What is a good amout of RAM to run KSP with so many mods?

[Immashift]

I got 64 gigs of ram... Now I only need KSP to handle that.

I can estimate I will use in the neighborhood of 8-16gigs with all the mods and parts (many pieces I will make myself using existing models for my endgame).

Well hopefully that's via the Linux version, because, as this point has been beaten to death... If you're running the windows/mac builds of KSP, it's 32bit regardless, which means it only sees 4gb of your RAM regardless of how much you actually have. People tend to use texture packs and atm because of the fact that KSP can't physically access more than 4gb, not because they're running out of physical RAM.

It's a major failing of the game imo. Any time I see a game somewhere that is 32bit only I tend to laugh a bit at it because of how old that particular bottleneck is.

Aren't you allways gonna get pagefile chugs, unless you run without it completely?

Personally, I'd get a 2nd computer for the other stuff.

When you have more than enough RAM available (free), page file shouldn't chug and should be nigh invisible. You shouldn't be able to feel it shifting stuff in and out of page file as you tab between programs. Yes, you can run without a page file. I did way back when. The problem is Windows generally looks to stick things on a page file if RAM fills up. So if yours is inactive and suddenly you demand more RAM than you have (actually fairly easy to run into), you then gets piles of errors and possibly a BSoD because Windows can't find anywhere to shove all the data you're demanding it keep track of.

A second computer isn't really that feasible. I tried a second one, even going so far as to control it with my main keyboard/mouse via Synergy, but then you fullscreen a game and it gets sort of funky. The solution is to simply buy a ton of overhead for what you need. Decent 8core proc, 16-64gb of ram, and a recent-gen video card and you can do pretty much whatever you want without having to care about what you're running.

Short answer to the primary question? As much as you can get it to accept. I've got a hard cap of 4GB due to 32-bit... but I'm eagerly awaiting U5...

God I can't wait for KSP to be brought back into 64bit. I was soooo sad when they stopped supporting it. I was one of those few people who had absolutely no issues with the 64bit client and thought it was an enormous step backwards when it was downgraded back to 32bit only.

Edited September 11, 2015 by Immashift

[Umlüx]

32gb here. i often work with video and big raw files, so it comes in handy.

i am ready for KSP x64!

[magnemoe]

Pretty sure it does matter if you have 4GB. The OS and other processes are still running when KSP is running. Maybe KSP can only use 4GB, but if you only have 4GB then it has to share those 4GB. If you have more than 4GB, then I think it doesn't have to share.

With only 4 GB you loose out the memory windows and other software uses. KSP can use up to 3.7-8 GB but will realistic only get 3 with 4 GB.

With an 32 bit OS things get even worse as grapic memory and some other get drawn from the 4 GB so if your grapic card uses 512 MB you are left with 3.5 GB and then windows and other programs takes its part, using an grapic card with more than 512 MB ram is conterproductive with an 32 bit OS.

8 GB is enough for KSP and current games, if you are looking into an system to last for many years 12-16 might be an idea however ram is pretty easy to upgrade.

[NecroBones]

20 tabs, edge is using 250mb. I can't see why you'd ever need 32gb for even heavy gaming unless you're photoshopping a 1000000000mp picture...

Hehe, see, that's my problem. I may have 20 Firefox tabs open, as well as Unity, and Photoshop with 10 or 20 different images, and a few other things all running at once, and then fire up a game on top of that. So 32GB is kinda nice from my perspective.... but I'm not a typical gamer in that regard.

(I've occasionally had WoW open, running dailies while testing parts in KSP. So I'd have all those editors open, plus be running two games)

[Linear]

Hehe, see, that's my problem. I may have 20 Firefox tabs open, as well as Unity, and Photoshop with 10 or 20 different images, and a few other things all running at once, and then fire up a game on top of that. So 32GB is kinda nice from my perspective.... but I'm not a typical gamer in that regard.

(I've occasionally had WoW open, running dailies while testing parts in KSP. So I'd have all those editors open, plus be running two games)

You're really a power user then, what makes me go crazy is an average gamer buying it, and never going above 6 or 7!

People using 30gb of ram actually makes me happy.