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.

In contrast to numerous RGB DDR5 RAM, the Fury Beast can be accessible in dual-channel 16GB (2 x 8GB) kits, which is right if you don’t want greater than 16GB, and need some handsome reminiscence that doesn’t price the earth.

We notably favored the brilliant 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 in addition 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 equipment for our evaluation, and located we had been capable of overclock it to six,200MHz to achieve much more efficiency too. Nonetheless, our take a look at equipment had fairly unfastened CL40 timings, and we advocate going for a CL36 equipment 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 nervous 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 size, and its super-premium Dominator RAM on the different finish. Fortunately, the corporate lastly got here out with a cheerful medium some time later, and the Corsair Vengeance RGB DDR5 is a stable vary of gaming RAM.

Specifically, when you’ve got 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 help AMD’s EXPO profile tech.

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

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

Talking of which, it’s also possible to purchase Corsair Vengeance RGB DDR5 RAM with Intel XMP 3.0 help, which we examined for DDR4 vs DDR5 characteristic. We had been actually impressed with the efficiency, with a 6,000MHz equipment 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 provides numerous management over the colours and results. This can be a stable RGB DDR5 RAM equipment, particularly when you’ve got 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 after 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 accessible now too.

This Corsair Dominator Platinum RGB reminiscence remains to be costlier than on a regular basis RGB DDR5 sticks, after all, however they’ve various perks to tempt you their method. On the prime of the record are the beautiful, hefty heatsinks, which not solely look good, but in addition work very well at cooling. In truth, this RAM solely hit 49°C throughout our exams, which is the good end result we’ve ever seen from a DDR5 equipment.

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

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

Of the present speeds accessible, we advocate going for a a quick equipment with tight timings should you 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 equipment when you’ve got 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 ought to be a lot easier than shopping for new desktop RAM. Nobody worries about RGB lighting on these little modules which can be hidden away underneath your laptop computer’s keyboard, and heatsinks are much less of a consideration too. Nonetheless, earlier than you make the leap, ensure you do your analysis on what RAM your laptop computer can take.

A number of the greatest gaming laptop computer fashions, together with the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14, use soldered RAM, which means you’ll be able to’t swap it out. Others have soldered RAM, but in addition a SODIMM slot, which means you’ll want to match your new RAM with what’s already in your laptop computer as absolute best. Accessing your laptop computer’s RAM SODIMM slots isn’t all the time straightforward both, requiring you to unscrew (and never lose) a number of tiny screws, and typically even take away heatsinks and ribbon cables.

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

Specifically, for most individuals’s DDR5 wants, we advocate going for a 32GB (2 x 16GB) equipment, operating at 5,600MHz with CL40 latency timings. G.Talent’s F5-5600S4040A16GX2-RS equipment is right right here, however this vary additionally is available in plenty of 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. For those who solely have 16GB of RAM in your PC proper now, then an improve to a 32GB Corsair Vengeance RGB Professional equipment will make a giant distinction to your PC’s multi-tasking talents, whereas costing you properly underneath $100.

This isn’t funds RAM both, with an aesthetic diffuser strip on prime of its RGB LEDs, which may be managed by way of Corsair’s excellent iCUE software program. One advantage of this reminiscence over numerous others is you can additionally purchase dummy modules that price a lot lower than commonplace reminiscence modules, which means you’ll be able to fill all 4 of your motherboard slots to create a full-on mild present subsequent to your CPU space.

In our exams, we discovered that the 32GB 3,600MHz CMW32GX4M2D3600C18 model of this reminiscence was a stable possibility in our real-world benchmark exams, and we had been additionally capable of 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 ensure 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. In case you have an AMD Socket AM4 rig with simply 16GB of RAM, this reminiscence provides an reasonably priced improve to 32GB that additionally appears to be like good.

Learn our full Corsair Vengeance RGB Professional DDR4 evaluation.

We’ve constructed various 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 should not have any bother squeezing this reminiscence underneath an overhanging fan in your CPU cooler

There’s no RGB lighting, however should you don’t care for giant mild reveals behind tempered glass panels, then that’s not vital. What’s vital is that these quick modules are appropriate with a variety of one of the best gaming PC programs 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 advocate going for 3,600MHz dual-channel 32GB (2 x 16GB) equipment 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 quick top, these LPX modules are additionally perfect for upgrading a mini gaming PC, so long as it makes use of DDR4 reminiscence.