What is RAM (and Why Does it Matter)?
The performance of a computer ultimately comes down to how fast your CPU (Central Processing Unit) can execute instructions. The CPU itself is the main factor in this, with the number of instructions it can execute per second being determined largely by clock speed—the number of execution cycles it goes through per second. A processor like the AMD Ryzen 9600X has a base clock speed of 4.4GHz—meaning it can execute instructions on each of its six cores 4.4 billion times a second—and it can boost as high as 5.4GHz. That's a lot of instructions per second.
In order to process all those instructions efficiently, the CPU needs a ready stream of instructions to process. These are stored in pools of memory which are at various levels of physical proximity to the CPU. The closer to the CPU they are, the faster they are, but the less data they can hold. For instance, within the CPU there's a tiny register file which contains the instructions for immediate processing. Right next door to it, on the same chip, are three levels of increasingly large cache (L1, L2 and L3). These are still relatively tiny, though: the Ryzen 9600X mentioned above has 480KB of L1 cache, 6MB of L2 and 32 MB of L3 cache.
Then there's the Random Access Memory, or RAM. RAM is the main pool of instructions your CPU can access in a hurry. It doesn't always need access to all these instructions, but if it wants to execute any set of instructions quickly, they're going to need to be stored in RAM first. If an instruction isn't already loaded into your RAM, it's going to have to be fetched from one of your system's storage disks—and even very fast disks like NVMe drives are no match for the speed of RAM. Not even close! So the more information you can store in RAM, the faster your computer can operate—and this is especially important when you're dealing with real-time audio.
How Does My DAW Use RAM?
It's not actually your DAW that eats up all your RAM—it's the samplers your DAW hosts that tear through it.
Here's why. Let's say you have a full orchestral template in your DAW. Your expectation is that when you click on a track and hit a key on your MIDI keyboard, you hear the appropriate sound play back—a horn, cello, kalimba, djun or whatever. What's happening in the background is that your MIDI keyboard sends a signal to your sampler—let's say Kontakt—to fetch a particular audio file corresponding with the sound you want. That audio file is then passed to your CPU, which needs to decompress it and send the audio data it contains to your audio interface for playback. And it needs to do all this in a handful of milliseconds if you want to feel like you are playing a virtual instrument in real-time.
So it makes sense that if the audio file corresponding to the sound you want to make is stored in RAM, your CPU is going to be able to get to work on it much, much faster than it could if it had to fetch it from disk first. But fitting every single sample from every one of your sample libraries into memory isn't really practical, which is why a sampler like Kontakt uses what's called a preload buffer. What this means is that when you first initialise a virtual instrument, only the first part of each sample is loaded into RAM. When you hit a key, the first part of the sample is instantly available to the CPU, giving your computer enough time to retrieve the rest of the sample from a storage disk before it's needed. (Again, all of this takes place in a matter of milliseconds!)
Why do Sample Libraries Need So Much RAM?
It's largely about those preload buffers. By default, Kontakt preloads the first 60KB of each sample into memory when you initialise an instrument. So if you want to have the entirety of, let's say, Spitfire Chamber Strings (with ~72,697 samples) loaded and ready for seamless real-time playback, you're going to need over 4GB of RAM set aside just for the first 60KB of each sample. On top of this, Kontakt will also set aside a portion of your RAM to make sure there is enough room to stream the rest of each sample in as and when they're required.
As your library collection grows, RAM usage quickly adds up. The more breathing room you have, the smoother your workflow. When your RAM is fully allocated, your CPU needs to make more requests to your storage disks, which will slow down system operation and make your computer feel sluggish. Worse, it can result in audio data being processed too late to be sent to your audio interface in time, and this is what results in clicks, pops and stutters.
How Much RAM Should I Get?
If you use sample libraries extensively, the simple answer is: the more the merrier! The sheer size of modern sample libraries means we recommend 32GB as the bare minimum for composers. However, if you're someone who works primarily with synths and plugins, CPU performance is the more important factor to take into account. That's because (with the exception of sample-based synths like Omnisphere) your CPU is actually generating the sounds rather than playing back pre-recorded samples.
As RAM modules perform best in multiples of two, a 32GB system comes with 2 x 16GB modules, but it should be noted that many motherboards, including the motherboards in our Virtuoso Series machines, support a maximum of four RAM modules of 48GB each, i.e. 192 GB altogether. However, there is a drawback: four sticks puts greater strain on the CPU's memory controller, which means RAM generally can't run as fast when there are four sticks installed instead of two without causing errors. And RAM errors are no joke—they are one of the leading causes of system crashes. That's why every OPUS 101 system undergoes 24-36 hours of extreme RAM stress testing before shipping.
How is RAM Speed Measured—and How Much Does it Really Matter?
Other than the sheer amount of GBs of RAM you install, the main factors to consider are clock speed and CAS latency, though their impact on music production is often overstated. For DAW use, capacity and stability matter far more than extreme speeds.
Clock speed (measured in MT/s, though sometimes still referred to as MHz) refers to the frequency of RAM cycles per second. Higher speeds allow RAM to feed data to the CPU faster, but for audio production, this is rarely a bottleneck. Modern DDR5 starts at 4800MT/s, and while some kits go up as high as 7200-8000MT/s, the benefits for DAW performance are marginal beyond a reasonable baseline. Most DAWs benefit far more from having sufficient RAM (e.g. 64GB or 96GB for orchestral work) than higher speed kits.
At OPUS 101, we do offer RAM speed upgrades on many of our models, but while these will offer minor performance boosts, you won't see a night-and-day difference in most workloads. You will also notice that the RAM speed we offer is lower on models with four sticks of RAM (i.e. 128GB or 192GB models)—as mentioned above, this is due to limitations on the memory controller. Again, we think it wise to favour stability over speed.
What About Latency?
The other factor that affects RAM speed is CAS latency (CL), which measures how many RAM cycles it takes for the CPU to read data. Unlike clock speed, lower CAS latency is better—but in real-world DAW performance, it has little impact as long as it's within a reasonable range. While DDR5 has higher CAS latencies than DDR4, its increased speed and bandwidth compensates for this.
(CAS latency / RAM speed) × 2000 = true latency (ns)
Beyond a certain point, differences in true latency are pretty much negligible in DAW performance. For example, a 6000MT/s CL40 kit (or a 5600MT/s CL38 kit) has a true latency of just over 13ns, while a 6000MT/s CL32 kit has a true latency of a little under 11ns. But in DAW workflows, a couple of extra nanoseconds is meaningless compared to having enough RAM, a fast CPU and lots of quick storage. That's why CAS latency shouldn't be a major concern—it won't make or break DAW performance.
Since AMD's Ryzen chips tend to support slightly lower RAM speeds than Intel, our focus is on stability and compatibility first. Most of our base configurations use DDR5-6000 kits with a CAS Latency of 40ns or faster, which we feel offers an optimal balance of performance and reliability. For those who want to squeeze out every last bit of memory bandwidth, we offer 6400MT/s upgrade options in most cases—but for most audio professionals, capacity and rock-solid stability matter far more.