Buying the best RAM for your PC build may not be as exciting as, say, picking the best CPU or the best graphics card. However, we think it’s important to make sure you’ve installed a sufficient amount of memory to unlock the full potential of your gaming PC. Also, adding an absurd amount of memory to your build isn’t going to help you squeeze the best frame rates out of your gaming PC. It’s more about getting the right combination of capacity, good memory speeds, low latency, and more. In this article, we’re going to take a look at some of the best RAM for gaming you can buy in 2022. We’re adding more DDR4 and DDR5 modules to the list, so be sure to explore and find the one that goes well with the rest of the components in your gaming PC.
Best overall DDR4 RAM for gaming: TeamGroup T-Force Xtreem
It’s hard to ignore the Team Group T-Force Xtreem DDR4 memory kit while looking for the best gaming RAM modules on the market. This particular kit may not be a popular pick on the mainstream market, but there’s a very good chance that you’ve heard about this particular kit. The T-Force Xtreem ARGB kit, as you can see, includes sophisticated modules that feature an aluminum alloy heat-spreader. The kit also has addressable RGB lights that shine through the translucent plastic. The rear side of the module, however, doesn’t have the same design and it exposes the PCB.
The RGB lights on the module can be controlled via the T-Force Blitz software. It gives you complete control of the lighting, allowing you to customize many things including the colors, effects, and more. That being said, you can also use your motherboard’s lighting software if that’s something you prefer over using third-party software. This particular T-Force Xtreem kit comes as two 8GB single-rank memory modules. They feature a 10-player PCB and Samsung B integrated circuits.
Out of the box, the Xtreem DDR4 modules posts at DDR4-2400 with 16-16-16-39 timings. That’s obviously not what T-Force is advertising but you can get better numbers using the included XMP profile. Flipping the right switch in your BIOS can make them run at DDR4-3200 with 14-15-15-35 timings and a DRAM voltage of 1.45V. The module also offers more headroom to further overclock, thereby allowing to hit the DDR4-3600 speeds with tighter timings. There’s not too much room to expand but it works well at DDR4-3600. In terms of performance, the Xtreem ARGB DDR4 kit is said to work well with a ton of configurations out there. This particular kit is more suitable for AMD Ryzen-based builds as the advertised memory speeds play nicely with what a lot of these modern AMD chips can handle. The T-Force Xtreem ARGB kit has gotten rave reviews from a lot of enthusiasts, so definitely worth checking out.
Overall, T-Group seems to have done a pretty good job with the Xtreem ARGB DDR4-3600 kit. This is definitely one of the best-looking kits on the market right now with just the right amount of RGB bling and a sophisticated heat-spreader. We think it’ll blend in nicely with a ton of kits out there and look nice inside a variety of builds. The T-Force Xtreem kit also excels when it comes to overall performance, making t’s one of the fastest DDR4-3600 C14 memory kits you can buy on the market right now.
It’s also worth pointing out that there aren’t too many DDR4-3600 C14 memory kits on the market. And at $150, the T-Force Xtreem is also among the cheapest kits, making it even better than a lot of other modules out there. The only thing that we don’t necessarily like about this particular RAM module is its availability. You may have a hard time finding this particular kit in stock, so be sure to keep an eye on the link below to not only find the best price for it online but to also see if it’s available to purchase.
TEAM XTREEM ARGB DDR4-3600MHZ C14
- The Team Xtreem ARGB ticks all the right boxes to become our pick for the best DDR4 RAM you can buy right now. It offers reliable speeds and low latency to deliver solid performance.
Best overall DDR5 RAM for gaming: Kingston Fury Beast DDR5-4800
The arrival of Intel’s new Alder Lake chips has marked the entry of DDR5 memory kits on the market too. These new DDR5 RAM kits don’t offer a significant improvement in terms of the overall performance, but the new memory standard opens the door to higher performance levels. A lot of manufacturers have launched their own new DDR5 memory kits on the market. However, we think the Kingston Fury Beast DDR5 is the one that’s worth considering in 2022. This isn’t the best or the fastest DDR5 memory kit out there right now, it offers a good mix of features at a much more palatable price.
One of the first things you’ll notice about these particular modules is just how simple they look. The modules we reviewed here at XDA have a simple heat-spreader design with no RGB lights. If that’s a deal-breaker for you then you’ll have to look elsewhere because Kingston is yet to launch an RGB-enabled version of this kit. The Fury beast modules make up for the lack of RGB lights with a pretty decent heat-spreader design. Also, these are low-profile sticks which means you should have no issues pairing them with a build involving, say, a big-sized air cooler for the CPU. There’s not a lot to talk about the design of these modules but we think Kingston has done a pretty good job of keeping it simple.
Moving on to the specifications, it’s worth pointing out that the Kingston Fury Beast DDR5 kit that we tested defaults to 4800 MT/s with a CAS Latency of 38 out of the box. it also runs at 1.1V, which is more in line with a lot of other DDR5 modules on the market right now. Pushing this particular kit to the advertised DDR5-5200 speeds, however, wasn’t difficult at all. It was as simple as flipping a switch in the BIOS of the Gigabyte Z690 Aorus Pro motherboard that we used for testing it. We think the DDR5-5200 acts as a good starting point for those who’re upgrading from a baseline DDR4-3600 kit or lower.
One thing to note about the DDR5 memory modules is that they have high latency compared to DDR4 sticks. But as we’ve highlighted in our DDR4 vs DDR5 RAM comparison, the difference in memory latency isn’t much of an issue as it doesn’t reflect poorly in real-world usage. We suggest you take a look at our Kingston Fury Beast DDR5 RAM review to know more about how these modules actually perform.
Overall, we think the Kingston Fury Beast DDR5 kit marks a good entry point into the world DDR5 RAM kits. We expect better DDR5 RAM kits with more significant improvements to show up in the future, but this is as good as it gets for now. We’ll be on the look for better DDR5 RAM modules on the market and add them to this collection, so stay tuned for more options in the future.
KINGSTON FURY BEAST 32GB DDR5-4800 KIT
- The Kingston Fury Beast DDR5 RAM is one of the first consumer-grade DDR5 memory modules to arrive on the market, just in the time for the Alder Lake release.
Alternate best DDR5 RAM for gaming: ADATA XPG LANCER DDR5 MemoryBuy from Newegg
ADATA is a popular name in the computing space and the company has a lot of reliable memory modules on the market. In fact, ADATA was one of the first manufacturers to officially release consumer-grade DDR5 memory modules in the form of the XPG LANCER DDR5. Much like the Kingston Fury Beast DDR5 RAM modules, the LANCER DDR5 kit is capable of reaching frequencies of up to 5,200MB/s, with up to 16GB of memory allocation.
One of the main differences between the Kingston Fury Beast and the ADATA kit is that these modules are fitted with RGB lights. It’s not fully decked out with RGB like some other chips on the market, but we think it’s just the right amount of RGB to add a touch of customization to your setup. XPG doesn’t have dedicated control software for these lights, though, so that’s a bummer. This means you will have to rely on your motherboards’ software to customize them. Also, the XPG LANCER is only available in 16GB capacity, so you won’t be able to pair a lot of these modules together, just yet.
In terms of the performance, they’re very similar to the Kingston Fury Beast DDR5 on paper, so we expect this kit to be just as powerful, if not more. XPG says the LANCER DDR5 memory is also suitable for overclocking, but it’s still somewhat limited. We’re looking at support for Intel XMP 3.0 for overclocking and you should have no issues pushing these modules to the advertised speeds as long as you have other compatible components. XPG’s website mentions 38 CAS latency for this chip, which is pretty good. 38 CAS latency is among the lowest we’ve seen so far in the DDR5 space. Some other noteworthy features of the ADATA XPG Lancer DDR5 memory kit include PMIC (Power Management Integrated Circuit), ECC (Error Correcting Code), and more.
As is the case with a lot of other DDR5 memory modules on the market, the ADATA XPG LANCER also barely scratches the surface of what DDR5 as a memory standard has to offer. A look at the DDR4 vs DDR5 RAM comparison will tell you that these new kits don’t have any significant improvement in performance over the last-gen modules. That’s bound to change with newer kits, so we suggest you until faster modules hit the shelves.
Until then we recommend checking out the other DDR4 kits that we’ve listed in this collection. From budget options to high-end modules, there are plenty of great DDR4 modules to choose from, so be sure to check them out. But if you’re hellbent on buying the Lancer DDR5 kit then you can the link below to find the price for it online and see if it’s available. While you’re at it, don’t forget to pick up one of the supported Z690 platforms and an Intel Alder Lake processor to go along the memory too. Unlike the DDR5 modules, thankfully, those are much easier to find on the market right now.
ADATA XPG Lancer DDR5 RAM
- XPG’s LANCER DDR5 memory is available in 16GB capacity with frequencies of up to 5,200 Mb/s.
Best high-speed DDR4 RAM kit for gaming: Patriot Viper Steel DDR4-4400
If you’re after the fastest DDR4 RAM for gaming, then we think the Patriot Viper Steel is a great option to consider. This particular kit with DDR4-4400 speeds gets super close to even the newer DDR5 RAM modules on the market right now. The highlight of this particular kit, however, is its superb timings at DDR4-4400 speeds. In fact, that’s one of the appeals of this particular RAM kit, coming in a 16GB capacity.
One of the first things you’ll notice about the kit is its design. The modules come with a heat-spreader but there’s not much to talk about in terms of the overall design. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but you’ll have to look elsewhere if you’re chasing aesthetics over performance. The distinct lack of RGB could be a deal-breaker for many, but we think it looks great and will have no issues blending in to most builds without any issues.
In terms of the performance, well, they’re bound to give you the best performance on the market right now, be it for gaming or other similar workloads. The modules come with two XMP profiles which make overclocking them a particularly effortless task. You get two XMP profiles for this kit — DDR4-4400 and DDR4-4266. Both of them have the same enhanced 19-19-19-39 primary timings. Both profiles are also said to be stable at 1.45V and 1.35V power. It sits on top of the charts when it comes to the overall performance when compared against similar models in its class.
Overall, it’s safe to say that the Patriot Viper Steel DDR4-4400 is one of the fastest DDR4 kits you can buy on the market right now. These kits offer a great value for money, making them better than plenty of other mainstream sticks out there. Even though they don’t exactly fare well against faster modules, we think they pack enough performance to handle a majority of workloads. It goes without saying that you’ll also need some high-end components to go along with a fast kit like this one. We recommend pairing it alongside, say, the new unlocked Alder Lake chips with a DDR4-compatible Z690 motherboard or something like the Ryzen 9 5900X to get the most out of these kits.
At $114 (at the time of writing this), the Patriot Viper Steel is, without a doubt, one of the best value-for-money kits out there for gaming in 2022. They’re also readily available on the market unlike a lot of DDR5 RAM modules. If you’re not a fan of the simple design of these kits then you’ll have to look elsewhere. We recommend checking out one of the RGB-enabled kits that we’ve added to this collection like the T-Force Xtreem DDR4 kit. Alternatively, you can also look at the Patriot Viper’s RGB kit if you’re hellbent on adding some RGB bling to your setup. That being said, you’ll be missing out on the faster memory speeds and its incredibly tight memory timings, so keep that in mind.
PATRIOT VIPER STEEL DDR4 RAM KIT
- The Patriot Viper Steel DDR4-4400 is among the fastest DDR4 kits on the market right now but you’ll miss out on the RGB bling.
Best budget DDR4 kit for gaming: Corsair Vengeance LPX
The Vengeance LPX DDR4 kit, not to be confused with the Vengeance Pro RGB kit, is what we think is the best budget option for those who’re looking to buy some low-priced sticks. We’re not adding the Vengeance Pro RGB kit to this collection, but we think the relatively older and slightly less powerful Vengeance LPX memory deserves a spot. As such, the Vengence LPX DDR4 RAM is our pick for the best budget DDR4 memory for gaming in this collection. The Vengeance LPX DDR4, is without a doubt, one of the best RAM kits for entry-level low-end builds. These are perfect for those who’re just getting started with a basic low to mid-tier PC build.
Despite the affordable price tag, though, the Corsair Vengeance 16GB DDR4-2666 kit handily beats a lot of other kits in its class, thanks to double the number of ranks per DIMMs. It’s also worth pointing out that entry-level users who’re still using a relatively older chipset like the H370 or even the B360, for instance, can get better performance by upgrading to this particular memory kit. Of course, you can always choose to buy new modules with faster memory speeds and tighter timings, but that’ll cost you significantly more money.
We recommend pairing this particular kit with relatively low-end or mid-tier components. The timings of the Vengeance LPX memory kit are quite slow at 16-18-18-35. We’re looking at a CAS latency of 16, which is amongst the lowest you’ll see in this category. The Vengeance LPX memory doesn’t post with the advertised speeds, so you’ll also need a board that supports XMP to enable the kit’s DDR4-2666 profile.
This particular kit shines with the voltage is bumped up to 1.35V. Looking at the performance charts, the Vengeance LPX is proven to shave off full three cycles of CAS and four cycles off tRP and tRCD. In addition to outperforming the rivals in its class, it even manages to trade blows with relatively newer and more powerful DIMMs like the G.Skill Ripjaws V. We’ve also added the G.Skill Ripjaws to this collection, so you already know that it cost significantly more than the Vengeance LPX kit.
It may not be the fastest kit around but it’s safe to say that the Vengenace LPX is extremely reliable. It’s also a great alternative to some other non-RGB kits mentioned in this collection. If the lack of RGB isn’t a deal-breaker then we highly recommend considering it for your next build, especially the ones in which you’re using a case with no see-through windows.
Now for the price – well, the Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2x8GB) DDR4 is available for as low as $75, making it one of the most affordable DDR4 RAM kits on the market right now. It’s an excellent option for entry-level users looking to build their first PCs. It goes without saying that, advanced users should probably check out the options including the Corsair Dominator Platinum or even the Vengeance RGB Pro kit.
CORSAIR VENGEANCE LPX DDR4
- The Corsair Vengeance LPX DDR4 memory is a great option for entry-level builds.
Alternate best budget DDR4 kit for gaming: G.Skill Ripjaws V DDR4-3600
There’s obviously no shortage of affordable DDR4 RAM kits on the market but not all of them are worth considering for your build. We recommend picking up the Corsair Vengeance LPX DDR4 kit if you’re working with a low-end configuration. Alternatively, if you’re looking to step up with a slightly better configuration, though, then we recommend checking out the G.Skill Ripjaws V kit. For this particular collection, we’re recommending the G.Skill Ripjaws V 3200Mhz 16GB RAM kit because think it’s powerful enough to work well with a variety of different configurations.
The G.Skill Ripjaws V modules, as you can see, look very similar to the Corsair Vengeance LPX memory. They both are low-profile sticks and don’t have any RGB lights whatsoever. That’s a good thing because not everybody likes to have a ton of RGB inside their PC case. In fact, something like this is also a great option to consider for those who are using a PC case with no see-through side panel. After all, the RGB lights on the modules are no good if you can’t see them, right?
And that’s pretty much the only thing that sets the G.Skill Ripjaws V apart from a lot of other kits in this collection. Because in terms of performance, the G.Skill Ripjaws V kit is on-par with plenty of other high-performance kits including the modules like ‘Team Xtreem ARGB DDR4-3600MHz’. Taking RGB off the menu has also allowed G.Skill to significantly bring down the overall cost of these modules. That’s exactly what makes these G.Skill kits a solid option for those who are shopping for RAM on a tight budget.
Before we dive into the specs, it’s worth pointing out that G.Skill Ripjaws V is the successor to the largely popular Ripjaws 4 that came out a few years back. One of the best things about the Ripjaws V modules is that they’re available in a bunch of different variants with varying memory speeds and timings. But all of them have CAS 16 sticks, which is great. You will also be relying on XMP profiles to boost the memory speeds to the advertised DDR4-3600 frequency, so keep that in mind. The G.Skill Ripjaws V is a tried-and-tested memory kit that’s known to work for both mid-range or a relatively high-end configuration.
In terms of the design, well, the Ripjaws V comes with an aluminum heat-spreader and it’s available in two colors — Red and black. The design is fairly simple, so there’s isn’t much to talk about the overall look, really. All in all, we think the G.Skill Ripjaws V is an excellent memory kit that’s faster and more affordable than a lot of other modules on the market. You also get a lifetime warranty for these, so no compromises there. This is a solid alternative to the Corsair Vengeance LPX DDR4 memory module. In fact, this one’s more suited for mid-range builds while budget shoppers with an entry-level PC can stick to the Corsair Vengeance LPX memory modules.
G.Skill Ripjaws V RAM kit
- The G.Skill Ripjaws V is a great memory kit for budget shoppers working with low to mid-tier builds.
Best RGB-enabled RAM for gaming: G.Skill Trident Z Neo DDR4-3600
While the T-Force Xtreem DDR4 kit is the one that has the most amount of RGB bling out of all the RAM kits in this collection, we wanted to add an alternative with, you know, a little less RGB lighting that doesn’t make it look like there’s a light show going on in your PC. So we present the G.Skill Trident Z Neo DDR4 memory kit. Even if you look past the RGB capabilities of this particular kit, you’ll realize that it’s just a good quality high-performance DDR4 for your gaming PC.
In terms of the design, the G.Skill Trident Z Neo DDR4 features a tri-fin body with a dual-tone color scheme. The one half of the aluminum heat-spreader, as you can see, comes with a brushed finish while the other half comes in a shiny silver color. And instead of adding RGB lighting all over the modules, G.Skill decided to add an RGB strip on top of each module. The light passes through a diffuser, which makes up for subtle lighting instead of flashing bright colors. G.Skill allows you to control the lighting in two ways — either via the included Trident Z Lighting Control software or the motherboard’s software.
The G.Skill Trident Z Neo modules are also just 1.73-inches tall, which means they play nicely with a variety of CPU coolers on the market. This particular kit features a 10-layer PCB and uses Samsung (B-die) integrated circuits (ICs). The Trident Z Neo posts at DDR4-2133 memory speed out of the box and it defaults to 15-15-15-36. It’s worth pointing out that these memory modules only sport a single XMP profile that can get it up and running at the advertised DDR4-3600 memory frequency. The included XMP profile also sets the timings and DRAM voltage to 16-16-16-36 and 1.35V.
Besides just the looks, as we mentioned earlier, the G.Skill Trident Z Neo DDR4-3600 CL16 performs better than a lot of other competing RAM kits on the market. It’s also on par with plenty of other DDR5 memory kits, so that’s impressive too. Thanks to the Samsung B-dies, the Trident Z Neo can also be easily overclocked without any major stability issues. This particular kit is known to be stable even at 1.45V, which is, again, very impressive.
All things considered, the G.Skill Trident Z Neo is an excellent DDR4 memory kit that’s suitable for a variety of builds. It’s not the most affordable RAM kit on the market, but we think it offers a good mix of features for the price, making it a great option for a lot of builds. Just remember that you’ll have to use the included XMP profile to get it running at the advertised frequencies. This kit is also known to perform well under overclocked settings, but your mileage is bound to vary. We recommend pairing the G.SKill Trident Z Neo modules with mid to high-end components. Budget shoppers looking at an entry-level build can check out the G.Skill Ripjaws V as an alternative, but you’ll definitely be missing out on some RGB lighting.
G.Skill Trident Z Neo DDR4-3600
- The G.Skill Trident Z Neo DDR4-3600 is one of the most reliable memory kits on the market that offers impressive performance and good looks.
Best premium RAM for gaming: G.Skill Trident Z Royal DDR4-4000
Not everybody likes to add flashing RGB lighting to their case, but we know that a lot of you are on the lookout for components with a striking design and tons of RGB lighting. If you belong to that group of people then we think the G.Skill Trident Z Royal is the just perfect DDR4 memory kit for you. This is one of those memory modules that’ll grab all the attention away from the other parts of your build. We recommend pairing these modules only with high-end components to avoid making them look overly obnoxious inside your case.
One of the first things you notice about the Trident Z Royal DDR4 memory kits is its stunning mirror-like silver or gold finish. Staying true to their name, these kits have a shimmering mirror finish that looks, well, very unique and royal. And to top it off, the modules also have sparkling crystalline light bars on the top which makes the light look more bright and vibrant. Some may even say it’s too bright but luckily you can control the brightness via the supported software. It’s also worth pointing out that the Trident Z Royal modules are fingerprint magnets. That’s not really a surprise considering they have a mirror finish. Luckily you won’t have to touch the modules. G.Skill has its own app that lets you customize the lighting on the modules. You can either use that or simply use the motherboard software to customize the lighting, brightness, effects, and more.
In terms of the specifications, we’re looking at a 16GB G.Skill Trident Z Royal kit with two 8GB sticks. Each of these modules is rated for DDR4-4000 memory frequency, making it one of the fastest memory modules on the market. They have a memory latency of 15-16-16-36 and use 1.5v of power. More than just the looks, the G.Skill Trident Z Royal modules are also known to be among the fastest in the DDR4 memory space. It goes head-to-head with plenty of other DDR4 kits out there. In fact, when paired with the right components, you can also overclock the Trident Z Royal to be on par with a lot of DDR5 memory kits too.
You can easily hit the advertised DDR4-4400 memory speeds by simply tweaking the CAS latency a bit. Being able to hit DDR4-4400 at CAS 16 without touching the voltage makes it one of the better DDR4 kits on the market. It’s safe to say that the G.Skill Trident Z Royal is a highly binned kit that’s targeted at enthusiasts who are looking to get the best performance out of their system, be it for gaming or other workloads. If you don’t mind spending a good amount of money on RAM modules, then we highly recommend picking up the G.Skill Trident Z Royal. It also has a very unique look, which, in itself is very appealing to a lot of users. The G.Skill Trident Z Royal memory kit is readily available on the market, often at discounted prices too, so be sure to hit the link below and find the best price for it online right now.
G.Skill Trident Z Royal DDR4 RAM kit
- The G.Skill Trident Z Royal kit has probably the most sophisticated DDR4 modules on the market right now.
The best RAM for gaming: Final Thoughts
Well, that brings us to the conclusion of the best RAM for gaming list. While we’ve added a couple of DDR5 memory modules into this list including the Kingston Fury Beast DDR5 and the ADATA XPG Lancer DDR5, we think it’s best to stick to DDR4 right now. The TeamGroup T-Force Xtreem DDR4-3600 is a solid kit to consider for gaming, and so is the G.Skill Ripjaws V DDR4 RAM. Budget shoppers can consider checking out the Corsair Vengeance LPX memory while those looking for a sophisticated RAM kit for gaming can check out the G.Skill Trident Z Royal.
If you’re building a new gaming PC from scratch, then you can also check out some of our other collection articles including the best motherboards, best M.2 SSDs, and more. Alternatively, you can also join our XDA Computing Forums to discuss your build and get more product recommendations from the experts in our community.
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