especially if you’re doing things like leaving lots of windows open or relying on browser extensions.
Creative and technical work: 24GB to 32GB is a good goal for photographers working with large catalogs, creators producing 4K video content, developers working with multiple containers, as well as anyone leaning heavily on on‑device AI. Apple’s pricier chips have even larger pools; they’re for multi‑stream 4K/8K, or heavy 3D.
Important caveat: most modern Macs cannot be upgraded in terms of memory. Buy what you need up front. Paying more now hurts, but is a lot cheaper than buying that machine again before its time.
Speed, standards and what’s actually important
Capacity trumps small speed differences for most people. Windows laptops: most use DDR5; many thin‑and‑lights and all Macs use LPDDR5/LPDDR5X for increased bandwidth and reduced power. LPDDR6 was published by the JEDEC standards body in 2024; however, DDR5/LPDDR5X will continue to be standard in shipping systems up through 2025.
Two practical tips: if your Windows laptop is upgradeable, be sure to install memory in matched pairs for dual‑channel bandwidth (a very big deal for integrated graphics). And for soldered‑in RAM — typical in ultrabooks and all recent Macs — buy at capacity when you can.
The floor is quietly coming up on features
On‑device AI assistants, image upscalers, transcription, and small local language models eat into memory. Microsoft’s own Copilot+ PCs stipulate 16GB, and creative AI tools from Adobe and other companies are increasingly becoming part of daily workflows. If you’re interested in local models, or will take advantage of AI‑powered features in photo/video apps, default to 32GB on Windows and at least 16–24GB RAM on Mac.
Right‑sizing your RAM in five minutes or less
Make sure to check today’s usage before purchase. For Windows, use Task Manager while you work: it’s a bad sign if memory > 80% all the time, or if “in use + cached” is high with non‑zero active hard page faults — that’s RAM‑bound. For macOS, use Activity Monitor; the tell is its Memory Pressure graph — if it reaches yellow or red during your normal tasks, you need more headroom.
Bottom line: Windows users will want at least 16GB, and gaming or creative workloads or other demanding applications could require 32GB. Mac users can get by with 8GB for light duty, but if possible go for a safer long‑term choice at 16GB; jump to 24 to 32GB for serious media or AI. Buy once, cry once — especially when you can’t upgrade.