This monthly guide to buying the best DDR4 and DDR3 RAM for PC will be divided according to the socket used and the total amount of memory required
In each product category we will indicate the best RAM memory kits according to your budget. Let’s start with the list!
Best DDR4 and DDR3 RAM to Buy: What is RAM
La RAM, acronym for Random Access Memory, is a type of random access volatile memory that allows direct access to any memory address with the same access time. The operations to be performed by the CPU are copied to the RAM. Once the executable is closed, any unsaved changes to the hard drive or SSD will be lost. The purpose of this memory is to ensure maximum access speed to the data to be processed by the CPU. For this reason it is important that the RAM is very fast. The RAM must never act as a bottleneck for the flow of data, it must be chosen wisely compared to the other components of the PC. To understand the speed of a RAM we have three parameters:
- RAM type (DDR, DDR2, DDR3, DDR4);
- Frequency: indicates the number of operations that this can carry out in the unit of time;
- Latency: the time that is “lost” to access the data in the RAM.
To have high-performance RAM you will have to look for the newest generation available that our platform supports (for example, the best RAMs to date are DDR4), and for the same generation, choose those with the highest frequency and lowest latency!
Now don’t worry if all these terms have you confused, actually it takes very little to understand what you really need: what kind of RAM you need for your PC, and how much memory you need. For the final choice, just follow our guide.
Best DDR4 and DDR3 RAM to Buy: What the Market Offers Today
The RAM memory market nowadays offers two proposals:
- The tested RAM DDR3 on the market since time immemorial and compatible with “old” sockets / chipsets (AM3 +, FM2, FM2 +, Intel 1150);
- The bright relatively new DDR4 RAM on the market and only compatible with new sockets (Intel 1151, Intel 1151 V2, Intel 2011-3, Intel 2066, AMD AM4).
Since we don’t want to waste too much time looking for technical data, in this guide we will recommend the best DDR4 and DDR3 RAM memories, with the best value for money, to install on your PC. In our choices we will take into account what “it makes sense to spend” based on the type of platform to which certain quantities of RAM are usually combined, and based on the workloads managed by them. The categories in which this guide will be divided, as well as by type (ie DDR3 RAM and DDR4 RAM), will include the memory capacity and “profile” of the RAM to also take into account the compatibility with the heatsinks in use in the system. High Profile (HP) RAM are usually incompatible with larger CPU coolers, and often require smaller systems or AIO systems. Instead the low profile RAM (LP) are compatible with all heatsinks (even the very large ones) but offer on average lower performance than HP models.
Best PC DDR3 RAM to Buy (Compatible with: AM3 +, FM2, FM2 +, Intel 1150)
The best DDR3 RAM memory kits (compatible with: AM3 +, FM2, FM2 +, Intel 1150, Intel 2011) divided by size and capacity.
Best DDR3 LP RAM – Low Profile
Known as “low profile RAM” are useful if you have a very bulky heatsink (avoid contact with it thanks to its small size) or want to save something. They are often equipped with a not very efficient heatsink which consequently does not allow extreme overclocking.
– Best 8GB RAM memory kits
– Best 16GB RAM memory kits
– Best 32GB RAM memory kits
It is worth buying two 16GB memory kits.
Best HP DDR3 RAM – High Profile
Known as “high-profile RAM” are the ultimate overclocking RAM. Their large heatsink is a guarantee: excellent dissipation and often dizzying frequencies.
– Best 8GB RAM memory kits
– Best 16GB RAM memory kits
– Best 32GB RAM memory kits
It is worth buying 2 kits of 16GB memories.
Best PC DDR4 RAM to Buy (Compatible with: Intel 1151, Intel 1151 V2, Intel 2011-3, Intel 2066, AMD AM4)
The best DDR4 RAM memory kits (compatible with: Intel 1151, Intel 2011-3, Intel 2066, AMD AM4, AMD TR4) divided by size and capacity.
Best DDR4 LP RAM – Low Profile
Known as “low profile RAM” are useful if you have a very bulky heatsink (avoid contact with it thanks to its small size) or want to save something. They are often equipped with a not very efficient heatsink which consequently does not allow extreme overclocking.
– Best 8GB RAM memory kits
– Best 16GB RAM memory kits
– Best 32GB RAM memory kits
– Best 64GB RAM memory kits
– Best memory kits from 128GB RAM
It is worth buying 2 64GB memory kits.
Best HP DDR4 RAM – High Profile
Known as “high-profile RAM” are the ultimate overclocking RAM. Their large heatsink is a guarantee: excellent dissipation and often dizzying frequencies.
– Best 8GB RAM memory kits
– Best 16GB RAM memory kits
– Best 32GB RAM memory kits
– Best 64GB RAM memory kits
– Best memory kits from 128GB RAM
It is worth buying 2 64GB memory kits.
Best DDR3 RAM Kits | List
- Kingston HyperX Fury 8GB 1866 2x4GB (LP)
- Corsair CMZ8GX3M2A1600C9 Vengeance 8GB 2x4GB (HP)
- Kingston HyperX Fury 16GB 1866 2x8GB (LP)
- Corsair CMY16GX3M2A2400C11R Vengeance Pro 16GB 2x8GB (HP)
Best DDR4 RAM Memory Kits | List
- Corsair Vegance LPX CMK8GX4M2B3200C16R 8GB 2x4GB (LP)
- G.Skill Ripjaws V F4-3200C16D-8GVK 8GB 2x4GB (HP)
- Corsair Vegance LPX CMK16GX4M2B3200C16 16GB 2x8GB (LP)
- G.Skill Ripjaws V F4-3200C16D-16GVK 16GB 2x8GB (HP)
- Corsair Vegance LPX CMK32GX4M2F4000C19 32GB 2x16GB (LP)
- G.Skill Ripjaws VF4-3200C16Q-32GVK 32GB 4x8GB (HP)
- Corsair Vegance LPX CMK64GX4M4B3200C16 64GB 4x16GB (LP)
- G.Skill Ripjaws V F4-3200C16Q-64GVK 64GB 4x16GB (HP)
See you next month!
I hope this guide was helpful to you and remember that it will be updated monthly. For any doubts or suggestions, I invite you to use the comments box below.
PS: remember to also choose one of the best CPUs!