Specifically MSFS any reason for 64GB Ram in new system?  It is the only need I may have.  I do no other "gaming".

You probably have 16GB VRAM with your 4080?

With additional ram, windows will allocate RAM for more graphic usage, so if you are almost maxing out your VRAM, windows, will reserve some ram as overhead.  

You can use system resources programs to monitor your RAM/VRAM usage thru out your FS2020 usage from start to finish and log it to see what your system is doing.  I think GPUZ has a logging feature.

This discussion will be interesting as my take is 64GB is not needed. Rather i prefer to go 2x16 with the tightest timings possible to reduce latency.

I saw some interesting recommendations from others to go 64GB though so im open to see the reasoning with the relevant benchmarks to be going for 64gb of ram for the sole use case of running msfs2020.

4 minutes ago, Maxis said:

This discussion will be interesting as my take is 64GB is not needed. Rather i prefer to go 2x16 with the tightest timings possible to reduce latency.

I saw some interesting recommendations from others to go 64GB though so im open to see the reasoning with the relevant benchmarks to be going for 64gb of ram for the sole use case of running msfs2020.

That is correct, i used to have 48GB, populated all 4 slots (16-8-16-8), then just decided to go back to 32GB with 2 sticks and it does help with the overall latency.  It is due to the fact that the dual channel function is optimal with 2 slots but not with 4 slots of ram.  I am using DDR4 so....

32 GB should be sufficient...  I fly with 16 GB and never max out..

With the x3D chips, 64 has been much better than my original 32. I regularly am using 33+ on flights with payware planes. I noticed much less micro stuttering as well. 
 

I used to not think RAM was all that important until I saw real benefits of having it running correctly with the right amount. I’d also recommend fewer sticks as more can cause stability issues as well as add latency. Watch a couple of YouTube videos on the subject. 

Edited August 23, 20241 yr by V1ROTA7E

But why would 64 be better than 32 when it’s not used?

As an IT guy of >20 years I am curious now. 

It would be nice to see a youtube video demonstrating the advantage of going 64gb over 32gb with the sim bench marked  or ..... Someones system using over 32GB of system ram within the sim..

I'm open to change my opinion (of course times change)  ... once i can see some measurable or observable evidence.

Edited August 23, 20241 yr by Maxis

RAM is one of those things.  You either need more, or you don't.  I have 32gb.  All sorts of other programs open usually when flying.  I never get over 70% usage of mine.  

I never maxed out with 16 GB, but I installed 32 GB anyway. I almost never see usage go over 16GB.

1 hour ago, fppilot said:

Specifically MSFS any reason for 64GB Ram in new system?

Absolutely:  so the other 32Gb doesn't feel lonely, nor jealous that the added 32Gb never does a lick of work 😉

2 hours ago, avistudent said:

That is correct, i used to have 48GB, populated all 4 slots (16-8-16-8), then just decided to go back to 32GB with 2 sticks and it does help with the overall latency.  It is due to the fact that the dual channel function is optimal with 2 slots but not with 4 slots of ram.  I am using DDR4 so....

In the old days, the credo was that you never used more than 1 slot per channel unless you also set the memory at a slower speed opr higher latency. There is a limit to what the memory controller can handle and using all slots on full speed is generally too much. It will either not work or cause instability.

That is IMHO still the cases. Additionally, since the memory controller is integrated into the CPU noawadays, more RAM sticks will cause the integrated controller to become warmer, which in turn might cause the CPU to reach its thermal limit and throttle down. 

If you want 64GB, replacing the 2x16GB with 2x32GB sticks of similar or better performance is the way to go. I doubt whether you will need it for MSFS though.
Having said that, if you are building a new system it is not a bad idea to consider 2x32GB configuration, but for the same money you could buy faster memory which might be a better choice.

 

2 hours ago, Noel said:

Absolutely:  so the other 32Gb doesn't feel lonely, nor jealous that the added 32Gb never does a lick of work 😉

It is planned as a 5-year system and in the past my record is that I underbuilt.  Lessons learned.  Still considering.  The extra $105 is literally insignificant since I am putting a $1,000+ GPU in the system.  😏  In my previous system with all the contents, the RAM was not easy to access.  Much better case and layout this time.  Vertical GPU mount!

If everything else is optimized, I could not see a benefit going beyond 32GB.  16GB DDR4 actually worked well, but was right on the edge of maxing out.  
 

Somewhat related is updating the chipset drivers for your motherboard and storage devices.  I went directly to Intel and Realtek for the latest drivers.  Installing them not only resolved micro-stutters but CTDs and (surprisingly) a BSOD.  I was right on the verge of thinking my memory was faulty, or some other hardware component.  
 

YMMV, but updating motherboard drivers resolved two big problems for me.  
 

 

CPU speed & vRam are more important for flightsims, so 32gig is good enough.