32GB is the floor for Unreal Engine compilation.

Yes, 32GB makes a noticeable difference, especially if you’re building Unreal Engine projects. Visual Studio compilation is more CPU-bound, but large solutions still benefit from extra RAM for caching and parallel builds.

Unreal’s build system (UBT, UHT) is a memory hog. With 16GB, you’ll hit swap constantly during a full rebuild. The compile times stretch out as the system thrashes. With 32GB, those memory spikes stay in RAM, and the build finishes faster. For Visual Studio, the gain is smaller but still real if you’re dealing with a massive solution that uses IncrediBuild or FastBuild.

If you’re the kind of person who keeps the editor open while compiling, 64GB starts to make sense. But 32GB is the practical minimum for not hating your life.

Don’t try to save money on RAM if you’re building UE5 daily.