RAM IS A CORE COMPONENT of any computer. With
DDR4 now well and truly entrenched in the memory
market and DDR5 on the horizon, manufacturers
are looking out in different directions: massive
64GB and 128GB sets running across eight
channels, and faster speeds than ever seen before.
Frequencies only continue to rise, with companies
such as HyperX and Corsair pushing commercially
available sticks at well over 4,000MHz.
But it ain’t cheap. RAM price-per-GB skyrocketed
between 2016 and 2018, although recent trends
have shown that DDR4 kits have slowly lowered
in price from the latter half of 2018. RAM offering
3,000MHz and above remains expensive, with a
seemingly endless list of brands and product lines
to choose from. It’s daunting. The vast majority of
modern memory comes packaged with integrated
heatsinks, with many sporting multicolored LEDs
to boot. Some beefier packs even come with their
own coolers, mounting awkwardly above the DIMM
sockets. With an open mind and an even more open
wallet, it’s easy to spend a silly amount of money.
Choosing RAM in this day and age can be a
laborious process, but fear not—as always,
Maximum PC has got your back. Over the next
few pages, we’re going to break down the
technology and nuances behind random-access
memory, and discuss which kits are best for which
builds. A discerning eye is important when buying
RAM; what you pay for is not always what you get.MAXIMUM PC 23