Yes, 16GB will fix that.

Yes. 30+ tabs plus streaming video is basically asking an 8GB system to do ten things at once while holding its breath. Chrome eats RAM for breakfast, and when it runs out, your computer starts swapping to disk — which is why you get that stuttery, laggy mess.

With 8GB, Windows or macOS itself uses 2–3GB. Chrome with 30 tabs? Easily another 4–6GB, and streams add more. Once you hit the wall, everything slows down. Going to 16GB gives Chrome room to breathe, keeps all those tabs in memory, and the stuttering disappears because the system doesn’t have to keep frantically moving data to the SSD.

If your laptop can be upgraded, do it. It’s the single best performance upgrade for this exact situation.

Future you will thank you every time you open that 34th tab.