Major RAM Brands Ranked Worst To Best (And Which Ones To Avoid)

RAM is an important part of your PC build. Whether you are building a new gaming rig or a video editing workstation, RAM determines how much memory bandwidth your computer has to run tasks in the background — so it's important to get it right.

Technically, RAM modules are made by only three companies: Samsung, Micron, and Hynix. The companies that actually sell RAM take these modules and place them in their own PCB sticks. This means that at the end of the day, the brands have very little input on the quality of the RAM, so you're really just shopping for speed, size, and whatever aesthetic you prefer.

That being said, there are several well-known brands that sell RAM. Each has its own distinct look, performance, and price. Here are all those major brands ranked worst to best, including two that you shouldn't buy except in specific circumstances. Each brand is ranked according to factors like price, performance, and compatibility with different types of motherboards.

Just like other PC components, there are terms you should probably be familiar with when shopping for RAM. Here's a brief description of the most important terms to know — capacity, speed, and XMP.

Capacity refers to how much memory is contained in each stick of RAM. Most modern RAM sticks are 4GB, 8GB, or 16GB. If you buy a kit, it will quantify the total amount of RAM by multiplying the capacity of each stick by the total number (16GB = 2 x 8GB). For gaming PCs, 16GB is considered the sweet spot for capacity.

The speed of pretty much all modern RAM is Double Data Rate, which means it performs two actions per clock cycle. The generation is determined by the acronym DDR followed by a number. DDR5 is the most recent generation and the cutting edge. DDR4 is more affordable and more widely available. However, the generation isn't as important as the data transfer rate. The higher the rate, the more processes it completes. An example data transfer rate is DDR4 3200.

XMP is short for Extreme Memory Profiles. Essentially, RAM that supports XMP can easily have the speed adjusted by switching to a different profile in the BIOS, which makes overclocking fast and simple.

Samsung is one of the few companies that actually produce RAM, but that doesn't make it the go-to brand for RAM. The company hasn't really broken into the performance RAM market, and you would be hard-pressed to find a stick available. You could certainly find some laptop RAM, but that won't be compatible with your desktop motherboard.

It almost feels like a missed opportunity since Samsung dominates other PC component segments like SSDs. The RAM modules Samsung does have available aren't geared toward gamers, either, which means no XMP or built-in heat spreaders. You'll get better performance and a better-looking setup getting (almost) any other brand.

That being said, if you're looking to upgrade an old laptop, then Samsung is a great option. The desktop sticks they have available are also good choices for server solutions. They're also pretty cheap, and you can usually pay about $27 for a stick of Samsung RAM on Amazon.

Just like Samsung, you are probably better off avoiding the RAM sticks made directly by Micron. While they are good solutions for basic desktops or server solutions, this isn't what you would want to put in a gaming PC.

Micron memory doesn't support XMP profiles, and it also lacks a lot of the heat spreaders found in gaming RAM products. Spreading heat is especially important in a gaming PC since most of the components will be pushed to their limits, creating a lot of heat.

Micron RAM also doesn't have that gamer aesthetic that everyone knows. Building a clean and sharp-looking interior is half the appeal of PC gaming, and you won't get that with Micron RAM. Unless you're upgrading a laptop or building some type of server, you will be better served by a different brand than Micron. Luckily, there are plenty of options to choose from.

ADATA has been around for a long time and is a staple budget brand for several PC components. Its RAM is much the same, and what it lacks in bells and whistles it makes up for in affordability.

The company offers regular RAM sticks that are great for standard desktops or servers, but the company also has an XPG line of gaming memory. XPG has the angular design for the heat spreader you would expect for a gaming product, and it's pretty affordable. You can get 16GB of memory from ADATA for $35 on Amazon. At the moment, the XPG line from ADATA on Amazon is effectively sold out — but it's quite likely more will be available at some point in the future. 

That's a pretty good deal, but it does have some drawbacks. There are some compatibility issues with certain motherboards, and you aren't going to find any RGB lights on these sticks. Make sure you do your research to see if this product works with your board before buying. If you want lighting effects, you are going to have to pay more for them.

Crucial is another budget brand for PC components, and the company also has RAM sticks available for sale. Crucial is owned by Micron, so it gets the benefit of having rigorous testing for and a direct line to its RAM modules. It's also pretty affordable. You can get a Crucial DDR5 16GB kit for $54 on Amazon. The caveat is you won't get anything fancy like RGB lighting at that price.

Crucial also has a PRO RAM line. This line also has super-fast speeds and supports XMP — including XMP 3.0 – and the included heat spreader will improve the RAM's lifespan and performance.

Crucial Ballistix is its fancy gamer-branded product, but oddly enough it doesn't have RGB controls. There have also been reports of compatibility issues with certain MSI boards. While the RAM does support XMP, the performance leaves a lot to be desired. However, if you stick with the more budget-oriented options, Crucial is a solid choice for RAM.

Kingston is a budget brand that has earned a strong reputation in the PC community for quality products. That reputation holds true with its RAM options, which boast remarkably low failure rates. While other brands have displayed compatibility issues with certain motherboards, Kingston RAM works with virtually everything.

The FURY line is Kingston's high-end RAM product for gamers. It boasts the kind of performance you would expect from Kingston, and it has that gamer aesthetic everyone is after. The FURY line also supports XMP and AMD Expo. The RAM even has RGB, though the app to control it is pretty annoying to navigate. You can get a Kingston DDR5 16GB kit for $73 on Amazon.

Things aren't perfect with the FURY line, though. The cooling is mediocre at best, which leads to some performance issues, although the DDR5 kits have further improved stability because of the on-die ECC, which reduces defect rates. ECC stands for Error Correction Code, and it's a protocol that automatically detects and corrects incorrect data. 

Silicon Power has gotten pretty popular over the years because it offers all the features gamers want in RAM at a reasonable price — for approximately $109 you can get the latest DDR5 32GB Zenith kits from Amazon. The Zenith series has a premium aluminum heat spreader that improves performance and the overall lifespan of the product.

There is, of course, RGB and XMP support, so you can overclock these sticks and make your PC flashy in the process. The RGB is also compatible with ASUS Aura Sync and other popular RGB utilities. This allows you to sync all of your RGB components for a cohesive look.

The biggest drawback to Silicon Power is the out-of-box performance. Users have reported clock speeds that are lower than advertised, and they had to adjust settings in the BIOS to get those reported speeds. The good news is the RAM does perform as advertised, you just have to get it there yourself, which is less than ideal.

Patriot makes some of the best RAM products around, and you can often find them in roundup lists when you search for the best RAM. Produced in the U.S., it also has great customer service support. The Viper Elite series was the go-to DDR4 option, but the new VIPER VENOM has DDR5 kits that boast a 6600MHz clock speed. That's really fast, and you can get a 32GB Patriot kit for $114.

That makes Patriot a significantly pricier option, but you're getting a premium product at that price. You're getting snappy speeds, excellent XMP performance, and RGB goodness in the package.

However, users have reported some issues with Patriot products. While customer service is great, customers have had their products arrive mislabeled, and sometimes they don't work at all. Customer service is quick to replace these, but it does make it a hassle and a bit of an unnecessary annoyance to deal with.

TeamGroup is a brand that is exceedingly popular in Asian markets, and now the company is starting to gain more traction in the United States and elsewhere. You can get a speedy and large-capacity RAM kit for a good price too. The T-Force Delta DDR5 32GB RAM kit on Amazon costs around $104 and includes practically every feature you would want in a RAM kit.

Clock speed starts at 5200MHz on these kits and goes all the way up to 6400MHz. The T-Force Delta kits also support XMP 3.0 and have RGB. You will have to tinker around with both to get the desired results, and the RGB is a pain point for some users. However, you're getting a pretty high-quality kit at a competitive price, which might make those annoyances worth it.

If you're looking to save even more money, you can always get a DDR4 kit. As of now, you may not notice a performance difference between that and DDR5, but you will have to upgrade sooner rather than later.

G.Skill is one of the top dogs in the RAM market and many of its products are included in the best custom PC builds. There's a good reason for that — the company's kits often have the best looks and a wide range of capacities and clock speeds. The Trident series is the flagship product from G.Skill, and it comes with a sleek aluminum heat spreader that looks great and keeps the RAM cool. The RGB is present but not overstated like on some other products.

The latest models have everything you would expect: DDR5, clock speeds up to 6800MHz, and XMP 3.0 support. And with the high-quality heat spreader, you can easily overclock the RAM to max out its potential. You can get a 32GB G.Skill kit for $124 on Amazon. That puts it in the upper echelon for price, but there's no doubt that this product is one of the very best you can buy. In fact, it's only beaten out by one other brand.

Corsair is one of the top names in PC accessories, and it makes a lot of peripherals including keyboards and gaming mice. Corsair is also the undisputed leader in gaming RAM. The Vengence line of RAM offers best-in-class performance, and Corsair undoubtedly has the best-looking products on the market.

You can get Corsair DDR5 32GB Vengence kits for $128 on Amazon. That's within a few dollars of the G.Skill equivalent and you get better performance to boot. Each stick of RAM also has a 10-zone RGB strip that can be individually programmed for a truly custom RGB experience. You can manage the RGB experience for all your Corsair products, including the RAM, in the iCue software. 

Since Corsair is so popular it's widely compatible with basically every motherboard brand. The components also include XMP 3.0 support with custom profiles also makes for a simple and powerful overlocking experience. All things considered and tabulated, Corsair currently provides the best RAM brand on the market.