Microsoft is well aware of the problem – so aware, in fact, that it's now scrambling to walk back its own earlier guidance on how much RAM a gaming PC actually needs. Earlier this year, Microsoft told Windows 11 users that a proper gaming rig needed 32GB of RAM. 8GB vs. 16GB vs. 32GB vs. 64GBMicrosoft's post was aptly titled "How to optimize your gaming PC setup." Microsoft published the guidance on November 2025, offering a handful of fairly unremarkable recommendations on the CPU, GPU, and storage needed to reach PC gaming nirvana. Windows 11, after all, is the same operating system routinely criticized for shipping with unwanted advertising apps and unnecessary RAM-hungry bloat.