Let's say the year is 1999 or something like that. I have a PC with 400 MHz, no graphics accelerator and 64 MB RAM, and try to run some Need for Speed game or something. I notice that it goes laggy.
Would upgrading to 128 MB (another identical 64 MB RAM slot) have any difference?
Since the game actually ran in 64 MB mode, it must have passed the initial "startup check" where I presume it would simply refuse to run with an error message if you have too little RAM for it to actually be able to function.
However, it's very doubtful to me that they actually had programmed the game so that it would "take advantage" of extra RAM. Isn't what matters how "fast" the RAM is, as long as you have enough to run the game?
Or was it common for them to actually code the games so that it somehow used extra available RAM for some kind of speed-up measure which was then noticeable to the player if they bought more RAM?
Note that I have no problems understanding why a faster CPU or a 3D card would make the game run smoother. I'm asking specifically about the amount of RAM (not the speed differences between different kinds of RAM).