Staff, Courtesy of CORSAIR
When building or upgrading a gaming PC, RAM is not usually the highest priority. A powerful CPU, GPU, PSU, and cooling solution tend to take priority, as these components can mean the difference between a powerful PC and a large, tech-loaded paperweight. But more and more, we’re seeing big new PC titles come with hefty minimum system requirements. A key aspect of those requirements is ample, efficient RAM. Thankfully, unlike the best graphics cards, the best gaming RAM is widely available, and doesn’t cost hundreds of dollars to purchase.
What to Consider
Buying computer parts of any kind can be scary. The sheer volume of technical specifications can overwhelm even tech-savvy shoppers. This is even more true when buying for gaming PCs. While there are too many considerations to list here, keep your eye on these key specs when shopping for RAM.
Motherboard Compatibility
Every stick of RAM isn’t compatible with every type of motherboard. Double check your motherboard chipset, and make sure it’s compatible with the RAM you are buying. We recommend using a site like PCPartPicker to assist. Also, always buy a single memory kit for your PC; never mix and match RAM from different kits.
RAM Type
Nearly all current RAM uses DDR4 architecture. While DDR5 is on the horizon, only the newest, most high-end systems are actually compatible with DDR5 RAM.
RAM Capacity
Most RAM comes in either 16GB or 32GB kits. For most people, 16GB is enough. However, if you plan on doing video or photo editing tasks regularly, you may want to consider 32GB.
Frequency/Speed
Every kit of RAM, separate from its gigabyte (GB) capacity, has an internal speed, measured in megahertz (MHz). Most gamers will be satisfied with a RAM speed of 3200MHz. RAM faster than 3200MHz tends to result in higher costs with diminishing performance returns. Generally speaking, having more RAM capacity, rather than higher Mhz values, will lead to faster speeds.
Latency
Also referred to as RAM timing, this is a simplified measurement indicating how long it takes RAM to access specific data. The lower these numbers are, the better.
How We Selected
Many of these recommendations come from hundreds of hours of in-house use. For the products we couldn’t test ourselves, we perform intensive research, reviewing content from expert sources like PC Gamer, PCMag, CNET, Tom’s Guide, DigitalTrends, and others, as well as thousands of consumer reviews from online storefronts like Amazon, Newegg, Best Buy, and Walmart. As for the products themselves, we evaluated them on performance, design, build quality, and price.
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