16GB is enough for most projects.

Yes, but only if you were running out before.

Compiling is mostly CPU-bound, not memory-bound. The IDE and compiler read your source files, process them, and write outputs. More RAM doesn’t make the CPU calculate faster.

Where RAM helps is caching. Visual Studio and IntelliJ both love to keep project files, indexes, and build artifacts in memory. If you’re at 8GB and the OS is constantly swapping to disk, upgrading to 16GB will eliminate that bottleneck. You’ll see noticeably faster builds.

If you already have 16GB, doubling to 32GB won’t speed up compilation for most projects. It’ll only matter if you’re building something massive — think entire Android AOSP or a 5M+ line enterprise app with dozens of modules.

Don’t expect miracles, but don’t skimp either. 16GB is the sweet spot for most developers.