Can a Computer with 8 GB of RAM Be Super Fast?
Despite the common belief, the speed of a system is not solely dependent on the amount of RAM. If you do not use the full size of your memory, your processes will run at their full speed. On the other hand, when you utilize the maximum amount of RAM, the CPU prioritizes data in RAM and writes the lesser-priority data to the pagefile on storage, which can slow down the system.
Understanding Memory Usage and Performance
If you want to build a super fast system, consider the utilization of your RAM. For example, if you have 128 GB of RAM (an absurdly large amount, by the way) and you use all of it to run applications, the CPU will prioritize data in RAM and write to the pagefile regardless. The key takeaway is that increasing RAM does not inherently make the system faster. It is all about how the RAM is utilized.
In my experience, I had a system with 16 GB of RAM running a game called 'Cities Skylines' with a lot of custom content. Memory usage frequently reached 15.98 GB, meaning it was full and the hard drive was very busy. After doubling the RAM to 32 GB, the maximum memory usage was around 24 GB, and no pagefile usage was observed, resulting in a noticeably faster system.
Storage Considerations and System Cap
Large storage drives, such as those larger than 250 GB, can significantly impact system performance, especially when numerous programs run in the background. This can severely reduce the system's speed, regardless of the CPU or RAM. It is wise to cap the operating system drive at 250 GB or less.
Personally, I cap my system's drive at 120 GB on a 250 GB drive and use the remaining space as a storage partition. If I need more storage, I can tether a SATA docking station via USB to a larger drive, such as a 500 GB drive. Thus, while storage is important, the actual processing ability of the system is paramount.
For instance, on my 2008 Dell OptiPlex GX 280 with a 3.8 GHz Prescott CPU and 4 GB DDR2 RAM running Windows XP Professional, I often have 40 tabs open in a browser. Despite these seemingly modest specs, the system is still capable of handling this workload efficiently. The point is that if you properly utilize the available resources (RAM, CPU, storage), even older hardware can perform well.
Measuring System Speed
Speed is a very ambiguous concept. It depends on the specific task you are performing. For example, a 1 GB of RAM can be super fast if you have a minimal Linux installation and you only use it for simple tasks like listing files. Speed is measured by the time it takes to complete a task, and this can vary widely based on the task's requirements.
If a task requires more RAM, like running a database, or more GPU resources, like in gaming or video compression, or more CPU resources for multitasking or heavy mathematical calculations, or more hard drive access for storing large files, the system's speed will be different. Therefore, you need to be more specific when discussing system speed.