Analyst Urges 16GB Minimum for Windows 11 PCs as 8GB Triggers Slowdowns
Updated
Updated · PCMag · Jul 29
Analyst Urges 16GB Minimum for Windows 11 PCs as 8GB Triggers Slowdowns
3 articles · Updated · PCMag · Jul 29
Summary
Tests on a Windows 11 PC capped at 8GB found the system already using about 6.6GB at boot, leaving little headroom before performance degraded.
After a few Chrome tabs, Spotify and Slack, Windows began swapping data to the SSD, making app switches, page loads and window restores noticeably slower even under light multitasking.
Adobe Photoshop and a VMWare virtual machine pushed memory pressure much higher, causing white-screen reloads in Slack, discarded Chrome tabs and heavy SSD writes.
The analyst said 16GB should be the minimum for new Windows 11 laptops and desktops, warning that low-end 8GB machines will likely perform worse than the high-end test setup.
Microsoft is selling an 8GB Surface Laptop and says Windows 11 will become more efficient in 2026, but memory-hungry third-party and web-based apps are expected to keep 8GB constrained.