Does RAM Brand Matter?

Like every other thing, some PC-building enthusiasts are brand-conscious and prefer branded stuff. Whether it adds any significance to their setup, they will do the same for the RAM without knowing whether the RAM they bought will help the processor and other components to perform better or not.  But if you’re someone who prefers quality with or without any labels, then by the end of this article, you will learn the answer of whether or not does Ram brand matters for you or you’re just buying it for the name. 

This article will help you to understand the difference between branded and non-branded Ram and how to formulate the desired criteria. Moreover, it includes the answer to whether you should mix multiple brands or not.

Why Does RAM Brand Matter?

Now let’s delve into the main topic to evaluate what factors on which branded RAM gives competition to nonbrand options:

Product Warranty and Exchange Policies

One of the most important factors that buyers prefer branded RAM is due to their warranty and return policies. Brands design these policies to attract more customers and maintain their reputation by assuring their purchase is worth buying and protected. These warranty and return policies also allow users to have flexibility and convenience when making a purchase, such as being able to return or exchange an item for another one if they don’t like it.

For instance, if you buy RAM from a renowned name and encounter any issue while using it, you have the opportunity to claim the brand to repair free of cost as you hold the warranty card. Even if the RAM doesn’t support your motherboard, you can request a return or exchange according to the return policy. In contrast, if you buy the same RAM from a local store, you might face some financial issues. First of all, they don’t offer a warranty and if they do they provide it for only a few days, which means you have to deal with any issues right away. Sometimes, in the worst cases, they’re hesitant to honor their policies, so you might have to deal with the problem on your own.

Quality Testing

It is important to know that only a few RAM manufacturers manufacture RAM all around the world. But by buying the same RAM from the brand, you ‌have peace of mind as these RAMs are cross-checked for their quality on different levels. Moreover, these RAMs are thoroughly evaluated in order to meet the desired level of performance that customers will expect from brands. These evaluations require multiple steps, including benchmarking, speed testing, and many more.

Also, Check: Will DDR5 RAM Work On DDR4 Motherboard?

Suppose the brand takes full stock of RAM from the RAM manufacturers, and each RAM goes through rigorous testing processes for its chip, components, and compatibility. Out of all the tested RAMs, a few do not meet the required standard. This means that the brand will try to resolve the weaknesses or exclude them before they release them into the market, providing high-quality RAMs to the customer. However, if local stores purchase the same RAM stock from the manufacturer, they are not capable of checking it as they do not have the necessary resources, expertise, and capabilities.

Upgrades

Other than quality checking, these brands also try to modify products to make them unique in their own way and different from competitors. High-end RAMs, which are specifically designed for high-end processors, offer advanced cooling features like heatsinks, multiple fans, and cooling solutions to cool down during intensive tasks like gaming and programming. Furthermore, these RAMs also offer RGB lighting for gaming enthusiasts who are more concerned about the aesthetics of the setup. Other than that, these brands try to work on specs such as high bus speed, low CAS latency, and time optimization, providing smooth multitasking and fast data transfer.

Endurance and Reliability

Branded rams offer advanced specs and features that will boost the performance and multiply the longevity of the RAM modules. They will allow the user experience to be worthwhile by minimizing issues. Brands offer warranties because these upgraded features enhance longevity. In contrast, As you can guess, non-branded RAM modules do not offer all these specs and features, ultimately affecting ‌performance, and customers have to visit them more frequently.  

So, in short, all these factors are somehow interlinked and make the Branded RAMs the first choice for users looking for a high-quality product with a great warranty package. Check some branded RAMs for Ryzen 9 5900X.

Why Branded RAM Doesn’t Matter

Here is a list of a few factors that give users a choice if they don’t have the budget to buy branded RAM modules.

Exclusive Manufacturers

As we have already discussed, only three companies, including Samsung, Hynix, and Micron, have been manufacturing RAM modules, especially its DRAM silicon chips. Multinational companies or local unknown resources sourced these DRAM from the same companies, so nonbrand Rams are no less than branded ones in terms of chips and show no significant difference in performance. However, branded RAMS are then further checked so their customer doesn’t have to face issues.

Expensive

Specifications such as speed, timing, and CAS latency are standard criteria for specifying the performance of RAM. If you found a non-branded RAM that meets all these standard requirements, such as speed, timings, and CAS latency, then congratulations you have found your RAM module at an affordable price. However, it is important to check reviews on certain platforms in order to avoid facing any financial loss.

Static Performance

Branded RAMs are expensive as they include cutting-edge features like advanced cooling solutions and heatsinks. For average users, such as those who don’t run heavy games or do overclocking, non-brand RAM modules are a suitable option because these advanced features work as luxury and won’t add significance to performance.

I hope all these factors help you to understand why the brand matters while buying RAM. 

Now, let’s look into different factors to consider while buying RAMs and an overview of different brands that stand out for their RAMs line. Moreover, what will happen if you mix different brands to achieve your desired performance?

Factors To Consider While Buying RAMs

Size, Or Capacity

Suppose you run heavy games on your system or overclock it; then using 32 GB to 64 GB RAM is enough for this cause. Whereas 8GB to 16GB is ideal if you want to use it for everyday tasks and run average games.

So, it is wise to choose the right size of RAM considering your workload, as RAM below 8GB may show significant issues like frequent shutdown, overheating, etc. In contrast, too much RAM also causes considerable performance issues and takes a lot of money. If you are having trouble finding out in which slot RAM must be fitted, you can look at our recent article on which RAM slots to use.

RAM Speed

RAM speed usually depends on two important factors, including Bus speed and latency. Bus speed is measured in MHz or MT/s, which tells you how quickly data can be transferred between the RAM and the CPU. Latency is the time delay when a request to initiate data processing comes to RAM and how much time it will take to deliver it. Typically, higher bus speed and low latency result in high performance. So high-end RAM brands go the extra mile to deliver RAM with high bus speeds such as 3600MHz to 4000MHz and lower CAS latency; as a result, this high-performing RAM will be a suitable choice for heavy gaming or extreme overclocking.

As you have determined your desired size and speed requirements, you may notice different brands offer RAMs with similar sizes and speeds. In this case, you have to look for other factors like warranty, customer care, price range, and compatibility, which will make brands different from one another.

Best RAM Brands Comparison

CORSAIR

CORSAIR is one of the best RAM brands, as it offers a huge range of high-quality RAMs. For instance, Corsair has released the Vengeance series specifically for gamers and those who overclock, while the Dominator Platinum series is for users who prefer performance and premium aesthetics simultaneously. Being the leading company, it mainly focuses on quality checking and durability, so products are comparatively expensive.

G.SKILL

G. Skill invests in quality checking and brings its high-performing RAMS to market by taking DRAM chips from Samsung only. G.Skill RAM modules, including the Trident Z, Ripjaws, and Value series, allow users the flexibility to choose their desired RAM as it introduces RAM in almost all sizes and speeds.

Crucial

If you are looking for compatibility and durability, Crucial is a suitable choice. Crucial is a subsidiary of Micron Technology, so it has the advantage that they are given the first and best stock before others. However, it offers a limited range of series and needs working on customer service. And is known for its reliable and compatible RAM modules.

Kingston

Kingston offers a huge range of memory solutions with a lifelong warranty. It provides various series such as HyperX Fury, HyperX Predator, and ValueRAM. However, they have limited options, and the HyperX series is most popular among gamers and overclockers due to its high-performance capabilities.

ADATA

ADATA is known for its popularity among low-budget buyers. So, if you are someone who wants high-quality RAMs at affordable prices, ADATA is a suitable choice for you. They offer various series, such as XPG and Premier, although they don’t offer premium features. 

TeamGroup

TeamGroup offers RAM for gamers, overclockers‌, and those who perform extensive tasks. Moreover, it features RGB lighting and advanced cooling methods for users who prefer aesthetics with performance.

Samsung

Samsung is a renowned RAM manufacturer brand for computer components including RAM modules. It also manufactures chips taking advantage of it as it can use its chips in its RAM products and also supplies to other brands such as GT Sink, Corsair, etc.

Micron

Micron is another manufacturer of chip and RAM modules so they offer RAM with better compatibility and best performance. However, it has a limited range for itself as compared to its subsidiary Crucial.

Patriot

Patriot offers high-performance RAM at a very low cost, such as its Viper series. 

Patriot RAM has slightly higher latencies and less tight timings than some premium brands, although its price range justifies these differences. Moreover, it offers amazing customer service by providing excellent after-sales care and lifelong warranties.

Can You Mix RAM Brands?

Yes, you can mix multiple RAM brands if they offer the same configuration. For instance, if your system supports DDR3, you can use DDR3 modules from multiple brands as they enhance each other’s performance. However, it is important to look into specs too, and it should be similar because if you install higher speed RAM with lower one, the system will consider lower RAM and both functions at the lowest speed.

Moreover, it is worth noting that these RAM modules must offer the same compatibility. Such as DDR3 and DDR4 can not be installed at the same time as both belong to different generations and differ in their design, power consumption, and architecture. 

Mixing different brands can be technical for some users and require a lot of research, so in my opinion, it is advisable to use a RAM module from the same brand and module.

What Will Happen if I Mix RAM Brands?

In some cases, mixing multiple RAM brands can be beneficial but may sometimes cause unpredictable results due to different performances and compatibility with one another.

For instance, two RAMs having the exact specifications from different brands may result in multiple system shutdowns, freezing, errors, or other system issues because they probably have different architectures and structures. 

In addition to this, using Rams of different speeds may cause a financial loss because both RAMs will run at the lower speed described above. Furthermore, adding multiple brands may complicate the system, and it becomes very difficult to determine the source in case of a system issue. So, even if you are looking to upgrade your system, it is recommended to stick with the same brand, improving performance and overall user experience.

Final Thoughts

So it has been proved that RAM brands matter, especially when you are looking for high-end RAMs with advanced specifications and features, as the brand offers warranty and return policies. These policies and quality checks provide assurance, make your purchase worthwhile, and also save you from wasting your hard-earned money. Some of the brands that offer excellent customer service include Corsair, Patriot, and Kingston. If you want RAM at an affordable price, find the same specs in RAMs and cross-check it by reading reviews and then purchasing from a local store.

Frequently Asked Questions