8GB vs 16GB RAM: 16GB is a no-brainer for productivity

8GB is the bare minimum for Windows 10/11—once you open a browser, Slack, and a document editor, you’re already swapping to disk. 16GB gives you headroom for multiple apps, virtual desktops, or compiling code without stutter. Capacity matters more than speed here: 8GB at 3200MHz still bottlenecks you faster than 16GB at 2666MHz. The extra $30-40 is worth it for any real workload beyond casual browsing.