Why Some Software Needs More RAM to Run Efficiently

Random Access Memory is perhaps one of the most essential components that determines how smoothly and quickly your devices function. It has a lot to do with the amount of RAM inside your PC or smartphone in terms of performance while you game, render video, or simply browse.

However, why some programs are running over RAM requirement than others? What makes some applications more memory hungry?

In this article, we're looking at how RAM works, what kind of software calls for additional help, and how you can get more RAM without skipping a beat. So lets jump into it and keep it basic!

🧐 What Is RAM And How Does It Work?

Before we dive into why software requires more RAM, let us begin with the most basic things.

RAM is a short-term memory where your device stores data that your system is using at that time. RAM is not your hard drive or SSD, it retains the information temporarily while you need it for your tasks.

Think of RAM like a desk:

⬇ The bigger your desk, the more pants, books or tools you can lay out and get to easily.

🥇 When you have a larger desk, you can leave the essentials close; a smaller desk forces you to move things around which slows your workflow.

When you open a software, it puts data into your RAM from your hard drive so that your device is able to access it rapidly. In other words, when your device is exhausted from RAM it has to switch to slower storage solutions, leading to sluggish performance.

💡 Why Some Software Applications Are Hungry For RAM?

Some programs are demanding—they work with bigger sets of data or run complicated processes, so they will demand more RAM. Here are the primary reasons why some software requires increased memory:

🏗️ 1. Complexity of Tasks

Software that is very heavy in terms of tasks needs to use more RAM for effective handling. For example:

🔗 Photo and video editing software such as Adobe Photoshop or Premiere Pro works with heavy image and video files.

Modern production games leverage a combination of high-resolution textures, advanced graphics, and complex real-time processing that demand a lot of RAM.

Databases, data analysis tools (MATLAB or Excel with large spreadsheets) require RAM to keep the large datasets working correctly.

However, the more complex the operation, the more random-access memory (RAM) is required to maintain a system with a relatively low risk of lag or freeze.

📂 2. Size of the Files Being Used

Certain applications use larger files that occupy more memory space. For instance:

A text editor such as Notepad in your Windows machine utilizes minimal RAM as it handles simple text files only.

For a 4k video file video editor working on high-resolution files, he/she would need to add up way more RAM than a video editor putting it together and rendering the files.

If you’re running software that processes big files it better have sufficient RAM otherwise the system will stutter.

🎭 3. Multitasking Capabilities

Supporting use-case — As of today most of the applications allows user to run multiple functions in the same time. Think about:

📑 Open Too Many Tabs In The Web Browsers

Plugging away running a bunch of plugins in music editing software, 🎵

😁 But games running background tasks like voice chat or streaming?

Each additional task takes up additional memory and running multiple tasks simultaneously can lead to a rapid consumption of RAM.

🔌 4. Real-Time Processing

Applications that need to process real-time data typically use a lot of memory. This includes:

🎮 Rendering graphics in real time over video games

Streaming software such as OBS Studio, encoding live video

Transmission of audio + video calls by vigilance apps 💻

Real-time processing requires immediate access to the data and bigger RAM leaves a minimal time between the data preparation and analysis stages.

⚙️ 5. Background services and features

Many applications have multiple background services which also eat RAM. Examples include:

📞 Antivirus constantly scanning in background for threat

Calendar apps syncing and sending you reminders 📅

Back-Up to the Cloud📲 Cloud backup services in the background.

These services would stay in RAM and works in the background without interrupting the primary task, even if these services are not in use for now.

💻 Software That Uses A Lot Of RAM

Examples of programs that are high CPU processing:

➡️ What To Expect When RAM Is Not Enough?

If your device RAM is low, the following will happen:

Sluggish Performance: Loading programs takes longer, and switching from one task to another becomes slow.

Freezing or Crashing — If you are running software uses a lot of memory, your system could freeze, or even crash.

Realtime Applications Lag: Games or video calls may lag and degrade the experience.

Failures to Open Large Files — If a file is larger than your RAM can accommodate, it probably won't even bother opening.

If you run software that requires more RAM than you have, your machine will have to start swapping to slower storage (like your hard drive) and you will notice a significant decrease in speed.

✅ How Much RAM You Actually Need

How much RAM is needed — this depends on what you are doing and what kind of software you are using. Here’s a simple guide:

💻 How to Handle RAM Usage Performance

Here are some useful recommendations on how to make the most out of your computer RAM if your software requires more memory than what your device has.

Close useless applications: Close those applications running in the background to free up ram.

Reduce Browser Tabs — Each tab can use a lot of memory, particularly Chrome.

Remove Startup Programs: Disable Programs that adds to startup with your Device when it boot up.

Augment virtual memory: Temporarily, you can enhance virtual memory settings on Windows and Mac.

Increase your RAM: If your device is capable, increasing the RAM is the best solution for boosting performance for demanding tasks such as Memory.

🔑 Why Modern Devices Require More RAM?

With technology evolving, software applications are becoming powerful—and more resource hungry than ever.

Here are some reasons why modern devices need more RAM than ever before:

📈 More graphics in games and design software

🔊 Improved and new audio and video processing for streaming and editing

💬 Better support for multiple windows in recent OSes

🔒 More secure but requires healthy monitoring tokens

And even "desktop" software like web browsers has gotten heavy because of heavier websites and online tools.

🎯 Final Thoughts

Knowing why some software requires more RAM can help you make better purchasing and upgrading decisions for your devices. Certainly, larger files, real-time tasks, and intense multitasking demands will reach the threshold of what they need more quickly than others, but such programs will typically demand more memory for optimal use.

With adequate RAM, you get to enjoy optimal performance, smoother app runs and fewer crashes. When you are a gamer, editor, or just surfing the web, optimal RAM can make the difference.

Next time your device seems sluggish, it could just be crying for more memory! 🚀