Is dual-channel RAM essential for the Ryzen 5 5600G's integrated graphics?

Yes, absolutely. Going from 8GB single-channel to 16GB dual-channel gives a massive performance jump for the integrated graphics, often 50-100% gains in frame rates. Single-channel RAM bottlenecks the iGPU hard, while dual-channel doubles bandwidth for smoother gameplay. The 16GB capacity also prevents memory starvation since the APU shares system RAM with Windows. Spend the extra ~$30—it’s the difference between a playable machine and a stuttery mess.