Investing in a high-performance computer could significantly enhance your computing experience without breaking the bank. The impact of memory configuration on gaming performance has been astonishingly significant, with substantial differences observed across various RAM options on identical test equipment. Moreover, adding more RAM can greatly expedite switching between applications.
While upgrading your gaming PC’s RAM may not be as thrilling as choosing a top-tier graphics card or processor, it’s still essential to ensure you’ve selected the right memory configuration for a gaming system that will remain competitive over time. While acknowledging that modern RGB modules have improved significantly, we must also admit that many recent offerings, such as various lighting strips, can elevate an otherwise unexciting motherboard space adjacent to your CPU.
If you want to keep numerous browser tabs open while still quickly accessing your photo editor without any hiccups, investing in a RAM upgrade is a smart move. If you’re still struggling with as little as 16GB of RAM, or even worse, a mere 8GB, it’s high time to give your system the breathing space it desperately needs.
As AMD and Intel’s latest processors support increasingly higher memory frequencies, it’s crucial to carefully choose your RAM when building a new system. Based on our comprehensive analysis of DDR4 vs DDR5 technologies, upgrading to DDR5 for a new system build is highly recommended, offering enhanced performance and faster clock speeds that can significantly boost overall system efficiency.
To uncover the best recommendations, we’ve undertaken extensive research, rigorously testing numerous top-performing gaming RAM modules across a range of price points for both AMD and Intel platforms. We meticulously cover each DDR4 and DDR5 DIMM module, examining kits with and without RGB lighting features.
At our company, a team of specialists dedicates countless hours to rigorously testing hardware, scrutinizing video games, and thoroughly evaluating virtual private networks (VPNs). We offer genuine, impartial perspectives to help guide your decision in selecting one of the top options. Discover out how we check.
Finest gaming RAM in 2024:
FAQs
The amount of RAM needed for gaming depends on several factors, including the type of games you play, their system requirements, and your desired level of performance.
While a significant amount of RAM can certainly enhance the gaming experience, ideally, you would want at least 16 GB of RAM to ensure seamless performance with most modern games. With additional RAM installed on your system, your CPU spends significantly less time retrieving data from your slower solid-state drive (SSD), resulting in improved overall performance. While it’s rare to notice significant performance boosts due to increased RAM, your computer will still benefit from faster task switching and overall system responsiveness when equipped with additional memory, especially when upgrading from a relatively low initial allocation.
With this setup, you’ll experience seamless transitions between applications, eliminating the need to restart or refresh pages after closing a game, for instance. The way it optimizes your PC’s performance makes a significant distinction in its usability, rather than purely focusing on traditional measures of efficiency.
We expect a minimum of 32GB storage to become the norm by 2024. Sufficient for casual gaming, this setup provides just enough processing power to run Windows smoothly alongside a few pieces of software simultaneously. While 16GB might suffice for some users, we recommend opting for 32GB as the sweet spot, given that there’s only a minimal increase in cost to upgrade.
I would like to know what number of RAM modules you need.
To optimize performance in your gaming PC, we recommend installing a pair of identical RAM modules with a total capacity of at least 16GB, operating at a speed of 3200MHz or higher and featuring DDR4 or DDR5 technology? It’s because most Intel and AMD mainstream gaming CPUs support dual-channel memory. This intelligent technology seamlessly integrates memory banks across two modules to enhance bandwidth, allowing for faster communication between your RAM and CPU. While you can install just one RAM module in your PC, setting up two in dual-channel mode is likely to provide a performance boost.
That’s why most desktop memory is available in matched pairs; unless you’re upgrading to exactly the same type of RAM (manufacturer, speed, capacity, and latency) that’s already in your system, there’s no guarantee that a new memory upgrade will run smoothly with your existing memory. When considering an upgrade to your PC’s memory, we recommend investing in a full dual-channel kit and reselling your existing RAM to offset some of the cost.
To enjoy a seamless gaming experience, having enough Random Access Memory (RAM) is crucial.
While increased RAM capacity is crucial for smooth gaming performance, the law of diminishing returns applies, suggesting that significant benefits taper off beyond a certain threshold. Our evaluations have revealed significant strides in productivity upon upgrading from 3,600MHz DDR4 hardware to 6,000MHz DDR5, with a notable inflection point observed when transitioning from 6,000MHz to 6,400MHz.
Elevating the RAM speed in Assassin’s Creed Mirage from 6,000MHz to 6,400MHz yielded a significant performance boost, with frame rates increasing from 190fps to 199fps. A further upgrade to 6,600MHz resulted in an additional minor gain, reaching 202fps. Notwithstanding the identical specifications, the 3,600MHz DDR4 system averaged a mere 157fps. Currently, our recommendation is for a 6,000MHz setup, which we believe represents the sweet spot in terms of cost-effectiveness. You’ll enjoy increased gaming performance with faster RAM, but it’s generally wiser to invest that budget in a more powerful graphics card.
While the opposite issue of latency does have an impact on gaming performance, our research suggests that its effects are significantly less pronounced when compared to clock speed, yet still warrant consideration. Prioritize clock pace above all else, and only consider upgrading to more precise timing equipment if the additional cost is reasonable and justified by the potential benefits. Achieving a 6,000MHz equipment with CL36 timings is an effective goal in this situation.
When selecting RAM for gaming, consider the following factors: firstly, the amount of memory required by your system and secondly, the speed at which the RAM operates. In general, a minimum of 8GB is recommended for most modern games, although some may require up to 16GB or more depending on the level of detail you wish to maintain.
Determining the ideal amount of RAM for a system ultimately hinges on ensuring compatibility. If you’re planning to build a gaming PC from the ground up, we recommend opting for DDR5 RAM at this stage, considering its benefits and potential future-proofing. As of AMD’s latest Zen 4 and Zen 5 CPU releases, neither supports DDR4 memory, with the latter exclusively utilizing DDR5 technology in its forthcoming processors.
Assessments have consistently shown that upgrading to DDR5 on an Intel 14th-generation system can lead to a substantial boost in frame rates compared to using DDR4, particularly noticeable in games like Assassin’s Creed Mirage. You cannot install DDR5 RAM in a DDR4 system, nor can you install DDR4 RAM in a DDR5 system. While hardware and software may seem incompatible on the surface, the physical nature of human memory poses an additional challenge: it’s not just a matter of incorrect data being stored in the wrong place, but also of fundamentally different storage mechanisms that can’t be easily swapped or merged.
Despite some limitations, there are still reasons to consider DDR4. If you can’t justify building a brand-new system but already own a successful AMD Ryzen 5000 or Intel 13th-gen setup with DDR4 RAM, upgrading from 16GB to 32GB memory is definitely worth the investment. Your PC can free up some extra space without breaking the bank.
What’s DDR5 reminiscence?
DDR5 memory is the latest standard now compatible with the latest generations of Intel and AMD CPUs. It’s likely to operate at significantly higher clock speeds than DDR4 memory, but this comes with the added drawback of increased latency.
Initially, DDR5 RAM was too expensive to be practical, but its price has plummeted, making it only slightly more costly than DDR4.
Our findings indicate that DDR5 RAM offers a significant performance boost in video games compared to DDR4, making it an excellent choice for those building a new system.
