Hardcore gamers and livestreamers alike should be more than satisfied with this RAM configuration. This is a favorite among enthusiasts, and is very unlikely to be filled by anyone but the most extreme users. This is the best amount of memory for gaming. Only extreme multitaskers- ie, livestreamers- need to go beyond this.

This is great for common desktop usage, and will work well with most modern games, as well. Okay for common desktop usage and older games, but not at all enough for intense multitasking or modern games. Past a certain point, especially if you aren’t a very specific type of user, getting too much RAM is simply throwing away money.īelow, we’re going to go over popular RAM configurations, and help you pick which to target. While the rule of “more is better” rings true with RAM, the rule of diminishing returns does as well, especially as far as gaming PC memory is concerned. Read More: DDR3 vs DDR4 RAM: Which is better? You should only be looking into DDR3 RAM if you’re upgrading an old PC. If you’re building a new PC, DDR4 RAM is all that should matter to you. These older-generation motherboards and CPUs will often be inflated in price as well, thanks to the fact that they are no longer being manufactured. There is no benefit in doing so, and you’ll also be locking yourself into obsolete motherboards and CPUs.

However, you shouldn’t be browsing for DDR3 RAM if you’re building a new PC. There are many reasons to still be browsing for DDR3 RAM in 2019. If you’re a savvy budget gamer, you may also have purchased a used prebuilt desktop to slap a new GPU into– and that desktop is likely to still be using DDR3. However, this doesn’t mean that DDR3 RAM should be foregone entirely.ĭDR3 RAM is still necessary for upgrading pretty much any PC built in or before 2014. Since DDR3 is such an old standard, DDR4 RAM is often less expensive than DDR3 on average and much, much faster. DDR3 RAM speeds peak at around 2133 MHz, while DDR4 RAM speeds start at 2400 MHz. The other difference between DDR3 and DDR4 RAM is, well… speed. DDR4 RAM was introduced in 2014, and has been the standard for RAM in PCs ever since.

DDR3 RAM is a previous generation of RAM and is supported by older motherboards– pretty much any motherboard manufactured after 2007 and before 2014. The first big difference between DDR3 and DDR4 RAM is the fact that they’re different standards.

Ddr3 vs ddr4 gaming