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Sure, your RAM speed does matter, but how much?
- When picking RAM for gaming, RAM speeds are so high now that the frequency isn't as important as latency and memory channels.
- Enabling XMP or EXPO in your BIOS will automatically set your RAM to the best performance, maximizing gaming capabilities.
- For most users, 16GB of RAM is sufficient for multitasking and gaming, but 32GB provides future-proofing without much added cost.
Generally speaking, larger numbers are better when purchasing PC hardware. Processors with i9 or Ryzen 9 are more powerful than i5/i7 and Ryzen 5/7. The best graphics cards have higher product numbers, like RTX 4080 vs. RTX 4070, and power supply units are increasingly more powerful and efficient as the wattage goes up. So, you might be wondering if, when picking the best RAM for gaming performance, larger RAM speeds are worth their higher price. The answer is slightly more complex than you'd think, but essentially, RAM speeds are so high nowadays that it doesn't really matter much. Let's discuss why.
How to find out your RAM specs on a Windows 11 PC
If you're not sure what kind of RAM is inside your PC, Windows 11 gives you a way to easily find out the memory specs
What actually affects RAM performance?
Three things combine to make your memory go zoom
It's important to first understand that there isn't a single number that decides your RAM speed and how much performance you will get. Your system's overall performance is a product of its memory bandwidth and how much data it can transfer in a given time period. Higher RAM frequencies, lower latencies, and more channels all combine to determine your RAM's total speed.
- Frequency: This is the RAM speed, measured in MT/s. DDR4 speeds are usually in the 3,000 MT/s range, while DDR5 can be up to 8,200 MT/s currently.
- Timing or Latency: The number to really worry about is the CAS or CL number, and smaller numbers are better here.
- Channels: You can't tweak this number. Instead, it is set by the CPU and how many sticks of RAM you have installed. Most consumer motherboards and processors have two memory channels, so having two or four sticks of RAM will get you running in dual-channel mode, which gives you more bandwidth.
You might think that the frequency is the most important factor, with a higher number being better overall. That was the conventional wisdom for many years, but now that DDR4 and DDR5 are at high frequencies, no matter which kit you pick up, the other two numbers start to matter more. That said, increasing frequency does make memory bandwidth increase, which gives you more performance. But, increasing the number of memory channels in use also increases bandwidth, so we recommend using two sticks of RAM at a minimum, and four if you need more capacity.
Reducing the latency also increases performance, not because it increases bandwidth, but because it reduces the time it takes your CPU and RAM to communicate. When you're moving data between two components, the faster it can move, the more performance you'll get. You might have noticed that lower CL numbers are more expensive for the same frequency and capacity of the RAM kit. That's partly because, just like manual overclocking, it's harder for the manufacturer to lower latency consistently, so those parts fetch a premium.
The good news is that with modern PC hardware, all you need to do is enable one setting in your BIOS. That's XMP or EXPO (or sometimes DOCP), which will automatically set your RAM to the highest frequency and lowest latency that it was certified for. That gives you the best performance for whatever RAM kit you picked up, and it's really all you need to do to get the best gaming performance as well.
What are XMP and EXPO and how do they help boost RAM performance?
Enabling XMP and EXPO is an easy way to maximize your RAM performance. But there are some differences in the two approaches.
A quick note about RAM speed and RAM capacity
While higher RAM speeds and lower latencies do make a difference in some tasks, the sheer amount of RAM you have usually has more of an impact on everyday usage. Think of capacity as the number of things your computer can do at one time. Having too little capacity means slowdowns when multitasking or even being unable to run some programs or games. For most people, at least 16GB is the amount of RAM that they need, whether that's for productivity or gaming tasks. If you want to future-proof a little, 32GB will give you enough capacity for the foreseeable future, and it's really not that much of an added cost with how much prices have come down recently.
DDR4 vs DDR5 RAM: What's different and which one should you buy?
DDR4 vs DDR5 RAM remains one of the most discussed topics in the PC computing space.
How do I know what my maximum supported RAM clock is?
It depends on the manufacturer of your processor and motherboard
When deciding on RAM for an upcoming build or upgrading the one you already have, it's important to know which RAM modules are supported by your hardware. The tricky part is that you will want to look in two places, and the numbers that each one will give you will be different. That's because both your processor and motherboard have a part to play in which RAM speeds and types you can use, so you have to check two manufacturers' specification sheets to cross-check this.
For Intel CPUs, that means heading to Intel Ark, which will show you the specifications for every processor the company makes or has made. AMD also has a similar place to find the data you need, with a large database that links to more comprehensive individual CPU specifications. The second place is the manufacturer's page for your motherboard. That's important because CPUs often quote a substantially lower RAM speed than what the motherboard will support. Use the motherboard page as your buying guide, as it will also have a list of RAM kits that were specifically tested on that motherboard for compatibility.
How to check your RAM speed
There are multiple ways to check your RAM speed, all of which are quite easy to do.
RAM speeds don't make as much of a difference as you think
For gamers, the main limiting factor of your PC's performance is your graphics card, not other components. That means buying any compatible RAM for your computer will give you similar performance, with the exception being gaming at 1080p resolution. In that case, RAM and CPU speeds matter more than the GPU, and faster RAM with lower latency could be worth the higher price. For everyone else, there is a bigger impact from making sure your RAM is running in dual-channel mode by installing two modules or four modules. The only other time that faster RAM is a consideration is if you are using a program that benefits from lower latencies or higher frequencies. If you use one of these programs, you already know you need the best RAM you can get.