Does RAM Affect Streaming?

RAM is an integral part of streaming technology, as it helps with sending content over the internet without any interruption and also making viewing more comfortable due to improved FPS rates.

Streaming video games places significant demands on both your CPU/GPU as well as system memory because not only are you running the base game but also one or more programs simultaneously in order to stream content from another location.

This means that if there isn’t enough available memory then some critical process may have been swapped out too early resulting in stuttering gameplay due to low framerates.

What is RAM?

RAM is short for Random Access Memory, it’s used by programs to load data into a computer’s volatile memory as and when they need it.

In streaming, this is the memory required to encode and decode a video file in real-time. A low RAM count might result in the system having insufficient memory to do this effectively which may lead to stuttering or even video compression failure.

How Does RAM Affect Streaming?

Streaming relies on your computer being able to handle two separate functions at the same time:

Firstly, there’s the game itself which requires a large amount of RAM in order to load all of its assets and process them as you’re playing.

This means that games with high resource requirements such as Skyrim or GTA V are less likely to be able to stream effectively due to a large amount of RAM these games require.

Secondly, there’s the streaming software itself which is using your computer’s RAM in order to encode and decode a video stream. Different programs have different requirements for dedicated RAM

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The amount of RAM required by your streaming software is dependent upon the quality of output you desire.

For example, if you use the Adobe Flash capture method then the output resolution and frame rate will be reduced in order to make it more suitable for uploading onto sites like YouTube.

How Much RAM is Needed for Streaming?

The amount of RAM you need in order to stream effectively is not fixed and depends entirely on the game engine used by each individual title.

A good rule of thumb for streaming is that if your system has less than 4GB of RAM then you will experience stuttering issues which may get progressively worse as more applications are opened on top of your streaming program.

It’s generally recommended that modern computers have at least 8GB of RAM in order to be able to stream effectively. However, this is just a guideline and you should check the official requirements for your specific streaming software to find out what it recommends.

How Do I Test My Streaming Capabilities?

You can test the streaming capabilities of your computer by using a free benchmarking tool such as Steam’s Hardware Survey.  

In this program, you should see your system configuration as well as details on what percentage of your CPU/RAM are being used when playing games that place high resource demands on your laptop.  

If you’re getting stuttering and low FPS in these games then it means that your computer is overtaxed due to insufficient RAM which may cause problems with streaming.

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Conclusion:

Streaming has put gaming to another level. It’s now possible to stream game content and play it on your gaming laptop.

However, in order to stream effectively, you will need to have sufficient RAM installed as this has an effect on the framerate your computer is capable of achieving when playing games in conjunction with streaming software.

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