Beginners 101 – 5 Tips When Purchasing RAM

So, you have picked all of the components for your new gaming rig and you have your AORUS C300 GLASS case ready to go but there is one piece of the puzzle left, the RAM, but this is where some confusion starts to set in. Picking your GPU and motherboard was the easy part, but with so many RAM choices available it’s hard to know which one to buy. This is where the questions start. What RAM should I buy? How much RAM do I need, or more specifically, how much RAM do I need for gaming?

It can be tricky to find an answer to these questions, but we are hoping that this article will help point you in the right direction.

So, without wasting a moment longer, let’s take a look at 5 tips to consider when purchasing RAM.

How much RAM do I need?

This is the first question that you need to ask yourself. How much RAM do I really need in my new gaming rig? Computer memory comes in a range of different kits and sizes so it is easy to be unsure of how much you should really buy. This is especially important to consider when trying to stick with a budget.

In 2021, every computer should have at least 8GB of RAM, especially considering that it forms most minimum requirements for PC games. 8GB of RAM however is not ideal as it will put you at minimum requirement level which is not where you want to be and is certainly not future proof.

16GB is the sweet spot for memory allocation that sits nicely in the middle ground for what you want in your PC. It is enough to run the latest PC games at the moment and it isn’t going to break the bank.

If budget allows, it is recommended to go for 32GB of RAM as it will provide you a more future proof path moving forward and will allow you to run more RAM intensive applications. 

In short, if you have a tight budget get 2x 8GB (16GB) of RAM. If budget is not an issue then go for 4x 8GB of RAM to give you 32GB.

What speed RAM should I get?

As we covered in our Beginners 101 - What is RAM article, the speed of your RAM is important when it comes to gaming. As a recap, there are 2 things that come into play with the performance of RAM – Frequency and Latency.

The frequency of RAM is measured in MHz and is responsible for how much data can be accessed at one time. The latency determines how quickly the memory can respond to different requests.

The thing with RAM speeds is that faster is not necessarily always better. This is because the higher the frequency of the RAM, the higher the latency is. What you want to do is hit that sweet spot of high frequency whilst maintaining low latency.

It is always best to take a look at your CPU manufacturers product page and motherboard product page to check what RAM speeds they support.

Ensure your motherboard and CPU supports the RAM you want to buy

This is one of the big “gotchas” that gamers often fall prey to. They forget to consult the specifications of the motherboard and CPU that have in order to ensure compatibility with their new RAM.

With the hardware landscape forever changing, new hardware constantly releases to support the latest technologies whilst support for older technology starts to vanish. This is especially true for RAM.

With DDR4 ram being the current memory standard, it is important that you make sure that your motherboard supports DDR4 RAM and that it also supports dual channel memory.

The same thing goes for your CPU. Computer memory and CPUs work hand in hand so make sure that you confirm that your CPU supports the RAM frequency that you are wanting to purchase.

Add a bit of style to your gaming rig

It is important that your gaming rig be fast and powerful to help give you that competitive gaming edge, but that doesn’t mean that it needs to be boring.

A gaming PC is the centerpiece of your office or gaming room. With stylish new cases being released that showcase the internals of your rig it’s nice to take the time to make it looks awesome.

RGB lighting is available on pretty much all PC hardware now and that includes RAM. Choose some RAM like the AORUS RGB Memory that offers nice aesthetics and that offers robust RGB lighting options.

This will help you to finish of the look of your new build and will make the time you took to build it even more worthwhile.

Double check RAM height and clearances

RAM clearance is another thing that can cause troubles during your gaming computer build. RAM is available in a wide range of different styles and sizes and as a result this means that the height of the ram also greatly differs. Although this doesn’t sound like a big deal, it can bring an end to that new build that you are working on.

The reason why this can cause issues is because there is no guarantee that the memory you are purchasing will psychically fit into your computer because the other components in there could cause some obstruction.

The CPU cooler you use determines which RAM will fit in your computer. This is because CPU coolers can be very large in order to accommodate larger heatsinks and fins etc. as such you might find that your RAM is a little bit too tall when you go to install them that the CPU cooler gets in the way.

The best way to avoid this is to check the specifications of the CPU cooler you have and look at the RAM clearance. Also check the memory that you want to purchase to confirm the height of the modules. This will ensure that everything fits in nice and comfortable. You can maximise your options in RAM if you purchase a cooler that has a low profile such as the AORUS Liquid Cooler 280.

If you follow these simple tips you should have a much smoother experience when buying your RAM and putting together your brand new gaming PC.

Learn More：

－Beginners 101 – What is a Motherboard

－Beginners 101 – What is a Graphics Card

－Beginners 101 – What is RAM

－Beginners 101 – What is SSD and HDD Storage

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