16GB will help, but the CPU is still the bottleneck.

Yes, 16GB will let you run Linux VMs more smoothly than 8GB – but “smoothly” has limits on a Celeron N5030.

That CPU is a low-power dual‑core. It can handle a lightweight Linux VM (like Alpine, a minimal Ubuntu) with maybe 2‑4GB assigned, plus host overhead. 8GB gets tight fast if you want two VMs or any GUI inside them. 16GB gives you breathing room: you can allocate 4‑6GB to a VM and still keep the host responsive.

But don’t expect to run Windows VMs or heavy workloads. The N5030 will choke on CPU‑intensive tasks regardless of RAM. Your VM will be usable for basic dev, testing, or learning Linux, not for compiling large projects or running multiple heavy containers.

If you’re already on 8GB, the upgrade is worth it for VMs – but only if you keep your expectations in check.