Random Access Memory (or RAM) is one of the most important components of the desktops. And when we are talking about gaming PCs, it’s probably the first thing that comes to our mind as this has a direct relation to the performance abilities of your gaming machine. Without the right kind of RAM or enough memory, you’ll eventually run into some kind of slow down, which of course is never a good idea for your gaming experience.
As the game continues to expand and before increasingly layered and complex, so is the demand for more memory, which makes it essential for the gaming enthusiasts to have the best RAM for their gaming PCs. Luckily, we’ve seen a significant price drop both for storage and RAM in the past year or so. This means you can now easily upgrade your gaming desktop with a latest and better memory option.
But the most common problem that people face these days is finding the best fit for their gaming PC because of lack of information regarding the RAM. Do you know the answer to these questions: what is RAM and why does it matter? Of course, not!
Well to make a few things clear, RAM gives your computer the power to efficiently bounce between tasks. For example, if you are browsing the internet, watching a video and also downloading a task simultaneously, it is very important for the desktop to have a great ability to be multi-tasking, which allows it to move from one task to another quickly. By shelling out for the best DDR4 RAM, you can easily launch new applications and switch between them without facing any glitch in performance.
How to Choose RAM for Gaming PC?
Similar to choosing any other component of your gaming PC, it is essential to be a little biased when looking for RAM because this is what defines the ability of your desktop to perform while you enjoy the games. Here, we will discuss how to pick an optimal DDR4 RAM configuration for your PC and what to look for in a DDR4 RAM.
- Capacity
This one is pretty straightforward when it comes to the desktop RAMs. The capacity of your desktop RAM is the key aspect to consider when shopping for it, but how much RAM do you really need? This may be the biggest challenge for professional gamers to calculate the memory they need for their gaming PC. For a gaming PC running with a 64-bit operating system, 8 GB of RAM is an absolute minimum. And if you are looking for the options available with 4GB memory, then it is going to be too little to comfortably run Windows simultaneously with a more demanding 3D game. For the comfortable and glitch-free gaming experience, 16 GB of RAM is a fine choice.
Of course, RAM also comes with higher memory capacities like 32, 64, and 128 GB, but they are reserved for other kinds of computers.
- Clock Speed
This may be something that not everyone is aware about. The modern DDR4 RAMs support clock speeds from 2133 MHz to over 4000 MHz. So, you need not to worry about the clock speed of the RAM when you are planning to buy DDR4 RAM for your desktop. Of course, the performance is going to be different with 2133 MHz and 4600 MHz RAM card, but none that would adversely affect your gaming experience. But, it is smart to give more priority to memory over clock speed.
- Latency
CAS Latency (or CL) is a stat that was more commonly used and important in the past than today. CL represents the time required for a command issued by the CPU to be received by the RAM module. However, in today’s time you need not to worry about the latency because the RAMs come with automatic technology, making it less important.
One RAM or Many RAMS?
This is very common concern that people face these days as the modern desktops come with multiple RAM slots. This is why many people ask themselves the question: “should I get a single RAM card or get a kit?”
Frankly speaking, there are advantages and disadvantages to each of these options. If you choose one RAM, then you can easily upgrade in the future and if you have multiple RAMs, your desktop will keep running even if one of them stops working and a replacement will be cheaper. Choosing multiple RAMs offer more benefits such as lower latency and slightly better performance.
Top Gaming RAMs:
The top pick on our list of the best gaming PC RAMs come from Kingston, the leading name in manufacturing computer components. And Kingston is one of the longest-standing names when it comes to any memory-related products, such as HDDs, RAMs, or anything in between. The Kingston HyperX Fury Black is from their exclusive gaming-oriented HyperX brand. This brand constitutes some of the best and most affordable products that you could possibly get. The HyperX Fury Black comes in multiple storage capacity options ranging between 4 GB, 8GB and 16GB.
The RAM is equipped with sleek heatsinks that are both practical and aesthetic, which allow the desktop users a choice between black, red, and white color. Their appearance shows that they are prepared for the gaming lovers.
- Performance
The HyperX series’ comes with clock speed ranging from 2133 MHz to 2400 MHz and 2666 MHz. This sort of performance is made possible with the heatsinks.
- Capacity
This is another thing that the HyperX Fury Black RAM has something impressive. IT comes with various memory options, allowing you to choose from 4, 8 or 16 GB, according to your individual gaming needs. If you are an avid gamer, then it is suggested to go with no less than the 16 GB version and also, you can go with a pair of 8GB sticks which leads to maximum capacity.
The next RAM here also comes from Kingston’s HyperX brand. Of course, this one is not as popular as the earlier one, but it has also made its way to the list of our top RAMs for gaming PCs. The Kingston HyperX Predator Black follows a similar design philosophy as the rest of the HyperX RAM cards. It comes with an impressive black exterior, built-in heatsink, and high overclocking potential.
- Performance
Unlike its other counterparts, the Predator Black doesn’t start at 2133 MHz as the base clock speed, but the options with Predator Black start at 2400 MHz. And the range goes to the maximum speed of 3600 MHz, making it a great pick for the gaming enthusiasts.
- Capacity
When talking about the capacity of Predator Black RAM, it comes with an impressive range of memory options, allowing you to choose from 4, 8 or 16 GB, just like the Fury Black. Also, similar to the Fury Black, Predator Black can be also combined in a dual channel or quad channel setups. This means you can shop for 4 RAMs of 16 GB, allowing you to reach the maximum capacity of 128 GB. But, it’s also important to remember that you would need 8 memory stick slots in your motherboard and if it doesn’t have so much of slots, then buying one or two will suffice.
If you are not new to the gaming and desktop world, then you would be already familiar with the brand Corsair, which is very popular and known for the high-performance gaming RAMs. Vengeance LPX from the house of Corsair is the next generation of its DDR3 series. All of the Corsair Vengeance LPX RAM memory cards come with the similar exterior design so don’t get confused between them, although they do come in several color variants. You can shop from various options like dark grey, red, blue, and white.
Each Vengeance LPX DDR 4 RAM comes with an eight-layer PCB design and highly-screened memory ICs. Their efficient heat spread technology allows them to enjoy cooling to improve overclocking potential.
- Performance
When talking about the clock speed of Vengeance LPX, this one has it relatively low as it starts 2133 MHz and goes as high as 4600 MHz. But the higher speed is only available with the top variants of this series. So, make a smart pick while you start planning to shop for one from Vengeance LPX series.
- Memory
Similar to their other counterparts, Vengeance LPX RAM sticks also come with various capacity variants like 4, 8 and 16 GB. With Vengeance LPX, the maximum achievable capacity is 128 GB, but again the problem here is that you would need a motherboard with 8 card slots which are not common these days.
Just have a look at their design and you’ll feel that this is something that is designed with me in mind. G.Skill is perhaps not as well-known as Kingston or other big brands, but this doesn’t make it a less reliable brand or a weak contender. This is a Taiwanese company that specializes in memory-related hardware such as SSDs, flash drives, and RAM. This comes with specially screened ICs qualified under the legendary G.SKILL selection process.
The Trident Z RGB is arguably the best-looking solution on this list and the credit goes to its beautifully implemented RGB lighting that you can see. Of course, the final choice shall be not based on the appearance of the RAM because it has a great connection with speed and performance, so here is the detail.
- Performance
Trident Z RGB series come with various frequencies ranging from 2400 MHz to 4233 MHz. Since the company isn’t focused on dominating the market in terms of overclocking capacity, which is why the number of variations with such high clock speeds is quite a few.
- Memory
If you are a normal user and don’t need something amazing to make your desktop working faster, then this is not for you as the options with this series start from 8 GB to 16 GB capacity. The company has eliminated the option to buy 4GB from its list.
This is another product that comes from the house of Corsair, but it is a far cry from your regular gaming RAM cards. As its name suggests, this series dominates the high-end RAM market. It may look a bit bulky than the other average RAMs available on the market with a metal bar on top that can easily be changed and customized, but it’s great on performance. The brand offers two variants with this series: Torque and SE.
- Performance
Thanks to their high-quality aluminum heatsinks, the Dominator Platinum covers speeds from 2133 MHz to 4000 MHz. The series dominates the market of the highest overclocking RAMs market.
- Capacity
The Corsair Dominator Platinum comes with multiple memory options ranging from 4, 8 to 16 GB per individual module. But it’s pertinent to mention here is that Corsair doesn’t sell individual modules separately. Instead, the company sells RAMs in kits of two or four modules so you must be ready for that.
Final Words
Whether you are a beginner gamer or a professional one, choosing the best gaming PC RAM from the list may be the right choice as the options available on the list are suitable for almost everyone. While our purpose of this comparison was to list down the RAMs only for the professional gamers, but the variants offered by the RAM companies made this article also suitable for the normal desktop owners.
So, even if you are looking for a 4GB RAM, you may find this a helpful debate as each of the product in the list is handpicked by the experts and checked for their performance and capacity, making them the right choice for professional gamers as well as the beginners.
And many of them also fit the budget of the beginner gaming enthusiasts. So make your pick with the list of best gaming PC RAMs.