You're comparing RAM amounts to other RAM amounts without considering requirements. 24GB is more than (most) current games would ever require, but is considered a uncomfortably-constrictive minimum for most industrial work.

Traditional CPU-bound physics/simulation models have typically wanted all the RAM they could get; the more RAM the more accurate the model. The same is true for AI models.

I can max out 24GB just using spreadsheets and databases, let alone my 3D work or anything computational.

Good to know. I've only been running LLMs at home and most of the open-source ones have been more than small enough to fit in my measly 12GB. But I guess most workloads want so much that 24GB won't fit them at all.