How Much RAM Does Distant Horizons Need?
RAM needs depend on Minecraft, the modpack, LOD distance, quality, and whether the world is generating new terrain. More RAM is not automatically faster: leave enough memory for the operating system and avoid using an unnecessarily large heap.
Common symptoms
- out-of-memory crashes
- long freezes during LOD generation
- garbage collection stutter
- LOD generation stops under load
Step-by-step fix
Start with a moderate allocation
For a lightweight setup, begin around 4–6 GB. Larger modpacks and high LOD distances may need more, but measure before increasing it.
Lower LOD settings before over-allocating
Reduce distance and quality if memory pressure appears. This changes the workload directly and is often more effective than adding RAM.
Account for the rest of the modpack
RAM is shared with Minecraft, resource packs, shaders, and other mods. A large modpack needs more headroom than a clean instance.
Use 64-bit Java
Modern Minecraft installations should use a 64-bit Java runtime appropriate for the Minecraft version. Check the launcher profile rather than guessing from the OS.
Distinguish heap pressure from a leak
If memory rises during generation and later falls, garbage collection is working. If it never recovers, reproduce the issue in a clean profile and record the latest log before increasing the heap again.
Read the first memory error
An out-of-memory crash, repeated allocation failure, and long garbage-collection pause are different failure modes. Keep the crash report and note the heap size, LOD distance, shaders, resource packs, and mod list.
Sources and verification scope
Reviewed by the DistantHorizonsGuide Editorial Team against the public release listing and project distribution page. These instructions are conservative troubleshooting steps, not a guarantee for every modpack. Exact menu names and compatibility can change by Minecraft, loader, and DH build.
Still stuck?
Record your Minecraft version, DH version, loader, shader pack, GPU, and crash log before asking the community. That information makes compatibility problems much easier to diagnose.