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Is 8gb of ram enough to run unity and play games?

Discussion in 'Getting Started' started by StaceyTigerX, Jul 23, 2019.

  1. StaceyTigerX

    StaceyTigerX

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    I don't know much about computers being an artist and need to make sure im buying something I'm going to be able to work with.
    Basically I want a laptop for using unity and playing games ideally simultaneously but if I have to close one and use one at a time I would be OK with that. Is 8gb enough cause when im looking at 16gb it really is pushing my budget.
     
    jishnups75 likes this.
  2. warrenbrandt

    warrenbrandt

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    Its not only about memory..what cpu is it? has it ssd hard drive? dedicated graphics etc? whats the model and i will tell you what i think...also, if you want to play the latest games...its gonna cost you
     
  3. Mauri

    Mauri

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    RAM alone isn't everything: You also need to keep the CPU, GPU and all the other stuff in mind.

    8GB could be fine, though personally I would heavily recommend having 16GB or more. Most modern games recommend 16GB nowadays.

    Unity's system requirements can be found here: https://unity3d.com/unity/system-requirements
     
  4. StaceyTigerX

    StaceyTigerX

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    It's a
    hp pavilion cs1506sa
     
  5. warrenbrandt

    warrenbrandt

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    Thats a lovely laptop!!! there isnt much you couldnt do with it! for Unity it will be perfect, it will play a lot of new games, but there are always those games that push a machine to the limit and require top notch hardware, how much is it for interest sakes...im in the republic of ireland
     
  6. StaceyTigerX

    StaceyTigerX

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    OK thanks. It's £799 and is what the store assistant recommended to me though I only mentioned making games and graphics not playing games.
     
  7. Antypodish

    Antypodish

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    Does it have to be a laptop? Can you consider desktop instead, as an option?
     
  8. StaceyTigerX

    StaceyTigerX

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    I really need a laptop as I'm living between 2 houses
     
  9. Mauri

    Mauri

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  10. Antypodish

    Antypodish

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    Fair enough.

    Probably if you starting with Unity, will take you while, before you start making something demanding.
    Hence 8 GB may be sufficient for a while. If you will leave an option for RAM expansion (need check laptop for such option), you can at least cut cost at this stage. CPU will be quite considering matter, since you won't be able to replace it. Similarly with GPU. Storage also can be replaced. Or even use external drives. But as already mentioned in early post, make sure you got SSD. It will save a lot on frustration.
    That probably standard for laptops these days anyway.
    And some mouse :)

    But indeed, it looks like nice mobile rig. I really wonder, if it has secondary memory slot, or is just 1x8GB
    http://www8.hp.com/h20195/v2/GetPDF.aspx/c06189502.pdf
    upload_2019-7-24_0-22-51.png
     
  11. StaceyTigerX

    StaceyTigerX

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    Yes that's the one Mauri
     
  12. StaceyTigerX

    StaceyTigerX

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    Under the heading 'expansion slot'
    It says 1 multi-format SD media card. Does this mean I can add more ram?
     
  13. Ryiah

    Ryiah

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    What's your budget?

    No. SD cards are flash storage chips for devices like cameras, portable media players, phones, etc.
     
  14. StaceyTigerX

    StaceyTigerX

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    £1000 absolute limit. I have an external hard drive will that make any difference?
     
  15. StaceyTigerX

    StaceyTigerX

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    I think I might just go with this and hope it will suffice
     
  16. warrenbrandt

    warrenbrandt

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  17. Antypodish

    Antypodish

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    I.e.
    upload_2019-7-24_0-57-50.png
     
  18. warrenbrandt

    warrenbrandt

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    "I think I might just go with this and hope it will suffice" lol that laptop is awesome! im on i5 hp 3 years old 8gb ram 512ssd drive and intel graphics and unity runs like a bomb!!! games...i play games from 06 07 ...08 is pushing it...
     
  19. Antypodish

    Antypodish

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    You can store files, which you don't use frequently, and backups.
    In other words, can help.
     
  20. Ryiah

    Ryiah

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    Antypodish likes this.
  21. warrenbrandt

    warrenbrandt

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    "Does it have to be a laptop? Can you consider desktop instead, as an option?"

    HA HA Antypodish i agree 100%... if i am to spend over 600 euro on a computer it will be a clone desktop!!! due an upgrade soon!
     
  22. StaceyTigerX

    StaceyTigerX

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    Lol, OK thanks.
     
  23. StaceyTigerX

    StaceyTigerX

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    Thanks Ryiah that looks awesome value
     
  24. JBR-games

    JBR-games

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    Short answer yes 8 gb will work for alot of situations.

    Could easily build an android game...
    I have an old HP laptop with an i3 and updated to 8gb of ram and an SSD.. It allows me to use visual studios and test small scenes in unity with no issues. Which is great for working on ideas on the go.
     
  25. heromar

    heromar

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    I am having a 4 gb ram laptop with 64 gb storage ssd and it ran unity at 4-7 fps so,
    i am willing to buy a pc and i found one in the field of my budget
    the ram is 8gb
    the storage type is HDD and with 1T
    the intel core is i5 and with an octa core
    the Processor Version Number/Generation is 9th generation
    and most importantly the graphics card is UHD graphics 630
    do you think it is enough to run unity at great fps and quality without lagging
    because i am sick of working with 7 fps
    thanks
     
  26. Joe-Censored

    Joe-Censored

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    No

    For starters, UHD 630 means Coffee Lake, and Intel never even made an 8 core Coffee Lake i5 CPU. I'm guessing you're talking about an i5 9300H or 9400H which are quad cores. A quad core can work fine, but you're in bare minimum performance territory instead of "great fps and quality" territory.

    But Unity first of all really needs SSD storage. So forget any computer using only an old school HDD. If what you want is really "great fps and quality without lagging" then you absolutely need a dedicated GPU, none of this freebie Intel UHD they throw in with the CPU to get bare minimum graphics. You need a GPU which can actually play games, not one designed just to play Netflix.

    8GB of memory is really skimping. It can work, but really I wouldn't go with less than 16GB. Understand you're loading your game AND the editor and any other tools you're using at the same time, not just the game. So you need more RAM than what you would expect the computer to need which is just playing the game. Otherwise when you max out your RAM you're going to get very sluggish performance as Windows needs to keep hitting the swap file over and over.

    So in short, the minimum I would go is:
    16 GB RAM
    512 GB SSD
    6 core / 12 thread CPU
    Nvidia 1650 Super, AMD 5500M or better
     
    Last edited: Sep 28, 2020
  27. heromar

    heromar

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    For starters, UHD 630 means Coffee Lake, and Intel never even made an 8 core Coffee Lake i5 CPU. I'm guessing you're talking about an i5 9300H or 9400H which are quad cores. A quad core can work fine, but you're in bare minimum performance territory instead of "great fps and quality" territory.

    But Unity first of all really needs SSD storage. So forget any computer using only an old school HDD. If what you want is really "great fps and quality without lagging" then you absolutely need a dedicated GPU, none of this freebie Intel UHD they throw in with the CPU to get bare minimum graphics. You need a GPU which can actually play games, not one designed just to play Netflix.

    8GB of memory is really skimping. It can work, but really I wouldn't go with less than 16GB. Understand you're loading your game AND the editor and any other tools you're using at the same time, not just the game. So you need more RAM than what you would expect the computer to need which is just playing the game. Otherwise when you max out your RAM you're going to get very sluggish performance as Windows needs to keep hitting the swap file over and over.

    So in short, the minimum I would go is:
    16 GB RAM
    512 GB SSD
    6 core / 12 thread CPU
    Nvidia 1650 Super, AMD 5500M or better[/QUOTE]

    thanks for your time
    but i got this specifications upload_2020-9-29_9-42-52.png and my laptop that i started in using unity was having 4gb ram as i said
    the editor was taking time to load but the preview was so slow and bad
    i thought double the ram would be enough
    that screen shot above may contain info i didnt say
    i hope that you recommend me a {desktop pc} under 600-700 dollars if you know one
    if there is none under my budget then you can send one more than i asked
    thanks for your time :)
     
  28. Joe-Censored

    Joe-Censored

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    It is pretty simple. You are being lied to. Otherwise you would be able to find the 8 core i5 9th gen with UHD 630 graphics at the link below. But Intel never made that product, so you won't find it because all 9th gen mobile i5 processors are quad cores.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coffee_Lake
    (9th gen is called Coffee Lake Refresh)

    Some novices (and liars) confuse threads for cores on CPU's with hyperthreading. That is very likely the reason why they are saying octa core. Instead it is quad core with 8 threads.

    As for a desktop PC in that price range, build something like this:
    https://pcpartpicker.com/list/qCgpcq
    Swap in a Ryzen 3600 if you have an extra $50 or so.
     
  29. heromar

    heromar

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    thanks so much
    i realized that because that makes no sense lol
    thanks again
     
  30. smart247

    smart247

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    Yes, some games is enough to run for 8GB. My PC system is 5th Generation with 8GB ram and have a SSD 500GB. Working so fast with any browsing. If you want more about - 8GB RAM Enough for Windows 11