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What RAMpocalypse? Valve's monthly Hardware and Software Survey offers critical insight into the PC configurations of gamers worldwide. Recent surveys have shown AMD gaining ground on Intel in the CPU space, while Nvidia has kept its lead over AMD as the preferred GPU maker. The latest report now reveals that 32GB of system memory has become the most common configuration for gamers, despite the AI-fueled price hike.
According to the Steam Survey for September 2026, 32GB is now the most common system memory configuration for gaming rigs among Steam users. The data shows 32GB systems accounted for 42.22% of all rigs sampled during September, a 4.77-point gain over August, when 16GB was still the most common configuration.
While the trend applies to Windows, Mac, and Linux devices alike, it is most pronounced on Windows PCs. The survey indicates that 32GB systems made up ~43% of all Windows gaming rigs in September, a 4.81-point increase over August.
The second most common configuration was 16GB, which accounted for 37.6% of all Windows systems, down 3.47 points from August.
Across all three platforms, 8GB was the third most common option, at just over 6% of all gaming rigs. Interestingly, around 1% of gamers are still holding on to their old 4GB systems.
At the other end of the spectrum, almost 4% of participating devices were configured with 64GB of RAM, while around 0.5% were apparently fitted with even more.
On the software side, Windows 11 continues to gain market share as the most popular PC gaming platform in the world. The survey suggests that 71% of all participating devices ran Windows 11 in September, a tiny jump over August. For reference, just 23.6% of people are still sticking with Windows 10, despite Microsoft ending support for the OS last year.
Also check out: Anatomy of RAM
Overall, Windows accounted for 95% of all operating platforms among Steam gamers, while Linux ranked second at 3%. Thanks to the fragmentation of the Linux ecosystem, none of the distros came close to double-digit usage.
Meanwhile, despite Apple's recent attempts to make the Mac a viable gaming platform, macOS accounted for only 1.92% of all gaming devices on Steam.
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