How Many GB of RAM Does Each Application Need?
RAM is the memory in which a computer temporarily holds the programs and data it uses while running. The appropriate RAM capacity depends on the needs of the operating system and the software that will run at the same time.
The values below are not firm requirements but approximate starting ranges that can be used for an initial assessment.
| Application type | RAM to consider as a starting point |
|---|---|
| Simple HMI and basic control screen | 4–8 GB |
| Standard SCADA and data monitoring | 8–16 GB |
| Multiple applications and heavy data processing | 16–32 GB |
| Image processing and machine vision | 16–32 GB or more |
| Edge AI and large datasets | 16–64 GB or more |
The actual requirement varies with the software vendor's minimum and recommended system specifications, data volume, number of cameras, resolution and the applications running at the same time.
For example, a system with a single operator screen and a system processing images from many cameras do not have the same RAM needs.
When RAM is insufficient, the system may have to move data to slower storage and performance may drop. On the other hand, choosing far more RAM than needed can also cause unnecessary cost.
The best approach: first determine the software requirements, then choose a RAM configuration that provides sufficient capacity for the operating system and applications.