Yes, 16GB is the new baseline for AutoCAD.

Yes. 8GB will run AutoCAD, but it will stutter with real-world files. You will notice it the second you open a drawing with xrefs, hatches, or a few tabs.

8GB is fine for a single, simple drawing. But CAD work is rarely that clean. Once you have a few layers, a referenced site plan, and a hatch pattern, Windows and AutoCAD together eat that RAM for breakfast. Swap file starts thrashing. Pan and zoom get choppy. You start closing Chrome just to keep things moving.

16GB is the safe zone. It gives AutoCAD room to breathe and you room to keep a PDF reference or email open without tanking performance. For 2D drafting it’s more than enough. For 3D modeling (Revit, SolidWorks) you might want 32GB eventually, but for AutoCAD specifically, 16GB is the sweet spot right now.

8GB is for Grandma’s web browsing. Not for CAD.

Future You will thank you for not saving the $50 on RAM.