32GB vs 16GB RAM: 32GB wins for modded Minecraft and multitasking

32GB gives you headroom to allocate 8–12GB to the JVM without starving Chrome, Discord, and your OS. 16GB is borderline today—modern modpacks with 200+ mods and shaders eat 6–10GB alone, and hitting swap kills performance. If you’re building new or upgrading, 32GB is the sweet spot for future‑proofing.