16GB is the new minimum for CAD work.

Yes, 16GB makes a real difference for large AutoCAD models. If you’ve been limping along on 8GB, you’ll notice it immediately – less stuttering when orbiting, fewer freezes when loading hatches, and the ability to actually keep Chrome open in the background without watching your cursor turn into a spinning wheel.

Large models with hundreds of blocks, xrefs, or 3D solids eat RAM for breakfast. 8GB forces the system to swap to disk constantly, which is where the pain comes from. 16GB gives AutoCAD room to breathe and the OS room to do its thing. But let’s be real: if you’re working on massive infrastructure projects or detailed BIM files, you’ll eventually want 32GB. For most architectural or mechanical drawings, 16GB is the sweet spot right now.

Don’t expect miracles – a better CPU and GPU still matter for regeneration and viewports. But RAM is where you stop fighting the software.

If you’re buying a new machine for CAD, 16GB is the floor. Anything less is false economy.