Review of the best according to the editorial board. On the selection criteria. This material is subjective and does not constitute advertising and does not serve as a purchase guide. Before buying, you need to consult with a specialist.
If you look inside a computer case, you will find many of the components that make your PC work. One of the most important of these is RAM. If you don't have a single work bar, the computer simply won't start! RAM is also required for tablets, smartphones, and even smart TVs! Therefore, one should not be surprised that there are now a very large number of RAM manufacturers. The best of them will be discussed in this article.
Rating of the best manufacturers of RAM
| Nomination | a place | Manufacturer | rating |
| Rating of the best manufacturers of RAM | 1 | Corsair | 5.0 |
| 2 | Adata | 4.9 | |
| 3 | Crucial | 4.8 | |
| 4 | HyperX | 4.7 | |
| 5 | Samsung | 4.6 | |
| 6 | AMD | 4.5 | |
| 7 | G.Skill | 4.4 | |
| 8 | Goodram | 4.3 | |
| 9 | Transcend | 4.2 | |
| 10 | Kingston | 4.1 |
Corsair
Rating: 5.0
There are very few companies in the world that specialize only in the production of computer memory. The American Corsair was one of those at first. However, now its range has expanded significantly. This is due to the gradual decline in demand for traditional computer components – nowadays, many people are moving away from desktops and laptops in favor of more compact devices.
Corsair is a privately held company headquartered in the US state of California. It was incorporated in January 1994. Initially, the second-level cache, also called the COAST module, rolled off the assembly line of the plant. The production of DRAM strips for the server market began a little later, when the company Intel began to independently include L2 cache in its microprocessors. And even later, Corsair started releasing DRAM memory for enthusiasts that could be overclocked.
The number of employees of the company only grows every year. The assortment is also expanding. In stores, you can easily find different types of memory sold under the Corsair brand. In particular, Americans are trying to establish themselves in the solid state drive market. Also, this brand is well known to gamers, as headsets, armchairs, keyboards, computer mice and PC cases are produced especially for them. All these products have an aggressive and memorable design.
As for the RAM, there are often no complaints about it. The company continues to practice releasing modules that can be easily overclocked – all you need to do is change a few digits in B IOS. It is curious that now even the cheapest trims are equipped with a radiator, albeit a very simple one. This means that RAM is not prone to overheating, no matter how seriously you load it. With regard to the volume of one bar, it varies from 4 to 16 GB. Of course, for the most voluminous module you will have to pay tangible money – about 6 thousand rubles. But on the other hand, such RAM is perfect for solving any tasks, providing the user with a high frequency (3000 MHz declared).
In short, the products under the Corsair brand command only respect. You can safely take such RAM, you are unlikely to be disappointed in it.
Adata
Rating: 4.9
The Adata brand is familiar to many computer owners. A lot of small electronics are produced under it. In particular, you can easily find corresponding USB sticks, memory cards, power banks and much more in stores. One gets the impression that the company has been around for many years. No matter how it is! Its foundation took place in the not so distant 2001.
The Taiwanese manufacturer began its history with the release of solid state drives, USB sticks, DRAM modules and a variety of mobile accessories. These products immediately began to be in demand. But not at all because of its quality! It's just that the company's management decided to immediately bet on low cost. However, in the future, some products have ceased to be as cheap as possible. In particular, this applies to RAM.
In hardware stores, you can find a wide variety of ADATA DRAM modules. Even outdated DDR3 boards are still being successfully sold. However, why not? Many people have at their disposal motherboards that support only this memory standard, and they are not going to do anything about it. These modules can be very inexpensive. Much more will have to be spent on DDR4 strips with a heatsink and an increased frequency. For example, a top-end set of two 16 GB modules with a frequency of 3000 MHz is estimated at 12 thousand rubles.
Interestingly, the Taiwanese manufacturer registered the XPG sub-brand some time ago. It is under it that almost all the RAM intended for installation in a PC is now distributed. Thus, the company wants to ensure that consumers forget about the low cost of ADATA products.
Should you buy DRAM modules from a Taiwanese company? Why not? If we are talking about not the cheapest slats, then they will definitely please with both power and durability. Such modules are actively tested, and there is strict quality control during their production. The same cannot be said about the budget slats. Most often they cannot be overclocked, and such a module can also be easily defective. However, problems emerge in the very first hours of using the computer; they can be identified without much difficulty. Therefore, when you buy a marriage, you will hand it back under warranty.
Crucial
Rating: 4.8
Most of the representatives of our selection are capable of boasting a very wide range. Most often, tech giants produce a variety of components. And if their factories allow them, they also assemble laptops under their own brand. There are also exceptions to the rule. For example, Crucial specializes exclusively in the production of computer memory. This must be why most readers never heard of this company.
In fact, Crucial is just a brand, a trademark. The company is called Micron Technology. Its headquarters are located in the United States. For some time she had a subsidiary company Aptina Imaging, engaged in the development and production of CMOS sensors, but now it is an independent company. Nevertheless, it makes it clear that Micron is friendly with high technology.
Crucial RAM can be found in most hardware stores. At the same time, you should not look for DDR3 modules. This company has already completely abandoned the production of such strips. Its factories focused on the production of DDR4 modules, which are characterized by high frequency. Sometimes even super high!
Now the company's range of products includes RAM, sold under the Ballistix sub-brand. These bars are designed for gaming computers. They are the ones who break speed records. In particular, modules capable of operating at a frequency of 3600 MHz were recently presented. In this case, the volume of the bar can be 8, 16 or even 32 GB.
Crucial RAM modules are not only fast, they are also durable. The manufacturer is so confident in his product that he decided to provide a lifetime warranty! It does not work only in cases when the bar fails due to an unsuccessful attempt to overclock the PC.
HyperX
Rating: 4.7
And this is the brand that most readers are familiar with. At least those of them who at least once in their lives assembled a computer for themselves. Products under this brand are distinguished by an excellent price-quality ratio. It was like this before, the same situation remains now, it is unlikely that anything will change in the future.
In fact, HyperX is a division of the American company Kingston Technology, which we will talk about later. Initially, only RAM was produced under the HyperX brand. These were DDR2 and DDR3 bars with an average operating frequency. Later, the release of DDR4 modules began, which gradually began to replace the outdated standard. Well, then Kingston began to position HyperX as a brand under which products for gamers are sold. The brand has even started sponsoring events for esports players! Well, headsets, SSD drives and all kinds of gaming accessories began to appear on store shelves – in particular, mice, mats for them and keyboards. HyperX is currently providing financial assistance to approximately two dozen esports teams.
If we talk about the RAM on sale now, then the assortment can surprise any person who is familiar with PC assembly only by hearsay. The greatest demand is for inexpensive slats, which can be purchased for only one and a half to two thousand rubles. But, as mentioned above, this brand positions itself as a gaming brand. In this regard, you can find amazing sets in the price lists of retail chains, estimated at 34 or even 56 thousand rubles! The latter includes eight DDR4 modules, the total volume of which reaches an impressive 128 GB. And these are not the fastest standards yet! The company's assortment includes modules operating at 3466 MHz, but they are even less affordable.
Samsung
Rating: 4.6
Everyone knows about the South Korean company Samsung. However, many consumers think that only TVs, smartphones and other similar equipment are produced by it. Even not everyone suspects the existence of Samsung laptops. But South Koreans also produce PC components! In particular, they produce very fast memory. This isn't about hard drives, it's about solid state drives. It was Samsung that was one of the first to start reducing the cost of this type of memory, and therefore SSDs became available to many ordinary computer owners. And now modules like M.2 are getting cheaper, which can boast even higher speed.
RAM has been produced by Samsung for a long time. At one time, it was a real alternative to DDR3 slats from famous competitors, which is much cheaper. At the same time, defects in these products were quite rare. The problem was the standard speed of the memory modules; the South Koreans did not strive to release strips with an increased frequency. However, the situation has not changed until now. The company switched to the DDR4 type, but its creations do not differ in particularly high parameters. In the best case, its bar will have an 8 GB capacity and a frequency of 2666 MHz. Needless to say that no gamer will be satisfied with such numbers? But on the other hand, such RAM is the best choice for installation in an office PC. Such strips do not even have a radiator, since they practically do not heat up.
The lack of Samsung products is the lack of assortment. All of it is literally a couple of models. The buyer simply has nothing to choose from. And this RAM is gradually disappearing from stores. Apparently, the South Koreans have decided to focus on SSD and M.2. Well, on memory modules for smartphones, of course.
AMD
Rating: 4.5
Many people know about AMD. It has been successfully competing for a long time Intel, releasing equally powerful, but slightly more affordable chipsets for PCs. But in fact, the range of Advanced Micro Devices includes not only computer processors.
The American manufacturer was born back in 1969. Computers were still in their infancy at that time. So it’s no surprise that for just $ 100,000, Jerry Sanders and his friends were able to set up a production of logic integrated circuits. In fact, AMD's history began with the creation of a clone of the processor Intel 8080. Later, the company began to develop its own products. This business turned out to be incredibly successful. In 2006, it got to the point that AMD absorbed one of its main competitors – ATI Technologies. Around the same time, the company launched dual-core chipsets. At this point, it became clear that in the future, the emphasis will not be on increasing the clock speed, but on increasing the number of cores.
As mentioned above, AMD is not only about processors. On store shelves, you can easily find her video cards. They successfully compete with NVIDIA products, being less expensive analogs, albeit less functional at the same time. Roughly the same words can be said for AMD RAM.
The company still produces DDR3-type strips, which have a very low cost. However, more and more buyers are looking towards DDR4. And AMD has a lot to offer here, too. For example, 4-gigabyte modules with a frequency of 2666 MHz are sold for 1,500 rubles or a little more. Such strips have a radiator, but only to improve the design, because such a module practically does not heat up. Well, advanced gamers usually buy something from the Performance Series line. The volume of the RAM strips included in it can reach 16 GB, and the frequency is 3000 MHz. And such modules, of course, allow themselves to be overclocked.
G.Skill
Rating: 4.4
Only a few countries are involved in the production of RAM. One of them is Taiwan. In particular, G.Skill is based here. This company was founded in 1989, during the active development of computer technology. The founders of the enterprise immediately decided that they would only produce computer components, one way or another related to memory. No graphics cards, no headsets, no webcams! That is why now only the following devices sold under the G.Skill brand can be found on store shelves:
- Random access memory – Taiwanese started with DDR2, gradually reaching the modern high-speed type DDR4;
- Solid state drives – those who want to significantly speed up the launch of the operating system and installed programs make their choice in their favor;
- Flash memory – for some time the company produced MMC and SD cards. You can also find microSD cards in some stores.
In 2015, the Taiwanese company decided to enter the peripheral market. This is how a gaming keyboard and a similar computer mouse were born. But it cannot be said that the company is placing serious emphasis on such devices – many people do not even know about their existence.
As for the G.Skill RAM, it is intended exclusively for gamers. Cheap modules are simply not sold under this brand. Moreover, the company has practically forgotten about the DDR3 type, while in many countries there are a huge number of people whose computers have motherboards that support just such memory. And these people are often not going to change their PC.
Almost all RAM modules manufactured by G.Skill are equipped with a heatsink. Such strips are not afraid of high heat, which leads to overclocking. As much as possible, the Taiwanese are ready to offer modules, the frequency of which has been increased to 4400 MHz. Their purchase will be expensive – in Russia for a set of two 8 GB slats they will ask for over 21 thousand rubles.
Goodram
Rating: 4.3
Many people think that RAM has always been produced in only two or three countries. Such people are unaware of the existence of Wilk Elektronik. Its headquarters are located in Poland. There is also a factory, from the assembly line of which RAM modules come off! It is the only plant of this type located in Eastern and Central Europe.
The Polish company was founded in 1991. The first decade of its existence, it was engaged only in RAM distribution, selling up to 70% of memory modules supplied to Poland. At the same time, the enterprise swung in 2000. It was then that the plant was built, which launched the production of RAM under the Goodram brand.
At first, the modules met all the requirements of computer users. According to some characteristics, they even surpassed the competitors! However, now the bars live up to their name: it's just 'good memory', nothing more. And cheap, which is important. You can easily find modest DDR3 modules selling for 1000 rubles, and sometimes even cheaper. By the way, owners of very old computers can still find Goodram DDR2 RAM in online stores.
What is the maximum of a Polish company? Does it now manufacture DDR4 memory, which is becoming more and more relevant? Yes, such planks are being produced, and every day on an ever larger scale. However, these are still not products for enthusiasts. Although some gamers will still be satisfied with the characteristics, they definitely cannot be called weak. For example, now 8 GB sticks with a frequency of 3000 MHz are in decent demand. A set of two such modules, equipped with a blue radiator, will cost only 6 thousand rubles. There are also 16 GB sticks in the assortment of the company, but their operating frequency is slightly lower. But on the other hand, in terms of 1 GB, such RAM is much cheaper. This makes them the best choice for installation anywhere in a computer server.
Perhaps Goodram products deserve the money spent on them. Often very small, which is good news.
Transcend
Rating: 4.2
When someone hears about the Transcend brand, most often they think of USB sticks and memory cards from this manufacturer. Indeed, he releases them in large quantities. But in fact, this company also produces more serious products.
Transcend is a Taiwanese diversified electronics manufacturer founded in 1988. The company's headquarters are located in Taipei, adjacent to many other IT giants. Now this brand is well known. At the same time, it cannot be said that the products distributed under it have any indisputable advantages. Even memory cards are not capable of boasting some incredible speed characteristics. But they often get a lifetime warranty. Some flash drives also have it.
You might think that the production of Transcend RAM has just started. But this is not the case. It has been releasing it for several years, as evidenced by the presence of DDR3 modules in the range. However, now buyers are increasingly opting for DDR4 trims. The company also has them, but in a very limited quantity. In fact, only a few models are produced by it, differing in the attainable operating frequency. And none of them can be called suitable for a gaming computer.
Most often, Transcend memory sticks receive 8 GB, especially those of the DDR4 type. As for the frequency, the maximum Taiwanese manufacturer has achieved 2666 MHz. This memory cannot be called slow, but it is not fast either. It is not for nothing that the module does not even have a radiator, it does not really heat up.
We recommend buying Transcend RAM for installation in a server or regular office computer. In the first case, you may be interested in 16 GB modules, a Taiwanese manufacturer also produces them. However, the cost of such a bar is by no means low, it equals approximately 13 thousand rubles.
Kingston
Rating: 4.1
Another American manufacturer of random access memory ends our selection. Kingston Technology was founded in 1987. Then there was a shortage of memory chips, in connection with which John Tu and David Sun decided to start their production. Since then, the company has managed to introduce a wide variety of devices. In particular, she created MP3 players for some time. However, attempts to enter other segments of the electronics market can hardly be called successful. It should be admitted that now the Kingston brand is associated exclusively with computer memory.
Now the American company is seeking to promote its own solid state drives. They please with a relatively low price and decent volume. As for the RAM, the buyer will find a very wide range. Some modules are designed for servers, others are installed in a laptop, others will find a place in an office and low-power PC, and the fourth bracket should suit experienced gamers.
RAM modules of various sizes come off the assembly line of Kingston factories. In stores, you can even find 2GB slats, which are now almost not in demand. Such modules belong to the DDR2 and DDR3 types, and their operating frequency rarely exceeds 1333 MHz. As for more productive solutions, it seems that the company has forgotten about gamers. Yes, under the Kingston brand 16 GB DDR4 strips are sold, but the operating frequency of 2400 MHz suggests that this is still an option not for a gaming computer, but for a regular computer. This is because gaming solutions are sold under a separate brand name. This is HyperX, a brand already mentioned in our ranking of RAM manufacturers.
Despite the fact that Kingston closes this review, we safely recommend purchasing its products. It has a long service life and full compliance with the declared characteristics. This is a great option for a regular home PC that is rarely used to run games.
Conclusion
Now you know about who ate the dog in the production of RAM. The products of the companies considered in this rating do not cause any particular concern. Although we must not forget that absolutely every manufacturer allows a certain percentage of defects. But it manifests itself exclusively on the first day of using the purchased slats, so problems with the return of goods in any case will not arise. And that is why RAM is often supplied with an extremely long warranty period – up to ten years.
Attention! This rating is subjective and does not constitute an advertisement and does not serve as a purchase guide. Before buying, you need to consult with a specialist.
