Is 8GB of RAM still enough for Windows 11?
For homework, video lessons and light games, 8GB is workable on Windows 11. Microsoft's minimum is 4GB, so 8GB sits above the floor, but the real test is how many things your kid keeps open at once. Check usage in Task Manager. If the memory is soldered you cannot expand it, so confirm that before you buy.
Cite
Geek With Laptop Forum, "Is 8GB of RAM still enough for Windows 11?", https://geekwithlaptop.com/forum/thread/is-8gb-of-ram-still-enough-for-windows-11/, accessed 2026-11-10.I am looking at a second hand Windows laptop for my older kid, who is starting secondary school. It has 8GB of RAM and a solid state drive, and the seller says Windows 11 is installed. My kid will use it for homework in a browser, video lessons, a word processor, and some light games in the evenings.
I read in a couple of places that 8GB is "not enough anymore" and in others that it is fine. My other child's laptop has 16GB, but I cannot tell if that was money well spent or just a bigger number on the box.
Will 8GB feel slow after a year? Can I add more later if it does? And how would I even check how much memory the machine is using once I have it home? I would like to understand it well enough not to be talked into the wrong thing by a shop.
- Accepted answerMarcus HaleStaffEditor, Geek With Laptop ·
For homework, video lessons and light games, 8GB is workable on Windows 11. Microsoft's minimum is 4GB, so 8GB sits above the floor, but the real test is how many things your kid keeps open at once. Check usage in Task Manager. If the memory is soldered you cannot expand it, so confirm that before you buy.
Luis, here is how to think about it. Microsoft's published minimum for Windows 11 is 4 GB of RAM, 64 GB of storage, a 1 GHz two core 64 bit processor, UEFI Secure Boot and TPM 2.0. A minimum is the lowest that installs, not what feels comfortable, so 8GB gives you headroom over it for ordinary use. Sources: Windows 11 requirements, Microsoft Learn and Windows 11 Specs and System Requirements, Microsoft.
Those same pages are also why you should ask the seller to confirm the laptop passes the Windows 11 requirements rather than just saying it is installed. A machine that only just meets them can feel sluggish.
One correction: more memory does not make a laptop proportionally faster. Past what your tasks need, extra RAM changes almost nothing, and what slows machines down is usually storage, heat or startup programs. Check the exact model for soldered versus slotted memory, and see our thread on whether you can upgrade the RAM or SSD in a laptop. For a wider view, how much RAM a laptop needs in 2026 is a good companion.
6 more replies
Most helpful first- Raul M.Member ·
Check it yourself in ten seconds. Press Ctrl+Shift+Esc to open Task Manager, click the Performance tab, then Memory. It shows how much is in use and whether it is DDR4 or DDR5, and how many slots are used. Do it with a browser and a few tabs open, as your kid would. If you sit comfortably under the total, 8GB is fine for that use.
- Owen P.Member ·
Before buying, find the exact model number and look up whether the RAM is soldered. A lot of thin laptops have it soldered to the board and you cannot add any. Others have one or two slots. That decides whether "add more later" is an option. Also ask the seller for a battery health report, since you will be paying attention to wear on a used machine.
- Grace O.Member ·
We run 8GB machines in the office for browser, documents and video calls without complaints. The ones that struggle are the ones with ten browser tabs, a chat app, and a video call at the same time, plus a pile of startup programs. Trimming startup apps in Settings under Apps then Startup helped more than any hardware change.
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