Fitting your PC with the best RAM is just as vital as getting the best processor and the best graphics card. An excellent memory for your PC will considerably improve its gaming and video editing performance as well as minimize sluggishness when it’s tackling the most demanding tasks.

With increasing demands from memory hungry operating systems like Windows 10 or macOS Mojave and software like photo and video editing applications as well as best PC games, it’s more crucial than ever to have the best RAM under the hood. A fast RAM with a solid performance will give you a much smoother computing experience overall, even if all you do is open 20 or so tabs at once when browsing the Internet in your spare time.

Whether you’re building your next PC or upgrading your current one, it’s time for you to pay more attention to the size, speed, capacity and overall quality of your RAM. Let us help you find one with our picks for the best RAM. Because even the best computer won’t cut it without one. 

Best RAM at a glance

  1. Corsair Vengeance LED – best RAM
  2. G.Skill Trident Z RGB – best DDR4 RAM
  3. Kingston HyperX Predator – best DDR3 RAM
  4. Kingston HyperX Fury – best Budget RAM
  5. Corsair Dominator Platinum RGB – best High-end RAM
  6. HyperX Fury RGB 3733MHz – best high frequency RAM
  7. G.Skill Trident Z RGB DC – best double capacity memory
  8. Adata Spectrix D80 – best gaming RAM
  9. G.Skill TridentZ Royal – best RGB RAM
  10. Corsair Vengeance LPX – best Low-Profile RAM
  11. G.Skill Mac RAM – best Mac RAM
  12. Crucial Ballistix Sport – best Laptop RAM

Corsair Vengeance LED

Corsair Vengeance LED is just as fast and responsive as it is aesthetic. (Image Credit: Corsair)

1. Corsair Vengeance LED

Type: DDR4 | Capacity: 16GB Kit (2 x 8GB) | Speed: 3200MHz

Great overclocking performance

Vibrant LED

Pricey

Need BIOS update to run at 3200MHz

Corsair is one of the most trusted names when it comes to the best RAM on the market. Its Vengeance series, especially, has something for everyone with its LED DDR4 offerings. On top of giving PC builders that extra touch of vibrant lighting, this RAM has robust heat spreaders that maximise cooling for higher overclocking and maximum performance. Corsair’s Vengeance LED DDR4 series also features CL16 latency and whopping 3,466 MHz speeds, so it’s just as fast and responsive as it is aesthetic.

G.Skill Trident Z RGB

It’s hard to argue with the G. Skill TridentZ RGB as the best RGB RAM. (Image Credit: G.Skill)

2. G.Skill Trident Z RGB

Best DDR4 RAM

Type: DDR4 | Capacity: 16GB (2x8GB) | Speed: 3200MHz

Excellent RGB lighting

Easy to overclock

Feels a bit flimsy

Might be a bit too flashy for some

At this point, everyone kind of knows about G. Skill and its Trident Z RGB series of RAM. This is some of the best RAM not just because it’s fast, but the top of every DIMM features a full-spectrum rainbow wave light bar that you can use to match your RGB lighting across your entire system. Trident Z RGB DDR4 RAM features CAS latencies between 14 and 19 which is awesome enough, but with speeds up to 4,266, it’s almost perfect. No matter your aesthetic, it’s hard to argue with the G. Skill TridentZ RGB as the best RGB RAM.

Kingston HyperX Predator

Kingston HyperX Predator is particularly tuned for speed and extreme-performance. (Image Credit: Kingston)

3. Kingston HyperX Predator

Best DDR3 RAM

Type: DDR4 | Capacity: 8GB, 16GB | Speed: up to 4600MHz

Great price

Excellent overclocking potential

RGB doesn’t always work

Pricier than others

Kingston’s high-performance HyperX has some of the best DDR3 RAM on the market and the Predator models is particularly tuned for speed and extreme-performance that’s further expandable with XMP profiles. The Predator DDR3 series achieves CL9 to CL11 latencies and speeds between 1866MHz to 2666MHz.

Kingston HyperX Fury

Kingston HyperX Fury can have a huge impact on the performance of your rig. (Image Credit: Kingston)

4. Kingston HyperX Fury

Best budget RAM

Type: DDR4 | Capacity: 4GB, 8GB, 16GB, 32GB | Speed: up to 3733MHz

Affordable at lower speeds

Strong performance

A bit slow

3733MHz speed is pricey

This Kingston HyperX Fury is auto overclocked memory that won’t empty your wallet. This smart DDR3 or DDR4 RAM auto-detects system components to overclock to the highest speeds possible, optimizing performance for all of Intel’s latest chipsets. It comes with latencies between CL14 and CL16, and has speeds between 2,133 and 2,666MHz. While it’s inexpensive, it really can have a huge impact on the performance of your rig. 

Corsair Dominator Platinum RGB

Corsair Dominator Platinum RGB is the best RAM around in 2019. (Image Credit: Corsair)

5. Corsair Dominator Platinum RGB

Best high-end RAM

Type: DDR4 | Capacity: 16GB (2 x 8GB) | Speed: 3000MHz

Great performance

Looks great

Not compatible with Ryzen

Not high quality enough for the price

If you want the best of the best, and you don’t care about pricing, Corsair’s Dominator Platinum memory has always been at the top of the list. However, in 2019, it’s been refreshed to include Corsair’s new Capellix RGB LEDs, leading to a much richer and more colorful design. It’s the same high-end RAM we know and love, with speeds up to 3,600 MHz, but the better RGB make the Corsair Dominator Platinum RGB the best RAM around in 2020. 

HyperX Fury RGB 3733MHz

With speeds of up to 3,733MHz and CL15–19 latencies, HyperX Fury RGB 3733MHz is simply fast. (Image credit: HyperX)

6. HyperX Fury RGB 3733MHz

Best high frequency RAM

Type: DDR4 | Capacity: 16GB (2x8GB) | Speed: 3733MHz

Great RGB

Fast

Choppy RGB lighting

Gigabyte and MSI RGB support doesn’t always work

The HyperX Fury RGB 3733MHz is not just pretty with its RGB design. With speeds of up to 3,733MHz and CL15–19 latencies, it’s just as fast as it is stunning, making it well-deserving of the best high frequency RAM accolade. What’s more is that it’s fitted with predefined Intel Extreme Memory Profiles for maximum performance as well as yperX’s patent-pending infrared sync technology. For an even more immersive gaming experience, you can daisy chain this RAM to sync with multiple other RGB devices. This is some of the best RAM to invest in right now.

G.Skill Trident Z RGB DC

If you need a lot of RAM without taking up too many DIMM slots, G.Skill Trident Z RGB DC is for you. (Image Credit: G.Skill)

7. G.Skill Trident Z RGB DC

Best double capacity memory

Type: DDR4 | Capacity: 64GB (2x32GB) | Speed: 3200MHz

Twice the number of memory chips

Great build quality

Only compatible with select Z390 motherboards

RGB can be a hit or miss

Sometimes, especially when you’re looking for the best gaming components, ‘go big or go home’ is the best advice. And, when you want more RAM than you’ll know what to do with, you’re going to want to go with the G.Skill Trident Z RGB DC memory. The DC stands for double capacity, as in,  32GB per stick. Now, this is definitely not the fastest memory in the world, right now it’s only available in up to 3,200 MHz, but if you need a lot of RAM without taking up too many DIMM slots (like if you have a big CPU cooler or a Mini-ITX board), you can’t go wrong with the G.Skill TridentZ RGB DC.

Adata Spectrix D80

Adata Spectrix D80 is great for your all-out gaming rig. (Image Credit: Adata)

8. Adata Spectrix D80

Best gaming RAM

Type: DDR4 | Capacity: 16GB (2x8GB), 32 (2x16GB) | Speed: up to 4,133MHz

Great looks

Performs very well in four-DIMM configurations

Expensive

Mediocre two-DIMM performance

If you’re building an all-out gaming rig, you’ll want the flashiest hardware on offer – who doesn’t want a gaming rig that lights up the entire room? If this sounds appealing, the Adata Spectrix D80 is the RAM to go for. Not only is it available in frequencies up to 5,000MHz, but it’s also liquid cooled, meaning you don’t have to worry about it overheating. The Adata Spectrix D80 is going to be the best RAM for gaming in an RGB-lit cavern. 

G.Skill TridentZ Royal

The TridentZ Royal memory gets our vote as the best RGB RAM on the market. (Image credit: G.Skill )

9. G.Skill TridentZ Royal

Best RGB RAM

Type: DDR4 | Capacity: 32GB (4x8GB) | Speed: 3600MHz

Great looking

Compatible with most boards

A bit expensive

Not premium enough for the price

Finding RAM that fits in perfectly with your light up gaming rig is easy with G.Skill. In fact, its TridentZ Royal memory gets our vote as the best RGB RAM on the market right now, thanks to its unique crown jewel design. That means that it’s fitted with a crystalline light bar that basically scatters the eight customizable RGB colors for lighting that dazzles and sparkles. The RAM itself is polished with aluminum heatspreaders of gold or silver colors to keep the whole thing cool. Of course, it’s not all looks – the G.Skill TridentZ Royal also delivers great reliability and performance.

Corsair Vengeance LPX

Corsair Vengeance LPX is essential for PC builds with massive CPU coolers. (Image Credit: Corsair)

10. Corsair Vengeance LPX

Best low-profile RAM

Type: DDR4 | Capacity: 16GB (2 x 8GB) | Speed: 3200MHz

Great performance

Two cooling fans

Limited overclockability

High percentage of defective units

Corsair’s Vengeance LPX RAM is made for users who want the maximum performance with minimum footprint. This low-profile RAM is essential for PC builds with massive CPU coolers. Despite being so low-profile, they still feature an eight-layer heat spreader to cool while overclocking. While its thin design doesn’t allow for LEDs, but you can get it in three colors: black, red or blue.  

G.Skill Mac RAM

G.Skill Mac RAM has memory upgrades for Macs. (Image Credit: G.Skill)

11. G.Skill Mac RAM

Best Mac RAM

Type: DDR3 | Capacity: 4GB (2x2GB) | Speed: up to 1066MHz

Affordable alternative

Best value

May not be compatible with much older Macs

Slow for power users

 G.Skill isn’t just dedicated to laptop and desktop RAM, but it also has memory upgrades for Macs. You see, Apple charges inordinate amounts for RAM upgrades, so going with a third party kit can save a ton of money. Well, as long as your Mac is old enough to still have upgradeable RAM. These SO-DIMM kits have a CAS latency between 9 and 11 and feature speeds between 1,333MHz and 1,600MHz. The best bang for your buck seems to be the G.Skill DDR3-1,333 for Mac. 

Crucial Ballistix Sport

Crucial Ballistix Sport boasts efficient battery life and delivers fast speeds for multi-tasking. (Image Credit: Crucial)

12. Crucial Ballistix Sport

Best laptop RAM

Type: DDR4 | Capacity: 32GB (2x16GB) | Speed: up to 3200 MHz

Low profile

Great value for gaming

Doesn’t alway work with AMD Ryzen

Nothing extraordinary

Crucial is by far the best RAM for laptop systems. This manufacturer has designed its Crucial Ballistix Sport SODIMMs for efficient battery life while still delivering fast speeds for multi-tasking. It’s ideal for anyone wanting to speed up the best laptops, and this memory likely offers higher memory speed than anything coming stock in your laptop. Just make sure your laptop actually lets you upgrade the RAM – repairability is falling out of fashion these days.