5 Things to Know About Upgrading to 16GB DDR3

16GB of DDR3 is still a worthwhile upgrade for older systems. A used 2x8GB kit costs around $30-40, and the performance jump from 8GB is noticeable.

Modern browsers alone eat 4-6GB of RAM. With 8GB, you will choke on multiple tabs, Slack, or a video call.

The upgrade only makes sense if your CPU can keep up. A Core i5-2400 or similar will benefit, but a Core 2 Duo or low-end Atom will bottleneck you first.

Most DDR3 motherboards from 2010 onward support 16GB easily. Check your motherboard specs before buying.

Do not overpay for fancy heatsinks or RGB. DDR3 is old tech, so just get a matching pair of plain 8GB sticks.