The 10 Best DDR4 Memory With RGB
Editor's Notes
October 21, 2020:
RGB-lit components are pretty squarely marketed toward gamers, so we looked at these products through that lens, to a point, and there are a few things we want to clarify in that respect. First, RAM capacity is more important than clock speed, and for now as well as the near future, there's very little difference between having 16 and 32 gigabytes. We would definitely advise upgrading from 8 gigabytes to 16, though, as that will almost certainly make a noticeable difference.
A more subtle difference, but also one worth mentioning, is clock speed. Granted, RAM clock speed is more a measurement of maximum bandwidth than processing power - because RAM doesn't actually process any data, it only stores and retrieves it - but it is still worthy of consideration. More so, in fact, for AMD systems, where large parts of the frontside bus are dependent on RAM clock speeds. For that reason, if you're rocking a relatively new Ryzen CPU, the HyperX Predator , Corsair Vengeance Pro, and Thermaltake ToughRAM should be on your short list. The Crucial Ballistix Max, of course, performs every bit as well, but is about as expensive as they come.
On the other hand, Intel systems as well as GPU-heavy games won't benefit as much from increased RAM clock speeds, and in those cases, the XPG D60G, HyperX Fury, and Patriot Viper are great for their midrange price and above-average performance. The Oloy Warhawk, for what it's worth, costs even less than any of those popular brands' offerings, and while its manufacturer isn't terribly well known, it should work just fine in most builds.
January 11, 2019:
RAM's pretty simple, right? After all, you only need two to four sticks, and 16GB should get you through most tasks, so just pick a brand, right? Well, it's not that simple, and in fact, system memory configuration is remarkably complex, and you should take care to get the chips that will work perfectly with your build.
That said, it's hard to go wrong with anything by HyperX, and their predator line is regularly lauded as one of the best. The same can be said of the G.Skill; both of these brands are household names among PC gaming enthusiasts. Patriot and Corsair have been putting their memory inside desktops for literally as long as home computing has been popular, and their RGB lines are built to the highest standards. Gigabyte's offerings work fantastically, and they also look great, especially when paired with the same brand's other powerful components.
If you're going for a particularly bold appearance, the Team T-Force will give you that, as its angular design is quite memorable. The Spectrix is known to have very bright lighting effects, while the Ballistix sports a gunmetal-colored aluminum heat spreader that adds a classy and tough look.