But which RAM should you buy? While it makes sense to try to get the largest amount of memory for your budget, there are other elements to consider. Does your motherboard support the latest DDR4 RAM? Can you fit standard-sized modules or do you need low-profile or laptop-friendly RAM? Do you care about RGB lighting elements or are you willing to sacrifice style for cost savings? If you don’t already know the ins and outs of RAM upgrades, then don’t try to plug and play without doing a bit of research first. Our dedicated desktop RAM buyer’s guide and laptop RAM buyer’s guide can quickly get you up to speed before you reach for your wallet. Luckily, we’re spoiled with a ton of worthwhile RAM options to consider, so read on for our picks of the best RAM available. Performance and budget should be your main drivers, but like many PC hardware components these days, the Corsair Vengeance RGB Pro will also put on a bit of a show. This RAM is available in either black or white, both with customizable RGB lighting that dazzles with multi-zone colors and various animation patterns. Corsair’s iCue software will even synchronize the effects across multiple compatible components. This speedy, advanced DDR4 RAM comes in kits made up of 8GB and 16GB modules that can hit top overclocking speeds of 4800MHz. That allows for low latency and tightening timings, suggesting minimal delays in how long it takes for the memory to respond to commands. It’s also a dazzling-looking number, with 12 of Corsair’s blinding Capellix LED lights across the top, each of which you can individually customize via the iCue lighting software. You can even get the real-time speed and temperature readings for the individual modules. The vibrant LED color show matches well against the dark, brushed aluminum heat spreader, with a fin design that is optimized for improved heat transfer and lets the RAM reach soaring speeds without fear of overheating. Even with such performance-centric design elements, the dazzling look isn’t remotely diminished. Talk about a seamless pairing of style and substance. These RAM modules stay pretty cool themselves thanks to the effective aluminum heat spreaders, available in red, blue, black, or white. And while these Corsair Vengeance LPX RAM modules have the added perk of low-profile design, they’re reasonably affordable. That’s key if you’re looking to make a big RAM boost but don’t have a lot of DIMM slots to spare on your motherboard. They’re limited to a maximum of 2800MHz, but you can overclock them to 3000MHz or higher with Intel XMP profiles or otherwise. That will be fast enough for many users and is on the higher end of that spectrum when it comes to this kind of price point. On top of that, Patriot offers a limited lifetime warranty—so you don’t have to worry about low-quality components given the affordable price point. Kingdom’s HyperX Fury RAM is available in up to 16GB kits (that’s 8GB x2), and it will even overclock automatically to 1866MHz if your system supports it. Also, the 1.35-volt power consumption is more efficient than the 1.5-volt DDR3 default. The design here isn’t mind-blowing, but at least you can get it in white, black, blue, or red to align with the rest of your PC components. The HyperX Predator RGB RAM also has a unique hook in the form of using infrared technology to sync up the lighting effects between modules, saving you the extra cords in the process. We’ve seen some customer reviews point out potential quality control issues when it comes to the LED lights themselves, however, so be mindful of that once you’re up and running. These slim SODIMM modules are much smaller than your average RAM kit, making them ideal for compact PC form factors and notebooks. It’s sold in various configurations ranging up to 64GB (2x 32GB), and these compact chips are particularly well suited to MacBooks and Mac desktops as well. They’ll even auto-overclock based on your system’s settings. Just make sure to pick the kit that’s compatible with your motherboard. Compatibility - DDR4 RAM is much faster than the old DDR3 standard, but your existing motherboard might not support the newer stuff. When buying new RAM, you’ll need to make sure that your PC can actually handle the RAM you want to buy. Size - We’re talking about physical size here. RAM is already pretty compact, but if you’re trying to pack your PC tower with high-end gaming components, standard-sized RAM may not give you enough room for a sizable CPU cooler, for example. In that case, you might opt for low-profile RAM, which can provide extra overhead to comfortably fit other components around it. Meanwhile, Macs and most laptops use a differently-sized RAM called SODIMM. About our Trusted Experts: Anton Galang has been covering technology for more than 10 years, including for PC Magazine, and has a bachelor’s degree from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism. Andrew Hayward has been writing about technology, games, and esports since 2006, and his work has been published in more than 100 publications around the globe.
