Best RAM for gaming in 2024

Kingston got here out with the best RAM on the proper time with this reminiscence, which provided nice lighting and appears with a worth that wasn’t ridiculous. We immediately fell in love with it, and a few years later the Kingston Fury Beast DDR5 RGB continues to impress, with its worth dropping additional.

Not like a number of RGB DDR5 RAM, the Fury Beast can also be out there in dual-channel 16GB (2 x 8GB) kits, which is good if you don’t want greater than 16GB, and need some handsome reminiscence that doesn’t price the earth.

We notably appreciated the intense and vivid lighting on the Fury Beast’s heatsinks, which not solely syncs up with Kingston’s personal (and really succesful) CTRL software program, but additionally cooperates with RGB software program from all one of the best gaming motherboard makers, together with Asus, MSI, Gigabyte, and ASRock.

We examined a 6,000MHz package for our evaluation, and located we had been in a position to overclock it to six,200MHz to achieve much more efficiency too. Nevertheless, our take a look at package had fairly free CL40 timings, and we suggest going for a CL36 package now that they’re a lot cheaper.

The one downside for the Kingston Fury Beast DDR5 RGB is that, because it was launched, many different RAM producers have launched similarly-specced kits in the identical pricing ballpark. It’s nonetheless nice RAM, but it surely’s not fairly the discount it as soon as was.

Learn our full Kingston Fury Beast DDR5 RGB evaluation.

We had been just a little apprehensive about Corsair when its first DDR5 RAM first got here out, with the corporate solely providing its primary non-RGB kits at one finish of the dimensions, and its super-premium Dominator RAM on the different finish. Fortunately, the corporate lastly got here out with a contented medium some time later, and the Corsair Vengeance RGB DDR5 is a stable vary of gaming RAM.

Specifically, you probably have an AMD Socket AM5 system, utilizing both a Ryzen 7000 or 9000 CPU, such because the Ryzen 7 7800X3D, then this reminiscence has the added bonus of coming in kits that assist AMD’s EXPO profile tech.

A bit like Intel’s XMP system, this permits your AMD motherboard to detect the highest rated speeds and timings of your package and apply them with a few clicks in your BIOS. 

We had been additionally pleasantly stunned to search out that our 6,000MHz take a look at package additionally got here with an additional overclocked EXPO profile to run it at 6,200MHz, which labored superb in our assessments with no errors. The one draw back is that the EXPO RAM is commonly dearer than the equal Intel kits.

Talking of which, it’s also possible to purchase Corsair Vengeance RGB DDR5 RAM with Intel XMP 3.0 assist, which we examined for DDR4 vs DDR5 characteristic. We had been actually impressed with the efficiency, with a 6,000MHz package averaging 190fps in Murderer’s Creed Mirage in our Core i9 14900K take a look at rig with an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090, in comparison with simply 157fps with the identical core spec utilizing 3,600MHz DDR4 RAM.

The RGB lighting on this RAM isn’t as punchy because the RGB mild present on the Kingston Fury Beast DDR5 RGB, but it surely does nonetheless look good, and Corsair’s iCUE software program presents a number of management over the colours and results. It is a stable RGB DDR5 RAM package, particularly you probably have an AMD Socket AM5 rig.

Learn our full Corsair Vengeance RGB DDR5  evaluation. 

Corsair’s premium DDR5 modules received off to a little bit of a shaky begin once they had been first launched, with overly excessive costs and poor speeds. Fortunately, since then, the costs have dropped dramatically, and there’s a variety of speeds out there now too.

This Corsair Dominator Platinum RGB reminiscence remains to be dearer than on a regular basis RGB DDR5 sticks, in fact, however they’ve a lot of perks to tempt you their manner. On the high of the record are the beautiful, hefty heatsinks, which not solely look good, but additionally work very well at cooling. In reality, this RAM solely hit 49°C throughout our assessments, which is the best outcome we’ve ever seen from a DDR5 package.

The one problem right here is that these loft heatsinks have a top of 55mm, so that you’ll must be sure you have sufficient clearance out of your CPU cooler to get them into your case. These usually are not low-profile modules.

The RGB lighting is improbable too, with Corsair’s particular person Capellix LEDs producing a brilliant and punchy mild present. There’s no diffusing occurring right here, so that you see the person LEDs, relatively than a single strip, however the lighting is excellent if that’s the look you wish to obtain.

Of the present speeds out there, we suggest going for a a quick package with tight timings if you happen to plan to splash out in your RAM. An efficient frequency of 6,000MHz, with 30-36-36-76 timings is the candy spot right here, as present in Corsair’s CMT32GX5M2B6000C30 package you probably have an Intel system. That may price you a premium, however the worth distinction fortunately isn’t enormous any extra.

Learn our full Corsair Dominator Platinum RGB DDR5 evaluation.

On the face of it, upgrading your laptop computer reminiscence must be a lot easier than shopping for new desktop RAM. Nobody worries about RGB lighting on these little modules which are hidden away beneath your laptop computer’s keyboard, and heatsinks are much less of a consideration too. Nevertheless, earlier than you make the leap, be sure you do your analysis on what RAM your laptop computer can take.

A number of the finest gaming laptop computer fashions, together with the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14, use soldered RAM, that means you possibly can’t swap it out. Others have soldered RAM, but additionally a SODIMM slot, that means you could match your new RAM with what’s already in your laptop computer as very best. Accessing your laptop computer’s RAM SODIMM slots isn’t all the time simple both, requiring you to unscrew (and never lose) a number of tiny screws, and generally even take away heatsinks and ribbon cables.

When you’ve established what you possibly can improve and learn how to do it, you possibly can select your reminiscence, and in case your laptop computer has two SODIMM slots, we suggest eradicating your current reminiscence and changing it with a brand new dual-channel package. This G.Talent Ripjaws DDR5 RAM is good for the job, coming in a variety of speeds with very aggressive costs.

Specifically, for most individuals’s DDR5 wants, we suggest going for a 32GB (2 x 16GB) package, working at 5,600MHz with CL40 latency timings. G.Talent’s F5-5600S4040A16GX2-RS package is good right here, however this vary additionally is available in numerous different configurations, protecting single modules, and speeds from 4,800MHz to six,000MHz.

This veteran of the gaming RAM world remains to be a star contender if you wish to improve a DDR4 system, particularly at present costs. Should you solely have 16GB of RAM in your PC proper now, then an improve to a 32GB Corsair Vengeance RGB Professional package will make an enormous distinction to your PC’s multi-tasking talents, whereas costing you properly beneath $100.

This isn’t funds RAM both, with a cultured diffuser strip on high of its RGB LEDs, which could be managed by means of Corsair’s very good iCUE software program. One good thing about this reminiscence over a number of others is that you would be able to additionally purchase dummy modules that price a lot lower than commonplace reminiscence modules, that means you possibly can fill all 4 of your motherboard slots to create a full-on mild present subsequent to your CPU space.

In our assessments, we discovered that the 32GB 3,600MHz CMW32GX4M2D3600C18 model of this reminiscence was a stable choice in our real-world benchmark assessments, and we had been additionally in a position to stably overclock it to three,866MHz to make it run just a little faster.

The one downer is that these DIMMs are fairly tall at 51mm, so that you’ll wish to measure up the realm round your reminiscence slots before you purchase them, to verify they gained’t conflict with a CPU cooler fan, or the radiator to your AIO cooler if it’s mounted within the roof of your PC case. You probably have an AMD Socket AM4 rig with simply 16GB of RAM, this reminiscence presents an reasonably priced improve to 32GB that additionally appears good.

Learn our full Corsair Vengeance RGB Professional DDR4 evaluation.

We’ve constructed a lot of gaming rigs for our construct options with Corsair Vengeance LPX RAM, just because it’s reasonably priced, dependable, and it additionally has a severely low profile. With a module top of simply 34mm (or 33.5mm to be exact), you shouldn’t have any bother squeezing this reminiscence beneath an overhanging fan in your CPU cooler

There’s no RGB lighting, however if you happen to don’t care for giant mild reveals behind tempered glass panels, then that’s not vital. What’s vital is that these brief modules are appropriate with a variety of one of the best gaming PC techniques from the previous few years, they usually additionally carry out properly. 

We will attest to each these information from our testing, and in contrast to some funds reminiscence, these aren’t naked PCBs both, with Corsair’s black heatsinks trying minimally fashionable, and you may get them in white as properly. A variety of speeds can be found, with specs now going all the best way as much as 4,000MHz kits, with C18 latency timings. 

We suggest going for 3,600MHz dual-channel 32GB (2 x 16GB) package because the candy spot proper now, supplying you with a dirt-cheap improve for an growing old AMD Socket AM4 or non-DDR5 Intel system. With their brief top, these LPX modules are additionally splendid for upgrading a mini gaming PC, so long as it makes use of DDR4 reminiscence.