Microsoft is optimizing Windows for 8GB PCs, but it may be in vain

Five years ago, PCs with 8GB of RAM were seen as something to avoid. Today, Microsoft is saying that they’ll be part of our lives once again, and is making further moves to optimize Windows for the new reality.

But will others follow suit?

We’re in the throes of the RAMpocalypse and news continues to be grim. Last week, Intel predicted that its own CPU sales would drop by 10 percent in 2026, and chief executive Lip-Bu Tan said that the company “does not expect a sustained recovery until memory availability improves and pricing begins to normalize.”

Tan and other Intel executives declined to say when that will take place. But it could be years, which is why Microsoft is stepping in. In a blog post, Pavan Davuluri, the head of Microsoft’s Windows + Devices team, characterized the move as “making better use of the memory that’s there.”

In other words, simply making Windows feel quicker and more responsive based on more efficient use of the PC’s memory. Specifically, Microsoft is using more compression and better anticipating what you’ll want to click on to make your PC feel faster.