Whether you’re shopping for the best RAM for gaming to upgrade a PC that’s struggling with today’s games or building a new PC from the ground up, the best RAM kit for your money depends on the platform you pick and the workloads you plan to run.
The hard part is evaluating whether faster memory improves your system’s performance. For example, if you’re running an Intel system with one of the best graphics cards, most programs won’t respond meaningfully to faster or slower system memory. On the other hand, some workloads, including some games and software, will scale well with higher data rates. For example, file compression programs love fast memory.
AMD’s Zen-powered processors benefit more from higher memory frequencies, which you can read about in detail here. Increased memory speeds on AMD Ryzen- and Threadripper-based platforms often translate to real-world performance improvements. In games, that means higher frame rates at mainstream resolutions like 1080p (1920 x 1080) and smoother performance at higher resolutions. But the number of extra frames you get with faster RAM will vary significantly from game to game. Check out our RAM hierarchy for benchmarks.
Lastly, memory speed makes a big difference if you’re gaming with integrated graphics, whether an Intel or AMD processor (you can see how they stack up in our CPU Benchmark Hierarchy). The graphics engine that’s baked into most of the best CPUs for gaming doesn’t generally have its dedicated memory like discrete graphics cards do, so faster RAM also improves performance. However, if you must pay top dollar for the fastest RAM to get playable frame rates, you’re better off buying slower system memory and a discrete graphics card.
In short, the best RAM is usually the fastest if you’re gaming without a dedicated graphics card, running an AMD Ryzen system, and, in some isolated scenarios, with Intel chips. But if you don’t care about squeezing the best performance out of your hardware, DDR5-5600 is drop-in compatible with AMD Ryzen 9000 (Granite Ridge) processors and DDR5-6400 for Intel Core Ultra 200S (Arrow Lake) processors.
Quick RAM Shopping Tips
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- 16GB continues to be the current sweet spot for many users. Programs are getting bigger and require more memory, whereas 1080p and 4K videos are becoming more common. PC games are also becoming more demanding, and websites are getting more complex. So, while heavy multitaskers and prosumers may need 32GB to avoid using much slower disk-based virtual memory, 16GB is far more affordable and sufficient for gaming and mainstream productivity tasks.
- Advertised XMP memory speeds might not be possible on AMD-based motherboards. XMP is an automatic memory overclocking setting designed for Intel systems, but some motherboard makers offer BIOS settings to attempt to use these faster speeds on AMD motherboards. However, these settings aren’t present on all motherboards and don’t always work when they are present. Look for memory kits with the AMD EXPO certification if you own a Ryzen 9000 (Zen 5) processor.
- Dual-rank memory is faster than single-rank memory. Whether DDR4 or DDR5, tests show that dual-rank memory kits perform better than single-rank memory kits on AMD and Intel platforms.
- Always buy a single memory kit for the capacity that you want. Don't combine different memory modules or kits from the same vendor and product line. Mixing and matching may not always work flawlessly, and sometimes, manual tweaking is required to achieve stability.
- Want the best plug-and-play experience? To avoid minimum to zero manual intervention, choose a memory kit that coincides with the official memory frequency supported by your processor. For example, DDR5-5600 is the baseline for AMD's Zen 5 chips, whereas DDR5-6400 is for Intel's Core Ultra 200S processors.
Best RAM For Gaming You Can Buy Today
It's hard to find reasons not to like the Trident Z5 Neo RGB DDR5-6000 C30. The memory kit works immaculately out of the box and offers solid performance. That alone is enough to win the majority of buyers over. Looks, as usual, are subjective, but you can't dispute the Trident Z5 Neo RGB's premium exterior. Like its competition, G.Skill uses SK hynix M-die ICS for the memory kit, so some tweaking headroom remains in memory modules.
DDR5 pricing still fluctuates, but current DDR5-6000 C30 memory kits start at $97.97. When you consider that, suddenly, the Trident Z5 Neo RGB DDR5-6000 C30's $117.99 price tag doesn't look that awful. The Trident Z5 Neo RGB DDR5-6000 C30 has proven to be a formidable memory kit for AMD and Intel platforms. There will ultimately be faster memory kits down the road, but in the meantime, the Trident Z5 Neo RGB DDR5-6000 C30 is as good as it gets.
Read: G.Skill Trident Z5 RGB DDR5-6000 C30 review
While not big on speed, the Vengeance DDR5-5200 C38 is the kind of memory kit that will appease users who require a lot of memory for their work. This use-case scenario includes professionals such as content creators, software developers, and data scientists—just to mention a few. Current AMD and Intel processors embrace DDR5-3600 and DDR5-4400, respectively, in a four-DIMM setup. Therefore, DDR5-5200 is technically overclocking, so your mileage may vary depending on your processor and motherboard.
Corsair presently sells the Vengeance DDR5-5200 C38 for $649.99. The company also offers a more flashy version with RGB that carries a $10 premium. It's undeniable that the memory kit costs a small fortune, but it's a valuable asset if you need lots of memory for your field of work.
Read: Corsair Vengeance DDR5-5200 C38 review
The Trident Z5 RGB DDR5-6400 C32 is a fast-performing memory with generous capacity for professional users. Occupying just two memory slots, the memory kit is the ideal solution for compact workstations and enthusiast small-form-factor builds based around mini-ITX motherboards or simply conventional ATX motherboards that can only house two DIMMs.
G.Skill sells the memory kit for $339.99, a reasonable price for a 96GB memory kit of this caliber. Cheaper options are available on the current market, but they typically run at lower frequencies and don't deliver the same level of performance as the Trident Z5 RGB DDR5-6400 C32.
Read: G.Skill Trident Z5 RGB DDR5-6400 C32 review
The Samsung DDR5-4800 C40 memory kit targets consumers who want to stick to the JEDEC baseline speed. The memory modules don't look pretty but have shown excellent overclocking headroom. There's a good potential to hit breakneck speeds with tight timings. The B-die ICs will help you push the memory modules. Our sample got to DDR5-5800 C36 easily. However, there is no guarantee overclock, so this memory kit belongs to the high-risk, high-reward category.
The memory modules sell for $54.50. That's the consumer pricing, of course, not the IC pricing. As a result, a two-DIMM configuration will set you back $109, so it's not a bad price if you want to run JEDEC speeds. The Samsung DDR5-4800 C40 memory kit can be your ticket into the B-die overclocking world.
Read: Samsung DDR5-4800 C40 review
TeamGroup did a great job with the Xtreem ARGB DDR4-3600 C14 memory kit -- It certainly ticks all the right boxes. The memory kit looks fantastic and performs equally well when lit up or powered down. The Xtreem ARGB is the fastest DDR4-3600 C14 memory kit we've tested.
The memory market only has a handful of DDR4-3600 C14 memory kits at the 16GB (2x8GB) capacity. The Xtreem ARGB is the least expensive, at $169.99. So, our only gripe is its availability. Unfortunately, Newegg is the only retailer that lists the memory kit, so finding it could be challenging.
Read: TeamGroup T-Force Xtreem ARGB DDR4-3600 review
For those with a board that can handle its top speed and games or workloads that can take advantage of it, Patriot’s Viper Steel DDR4-4400 16GB kit is an excellent high-performance option that also skips RGB.
Keeping the kit simple has allowed Patriot to equip the Viper Steel with enhanced timings that dramatically boost the performance of specific programs, including some games. The Viper Steel DDR4-4400 excels in a market filled with gaming rigs and builds focused on singular tasks.
Read: Patriot Viper Steel DDR4-4000 review
Patriot bucks the trend of pairing cosmetic features with mainstream DRAM ICs instead of pushing data rates up to 4,133 megahertz (MHz) on its Viper RGB. As a result, this DDR4-3600 kit is only $10 more than the white-LED version and several dollars cheaper than competing products with similar latency. That makes it a great value at this speed, though slower kits have more significant pricing advantages.
The fastest DDR4-3600 kit we’ve tested, Patriot’s Viper RGB DDR4-3600 kit, provides excellent value to buyers who want to go (overclocking capability) and show (RGB LEDs).
Read: Patriot Viper RGB DDR4-3600 review
It may not have fancy software-controlled RGB lights, and faster kits are available for higher prices, as are budget-priced kits that cost less. But for many who don’t want or need their memory to glow like a rainbow, Patriot’s Viper 4 DDR4-3400 C16 16GB (PV416G340C6K) sits in a sweet spot of price and performance.
The kit includes two 8GB modules rated with XMP values of DDR4-3400 CAS 16-18-18-36. Those last three numbers aren’t great, but DDR3 lovers must remember that 16 cycles at a 3400 MHz data rate have the same latency time as eight cycles at 1700 MHz. So this kit has an excellent DRAM overclocking value and provides some stylish red heatsinks to ensure your memory looks good enough to show off in your windowed case.
Read: Patriot Viper 4 DDR4-3400 review
Builders who prioritize aesthetics face a tough choice between the best-looking and best-performance parts. Corsair offers a bit of both in its Vengeance RGB DDR4-3200 kit, providing four 8GB DIMMs (32GB total) at CAS 16 timings for a reasonably moderate price, given recent market trends. And this kit isn’t all about looks; it has the goods where benchmarks are concerned, too.
Superb performance and moderate pricing earn the Vengeance RGB Pro DDR4-3200 our Editor’s Choice Award for RGB-equipped memory, though its pastel colors might be off-putting to a few builders.
Corsair’s kit beat our previous favorite, the HyperX Predator RGB, in overall performance at every speed, barring the DDR4-4000 setting it didn’t reach. Corsair also provides a better-performing XMP value and a lower price than the competition, making the Vengeance RGB Pro the uncompromised winner and an excellent addition to your next RGB build.
Read: Corsair Vengeance RGB Pro DDR4-3200 review
Buyers in the performance PC market have only two excuses for stopping at DDR4-3200: Either they’re trying to save money or coax good performance from a system that can’t go much farther.
For those in either category, but the former in particular, Patriot Patriot’s 32GB Viper Steel 3200 kit outshines the competition in terms of pricing price, beating its closest competition by approximately 18%. That’s without any performance penalties beyond having the exact mid-market timings as its competitors.
Even though the Patriot Viper Steel’s performance victories are less than 1% overall, its low price puts it well ahead of even the least-expensive competitor in our basic performance-to-price comparison. As a result, value seekers within the performance PC market have just found their new champion.
Read: Patriot Viper Steel DDR4-3200 review
The Viper Steel DDR4-3600 C18 is a terrific memory kit for content creators or professionals who don't have the luxury of many DDR4 memory slots. Performance isn't a problem because the memory kit excels at everything you throw at it.
Patriot practically binned these modules to the max, so overclocking headroom is almost non-existent, even if you're willing to go wild on the voltage. However, running the Viper Steel at the advertised frequency should be sufficient in most scenarios.
Patriot prices the Viper Steel DDR4-3600 C18 64GB memory kit very attractively. At $239.99, the memory kit is neither cheap nor expensive. Viper Steel finds itself right in the middle of the competition. Given that it stands tall in terms of performance, this kit is easy to recommend for those needing speed and density in a dual-DIMM scenario.
Read: Patriot Viper Steel DDR4-3600 C18 2x32GB review
It's easy to write G.Skill's Trident Z Neo DDR4-3600 C16 kit off if you don't look beyond the published specifications. However, during our review, the RAM kit proved its performance and value in different workloads.
The real value is hidden below the heat spreader—the memory modules use Samsung B-die ICs. With patience and time, you can optimize the timings for better performance. As always, your overclocking mileage will vary, but we got our sample down to CL13.
The Trident Z Neo memory modules come with XMP timings of 16-16-16-36, which aren't the worst in the memory world. However, with the DRAM voltage set to 1.45V, we tightened the timings to 13-14-14-35 before the kit became unstable.
Read: G.Skill Trident Z Neo DDR4-3600 C16 2x16GB review
Intel’s H370 and B360 chipsets instruct its Core i5 (and above) processors to lock out any memory settings above DDR4-2666, which is particularly unfortunate in a market that’s moved way past that setting. DDR4-3200 is now mainstream within the enthusiast PC market and is often treated as such by the memory sellers that cater to enthusiasts and gamers. Thus, the best way to get a top-performing brand-new DDR4-2666 kit would be to dial the way-back machine to 2016 and get the high-performing equipment from that time. Barring that, Corsair has a workaround.
Corsair’s easy workaround for the performance problem of Intel’s DDR4-2666 limit was to use older, low-density chips to populate its 8GB DIMMs with two ranks rather than the single rank of its competitors. The best part is that they did this without a significant price increase. We recommend it for anyone whose XMP-compatible platform has a maximum DDR4-2666 data rate, including most retail boxed H370 and B360 motherboards.
Read: Corsair Vengeance LPX DDR4-2666 review
Savings on the Best RAM
Whether you're buying DIMMs that made our list of the best RAM or not, you may find savings by checking out our lists of Newegg promo and Corsair coupon codes.
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