{"id":1904,"date":"2022-01-07T13:15:40","date_gmt":"2022-01-07T07:45:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cpuforever.com\/?p=1904"},"modified":"2022-01-21T17:53:52","modified_gmt":"2022-01-21T12:23:52","slug":"how-to-allocate-more-ram-to-a-game","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cpuforever.com\/resources\/how-to-allocate-more-ram-to-a-game\/","title":{"rendered":"How To Allocate More RAM To A Game (3 Easy Methods)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>The easiest way to dedicate more RAM to a game is to use a high-priority setting for it. Besides that, a few games come with a native setting to allocate RAM.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As someone who has spent countless hours trying to squeeze every last bit of memory for my games, I can tell what works and what doesn't.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Well, you won't be rolling Cyberpunk at 4K on your 8 gig machine yet, but you should see an improvement in lag and FPS if you follow this guide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Keep reading if you want to learn how to allocate more RAM to a game, without spending a single penny on RAM upgrade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_64 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-white ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\">Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-661587220564e\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-661587220564e\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/cpuforever.com\/resources\/how-to-allocate-more-ram-to-a-game\/#How_Do_I_Allocate_More_RAM_To_A_Game\" title=\"How Do I Allocate More RAM To A Game?\">How Do I Allocate More RAM To A Game?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/cpuforever.com\/resources\/how-to-allocate-more-ram-to-a-game\/#Allocating_RAM_To_Specific_Programs\" title=\"Allocating RAM To Specific Programs\">Allocating RAM To Specific Programs<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/cpuforever.com\/resources\/how-to-allocate-more-ram-to-a-game\/#How_Is_RAM_Different_From_Virtual_Memory\" title=\"How Is RAM Different From Virtual Memory?\">How Is RAM Different From Virtual Memory?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/cpuforever.com\/resources\/how-to-allocate-more-ram-to-a-game\/#Can_You_Allocate_More_RAM_To_Steam_Games\" title=\"Can You Allocate More RAM To Steam Games?\">Can You Allocate More RAM To Steam Games?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/cpuforever.com\/resources\/how-to-allocate-more-ram-to-a-game\/#Why_Do_You_Keep_Running_Out_Of_RAM\" title=\"Why Do You Keep Running Out Of RAM?\">Why Do You Keep Running Out Of RAM?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/cpuforever.com\/resources\/how-to-allocate-more-ram-to-a-game\/#Final_Words\" title=\"Final Words\">Final Words<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_Do_I_Allocate_More_RAM_To_A_Game\"><\/span>How Do I Allocate More RAM To A Game?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>No, we're not talking about adding larger sticks to your rig. Turns out there's a workaround to overcome RAM limitations using only software.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The easiest way to devote more ram usage to certain games is by using the <strong>set priority option in task manager<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here are the steps:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol><li>Open Task Manager by pressing <strong>Ctrl + Shift + Esc<\/strong>.<\/li><li>Hop over to the <strong>Details<\/strong> tab.<\/li><li>Find the particular game you wish to allocate additional RAM.<\/li><li>Right-click and navigate to <strong>Set priority<\/strong>. Select the priority as per your needs (High, Realtime, etc.).<\/li><li>Confirm your selection by choosing <strong>Change priority<\/strong>.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>Keep in mind that while Windows will now allocate more RAM and CPU to this application, it will in turn shrink system RAM available to other apps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This works well if you just want to use one app at a time, as you can take full advantage of your computer's RAM for this one specific app.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, it isn't the only method to assign more memory to games. Let's talk about some of the secondary methods.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"500\" height=\"333\" src=\"https:\/\/cpuforever.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Computer-Motherboard.jpg\" alt=\"Computer Motherboard\" class=\"wp-image-1906\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cpuforever.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Computer-Motherboard.jpg 500w, https:\/\/cpuforever.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Computer-Motherboard-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Allocating_RAM_To_Specific_Programs\"><\/span>Allocating RAM To Specific Programs<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Another effective method is when a particular program or game comes with an option to allocate RAM natively. In some applications like Adobe Premiere Pro and games like Minecraft, you can manually allocate more RAM via app settings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For instance, in Premiere Pro, you can designate more RAM (under <strong>Edit &gt; Preferences &gt; General &gt; Memory<\/strong>) to be reserved for other programs or background apps. The rest of the memory will automatically be set aside for Premiere Pro.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you find such an option within your game, you're in luck!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Now let's explain this in detail with the example of Minecraft.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This seemingly simple game can get intensive once you start playing around with heavy builds and mods. Luckily, Minecraft allows you to allocate more memory to it using the following steps:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol><li>Open your <strong>Minecraft (Default) Launcher <\/strong>and click on the <strong>Installations <\/strong>tab.<\/li><li>Hover the cursor over your Minecraft version and select the three white dots on the right. Now click <strong>Edit<\/strong>.<\/li><li>In the 'Edit Installation' window, click on <strong>More Options<\/strong> and scroll down to find the <strong>JVM ARGUMENTS <\/strong>field.<\/li><li>In this field, change <strong>-Xmx2G<\/strong> to <strong>-Xmx#G<\/strong>, with # being the amount of RAM in GB that Minecraft will use <strong>(Don't change anything else).<\/strong><\/li><li>Click on <strong>Save<\/strong> and you're good to go.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>You should see a difference in performance in most cases. Keep in mind that this method is specific to Minecraft and each program will have a different process of allocating RAM if any.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Nevertheless, this is one of the most effective ways to get a game to use more RAM.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_Is_RAM_Different_From_Virtual_Memory\"><\/span>How Is RAM Different From Virtual Memory?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Virtual Memory is simply a small chunk of your storage (Hard Drive or SSD) that is designated to emulate your computer's Random Access Memory (RAM). It's also called a paging file.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Whenever your PC is running low on memory, it starts moving information to the paging file.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Does this mean that 16GB RAM coupled with a 16GB paging file will give the same results as having 32GB physical memory? Well, no.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Your Storage device is likely much slower in comparison to the RAM, and consequently, any virtual memory is going to be a lot slower as well. Increasing it won't make your games run faster.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The paging file only limits any error that might occur due to memory overflow. It isn't a replacement for additional RAM.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/cpuforever.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/ram-module-circuit-boards.jpg\" alt=\"ram module circuit boards\" class=\"wp-image-1908\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cpuforever.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/ram-module-circuit-boards.jpg 500w, https:\/\/cpuforever.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/ram-module-circuit-boards-300x169.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Can_You_Allocate_More_RAM_To_Steam_Games\"><\/span>Can You Allocate More RAM To Steam Games?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Like the other methods above, you can't manually adjust Steam games to use a certain amount of memory. However, with a bit of tinkering with the settings, you can fix lag and low FPS problems using the in-app 'Launch Options'.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Follow these steps:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol><li>In your Steam Library, right-click on the game you wish to allocate more RAM and select <strong>Properties<\/strong>.<\/li><li>Here you'll find the <strong>Launch Options<\/strong> under the General tab.<\/li><li>You can use various commands in this box, but for now, we'll be using the <strong>-heapsize <\/strong>command.<\/li><li>Type <strong>-heapsize &lt;value&gt;<\/strong>, where &lt;value&gt; is the amount of RAM in KB you want to dedicate as cache for the game (Example: <em>-heapsize 6291456<\/em>).<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>This will ensure that adequate RAM is available for the best performance of Steam games.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The second trick to enhance performance is to turn off the Steam overlay feature. You can do this by logging into your Steam account and unchecking the Steam Overlay option under <strong>Preferences &gt; In-Game<\/strong>. This can be useful if you're video streaming or you're on a slow network.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Why_Do_You_Keep_Running_Out_Of_RAM\"><\/span>Why Do You Keep Running Out Of RAM?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Common reasons for running out of RAM include having too many programs or background processes running, antiviruses, too much cache, or outdated applications.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here's a little checklist to keep your RAM usage in check:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>Are there any programs that are hogging a lot of memory? Launch the Task Manager by pressing <strong>Ctrl + Shift + Esc <\/strong>and close the culprits.<\/li><li>Simply navigate to the <strong>Processes tab<\/strong> and click on <strong>End task<\/strong> for the programs you want to close.<\/li><li>A lot of apps launch automatically when your PC boots up. To stop that, go to the <strong>Startup tab<\/strong> of the Task Manager and <strong>Disable <\/strong>the processes you don't want to start during boot-up.<\/li><li>Don't leave too many browser tabs open. This along with heavy browser extensions are taxing on the RAM.<\/li><li>Update Windows and all the apps to their latest versions.<\/li><li>Uninstall unneeded applications.<\/li><li>Use a lighter browser like Edge (<em>sorry Chrome users<\/em>).<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>How do you know when it's time to purchase more RAM vs. perform a few software tweaks?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Simple, if one of the above methods works for you, you can put off your RAM shopping for some time later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/cpuforever.com\/resources\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Read more resources<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Final_Words\"><\/span>Final Words<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>If you wish to allocate more RAM to a game, the best way is to set it to a higher priority. Limiting playback processes and other programs won't hurt either.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The methods discussed in this guide will add to a better gaming experience and possibly save you some money too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Now that you have a trick or two up your sleeve, you can finally enjoy playing your favorite game without needing to spend anything on hardware upgrades.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The easiest way to dedicate more RAM to a game is to use a high-priority setting for it. Besides that, a few games come with a native setting to allocate RAM. As someone who has spent countless hours trying to squeeze every last bit of memory for my games, I can tell what works and [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":1910,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[24],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cpuforever.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1904"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cpuforever.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cpuforever.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cpuforever.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cpuforever.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1904"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/cpuforever.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1904\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1945,"href":"https:\/\/cpuforever.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1904\/revisions\/1945"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cpuforever.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1910"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cpuforever.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1904"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cpuforever.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1904"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cpuforever.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1904"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}