Best DDR3 RAM for gaming in 2024
Taking a look at the market's leading DDR3 offerings to see which is best for gaming
Need to upgrade to an older build with the best DDR3 RAM out there? Look no further.
DDR3 RAM may have been phased out by its bigger brother, but we still have the best DDR3 RAM for gaming for those who are still running a machine that uses DDR3 technology in 2024.
Our Top Picks
Finding the best DDR3 RAM for gaming
When searching for the best RAM for gaming, we decided to work at three popular budget levels and gradually escalate in RAM capacity, RAM frequency, and price.
There are two likely scenarios where you’re shopping for DDR3 RAM: you’re either upgrading a system that was built before DDR4 became the standard, or you’re building a budget build that uses some older hardware.
As a gamer, you may be concerned that not having DDR4 RAM may hurt your gaming performance. We’ll dive into that and other RAM-related questions later, but worry not: DDR3 will serve you fine.
For now, take a look at our roundup of the best DDR3 RAM for gaming. We’ve rounded up the best of the best as far as gaming is concerned, and we think any of these RAM kits should serve you well.
The The Best DDR3 RAM For Gaming
In-depth Review
- Great for intensive multitasking, temporary game servers and other intensive tasks
- Will handle high-end gaming and multitasking with no problem, if the rest of your hardware can keep up
- Expensive, not worth the cost for most gamers
This Corsair Vengeance Kit offers some of the best capacity and performance you can get with DDR3 RAM. At 16GB capacity and a 1600MHz memory speed, this DDR3 RAM kit shouldn’t be phased by any of the competition in this list. This will handle pretty much any multitasking you throw at it, and it will do it fast. This does, however, come at a price.
- Fair pricing
- Good enough for true multitasking- gaming and browsing at once in all but the most intensive situations
- Great for games that utilize faster RAM
- Not enough for intensive multitasking
For a faster 8GB RAM kit, look no further than the Kingston HyperX Fury Kit. This Kit comes in at a whopping 1866 MHz, a marked improvement over most DDR3 RAM kits. Your multitasking ability won’t change, but the speed of those applications (especially games optimized to take advantage of higher RAM speeds) will increase.
- Reasonably cheap
- Good enough for true multitasking- gaming and browsing at once in all but the most intensive situations
- Not enough for intensive multitasking
- Not super fast in games that rely on RAM speeds
This G.Skill Ares kit offers decent performance and the 8GB RAM capacity that most gamers are going to want. 8GB RAM is more than enough for all of the most demanding games, and because of that you’ll usually be able to multitask with a few applications in the background while using this RAM kit. Most users won’t need to buy better RAM than this, but if you need either higher capacity or higher RAM speeds, keep reading.
- Cheap
- Good enough for games and basic PC usage, but not both at once
- Not enough for high-level multitasking
The Corsair Vengeance LP is one of the cheapest DDR3 RAM kits on the market and offers decent performance over the bare minimum at a price of $30. This particular RAM kit is packing 4GB of RAM running at 1600 MHz, which will be good for basic gaming and multitasking. However, you won’t be able to do both at once…if you can afford more, buy two of these to run in dual-channel or grab our budget 8GB RAM kit below.
The Best DDR3 RAM For Gaming frequently asked questions
Is DDR3 RAM good for gaming?
With the release of DDR4, it is understandable to wonder whether you need to upgrade your DRR3 RAM. While this may eventually be a sensible idea given that it is the more future-proof of the two, this is not something you necessarily need to worry about at the moment.
DDR3 is still a fantastic option to choose for gaming, it is also far cheaper in comparison to the newer DDR4. The most important thing to remember when choosing DDR3 RAM is that it is a dual channel. If it is not dual channel the RAM will not be as good for gaming.
DDR3 is quick and responsive enough to work well for gaming. It is worth remembering that the maximum memory size for DDR3 is 16 GB. While this is the optimum amount needed for gaming, DDR3 RAM cannot be increased, whereas DDR4 does not have any limitations.
Over time, there is the potential that 16 GB of RAM may not be enough, especially if games begin to increase in demand on the PC. Given this, over time DDR3 may not be the best option, but this is not guaranteed to happen.
If you are running large software or multiple different programs alongside gaming, you may benefit from a higher amount of GB. However, for gaming purposes, DDR3 is still a great option.
Is DDR4 faster than DDR3?
When looking at the differences between DDR4 and DDR3, there is not a hugely significant difference. One of the main questions gamers tend to have is whether DDR4 is faster than DDR3.
While there is not a hugely significant difference, DDR4 is faster and better than DDR3. However, DDR3 is still a great option for gamers, and it is not always worth upgrading your PC, though DDR4 is more future-proof.
When looking at the speed of DDR4 RAM, is typically around 2400 MHz, which is fantastic. The highest speeds of DDR3 typically are around 1600 MHz. Taking this into consideration DDR4 is faster. While professional gamers are likely to notice the increase in speeds, the vast majority of people are unlikely to.
Given this, while DDR4 RAM is the faster and better option, it is not always necessary to upgrade your RAM.
While the speed of the RAM is important, there are other aspects that you will need to take into consideration, such as compatibility.
Although DDR4 RAM is better overall, it may not be compatible with the motherboard that you own. Given this, to upgrade to DDR4 RAM you would need to upgrade the motherboard too, which can become quite costly.
Can I replace DDR3 RAM with DDR4?
The answer to whether or not you can replace DDR3 RAM with DDR4 is not as simple as it may seem. While in some instances you can do this, in other instances, this is not possible.
When you are looking to replace DDR3, you will need to take into consideration that DDR4 is a newer form of RAM. Given this, as we have mentioned above, if you do not have a DDR4-compatible motherboard, you will not be able to replace DDR3 RAM.
However, if you have a compatible motherboard and the DDR4 has the same connection as the DDR3 RAM, this is possible.
It is worth noting that often DDR3 and DDR4 RAM will have slightly different connections. Given this, it may not be suitable to replace the DDR3. In general, you will not be able to connect DDR4 RAM into the same slot that your DDR3 RAM was using.
Final Word
Right now, the best thing to do is to buy RAM in accordance with your needs and budget. The best DDR3 RAM for gaming is really just what suits you.
For most people, one of our 8GB options should be fine. For people operating on a really thin budget, the 4GB option should do that.
For a scarce few of you out there, the 16GB option may actually be for you.
Whichever one you pick, let us know. We’re interested to find out what our community likes!
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