How do I allocate more RAM to Steam games

[MightZJPoepet]

Hi, so I want to allocate more RAM to some Steam games, some of them don't run all that smooth, even though I upgraded my RAM stick from 8GBs to 32GBs, I still run into the same problem, and I realized that it is limiting the amount of RAM it would use, when I run some games at max settings, the RAM being used in those games have been 4GBs at most, but it never goes anywhere over that, is there any way of allocating more RAM? or to get rid of that RAM limitation? Btw, my processor stays low at less than 40%, so I am pretty sure it isn't my processor.

[Frank ツ]

Complete pc specs and what os.

[Cheezus Crisp]

RAM allocation rarely has anything to do with the performance of the game. The game is allowed to freely allocate itself as much memory as it requires and its limit is set by the developers. Not Steam. Likely one of your components is bottle necking your CPU. If your CPU isn't at 100%, it's likely your GPU.

[Zekiran]

Go to the top of your Steam library window and click HELP > SYSTEM INFORMATION, and paste the ENTIRE list here. That will give system specs and drivers, etc.

[cSg|mc-Hotsauce]

RAM or DRAM?

[Muppet among Puppets]

If the ram is full, games begin to stutter.
Not if they do not need much ram.

[SagaxRabbit]

The memory limitation comes from the way the game is compiled with regards to architecture. If the game is compiled as an 32-bit application, then the 4GB limit is going to stick regardless of the amount of physical RAM in the machine. Nothing you can do about this apart from asking the developer to consider compiling a 64-bit version of the game as well...which may or may not require additional programming to the game.
If the game is compiled as an 64-bit application, then it can use more than 4GB RAM and will most likely also perform better (faster loading times, less frame-drops, ability to add more effects without a performance impact, etc).
You will see whether a game has a 64-bit version if there are two executables, with one having "_x64" somewhere in the file name, or if you run Windows (10) as your OS, opening Task Manager and going to the Details tab, then right-clicking on one of the column headings (Name, PID, Status, etc) and then adding a column called "Platform" from the list will show you the game's architecture as well if the game is running in the background.
Also, the amount of RAM that the game uses is determined by the game and the OS, and isn't something that you can change, like for example the priority of the application.

Additional reading material: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/X86-64

[Cathulhu]

What good is allocating more RAM to a game? That is not a fix everything solution.
The main thing is, adding more RAM does not mean the game will actually use it.
If it needs more, it will take more, especially with your system where RAM is readily available.
So, if it doesn't use more, it doesn't need more.
The performance issue is somewhere else, mainly CPU and/or GPU, or simply, the game itself.

[Iceira]

first of all you cant download ram, you can tweak current or it will store its functions on harddisk as swapfile or dump area. ( more bottleneck move to harddisk ) not recommend
slower game can lag , and even worse more frequent access on disk = burnout faster

well that was this years 1april fool, whats next make a app tell i have a billion ghz cpu.

all what this app do is tell system you have more then you actual has. what a scam, you actual can harm the pc , because this resources has to go somewhere and store its result.

[SagaxRabbit]

Originally posted by Iceira:

well that was this years 1april fool, whats next make a app tell i have a billion ghz cpu.

Try different PC characteristics based on the RGB lighting inside your PC, for example higher performance when using red lights, or less power consumption when using green lights or making your PC run at cooler temperatures when using blue lights...

[Iceira]

Originally posted by RogueRabbit:

Originally posted by Iceira:

well that was this years 1april fool, whats next make a app tell i have a billion ghz cpu.

Try different PC characteristics based on the RGB lighting inside your PC, for example higher performance when using red lights, or less power consumption when using green lights or making your PC run at cooler temperatures when using blue lights...

yeah and grass is always greener at neighbours yard.

point is light dont matter , i have been in a green server room all look good, then i have been in other server room all is red and work as it should, and green is bad.

[Komrade]

Originally posted by Cathulhu:

What good is allocating more RAM to a game? That is not a fix everything solution.
The main thing is, adding more RAM does not mean the game will actually use it.
If it needs more, it will take more, especially with your system where RAM is readily available.
So, if it doesn't use more, it doesn't need more.
The performance issue is somewhere else, mainly CPU and/or GPU, or simply, the game itself.

^
32GB is overkill for the majority of games, you only need 2x8GB for most.

[nullable]

This is not something you need to micromanage. Windows and games/software can do this better than you in most cases.

Clearly (all) your performance issues weren't because of your 8GB of RAM so 32GB isn't going to solve that.

Post your specs and the games in question.

[MightZJPoepet]

Hello again, my processor is a core i5 8th gen, my previous ram was 8GBs, but I have noticed that not only the RAM will limit itself, but the GPU stays at 0, is this normal?
Also, I play games like for example Team Fortress 2 or Dark Deception, TF2 can run fine at semi-high settings, but I can only run Dark Deception at medium settings

[Komrade]

Originally posted by MightZJPoepet:

Hello again, my processor is a core i5 8th gen, my previous ram was 8GBs, but I have noticed that not only the RAM will limit itself, but the GPU stays at 0, is this normal?

You’re likely looking at an inactive GPU.

[MightZJPoepet]

and, how can I fix my inactive GPU? it stays at 0/0.1GB it says