RAM Upgrade for Gaming: Real-World FPS Gains Tested in SA

Hitting 'drop' in Apex Legends, only for your game to stutter as you land? Or maybe your frames dip in a crucial Warzone firefight… It’s a uniquely South African frustration, battling high ping and a choppy PC. For years, the go-to advice has been simple: get more RAM. But does a RAM upgrade for gaming really deliver the FPS gains we crave? We decided to break it down with some real-world insights for our local gamers. 🚀

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Lenovo IdeaPad 5 16GB/512GB Core i5

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Dell 14 Plus 16GB/1TB Ultra 7

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Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 8GB/512GB Ryzen 7

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Dell 14 Plus 32GB/1TB Core Ultra 9

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Asus ROG Flow Z13 32GB/1TB

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The Big Question: Does More RAM Actually Boost FPS?

Let's get straight to it: a RAM upgrade isn't typically about increasing your maximum frames per second (FPS). If your graphics card is already pushing 144 FPS, adding more RAM won't magically make it hit 160 FPS. So, what’s the point?

The real benefit of upgrading your RAM for FPS is about consistency and smoothness. It’s about eliminating those jarring stutters and improving your "1% lows"—the lowest framerates you experience during intense moments. When your system runs out of RAM, it has to pull data from your much slower SSD or hard drive, causing a noticeable hitch. A proper gaming RAM upgrade ensures your PC has enough breathing room to keep all essential game assets ready for instant access.

This is especially true if you're a multitasker. Running Discord, a browser with a few tabs, and your game simultaneously on just 8GB of RAM is a recipe for disaster in 2024. The extra capacity from 16GB or more allows your system to handle background tasks without stealing precious resources from your game.

Our SA-Based Test: From 8GB to 16GB

Imagine a typical gaming laptop, the kind many South Africans own. It's got a decent CPU and a capable graphics card, but it shipped with a single 8GB stick of RAM to keep costs down. In titles like Cyberpunk 2077 or even Fortnite on higher settings, you'll notice textures taking a moment to pop in and frustrating stutters when you whip your camera around in a busy area.

Now, let's perform that crucial RAM upgrade for gaming. We pop in a second 8GB stick, bringing the total to 16GB and, just as importantly, enabling dual-channel memory.

The result? The average FPS might only climb by 5-10%, but the experience is transformed. Those 1% low framerates jump up significantly. The game feels responsive, fluid, and predictable. Textures load instantly. The jarring stutters during firefights are gone. This is the real-world FPS gain that matters, and it’s what makes modern GeForce RTX gaming laptops on special feel so incredibly smooth out of the box.

When a RAM Upgrade for Gaming Makes Sense ✨

So, should you rush out and buy more RAM? An upgrade is most impactful in these situations:

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Lenovo Yoga 7 16GB/1TB Ultra 7

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ASUS ROG Strix G16 16GB/1TB Ryzen 9

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HP OMEN 17-db1005ni 32GB/1TB

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Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 8GB/512GB Core i5

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OMEN Transcend 16GB/1TB Ultra 7

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You're Running 8GB or Less

In today's gaming landscape, 8GB is the absolute minimum. If your system has 8GB or less, upgrading to 16GB will provide the single biggest performance-per-Rand boost you can get. This is a common bottleneck in many Intel gaming laptops that are a few years old.

You're a Heavy Multitasker

Do you stream your gameplay with OBS, chat on Discord, and have 10 Chrome tabs open while gaming? If so, your PC is begging for more RAM. Jumping to 16GB or even 32GB will give you the headroom to do it all without compromising your in-game performance. This is where the processing power of the latest AMD Ryzen gaming laptops truly shines when paired with ample memory.

When More RAM Won't Help Your FPS

A RAM upgrade is not a silver bullet. If your gaming performance is poor because of an old graphics card or a slow CPU, adding more RAM will have little to no effect. For instance, going from 16GB to 32GB offers almost no benefit for pure gaming alone.

This is where you need to be honest about your PC's overall health. If you're running a GPU from five years ago, that's your bottleneck. No amount of RAM will fix it. In these cases, it might be time to look at a more comprehensive upgrade. Thankfully, there are many excellent and affordable gaming laptops under R20k that offer a balanced, modern spec. For those seeking uncompromising performance, you'll find that most powerful Intel Core i7 gaming laptops already come configured with the 16GB sweet spot.

MSI Modern 14 8GB/512GB Core i3

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MSI Raider 18 HX AI A2XWJG Intel Core Ultra 9 RTX 5090 Gaming Laptop

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Asus ExpertBook P1 P1503CVA 16GB/512GB

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Asus ROG Flow Z13 32GB/1TB

R42,999In Stock

ASUS ROG Strix G16 16GB/1TB Ryzen 9

R48,999In Stock

ASUS TUF Gaming F16 16GB/1TB i7

R29,999In Stock

Ultimately, a balanced system is key. If your components are wildly out of sync, it's often more cost-effective to invest in a new, well-rounded machine. Whether you're looking at budget-friendly options or premium gaming rigs above R20k, a balanced configuration will always deliver a better experience. If you're unsure where to start, you can always check out the best gaming laptop deals to see what a modern, optimised setup looks like.