Best Memory 2017

With things in full swing during 2017 for both AMD and Intel, we've finally gotten to the point where both companies are using DDR4 for their mainstream and HEDT platforms. Unfortunately, not all memory works equally well with all platforms as AMD setups are a bit more picky when it comes to memory. Be that as it may, there are numerous kits that will work with both AMD and Intel, so it only makes sense that our top picks for memory over 2017 are things that can work with both sides without much issue. In the grand scheme of things, we now have DIMMs with speeds in excess of 4000 MHz with Intel support, but testing has shown that these high-speed DIMMs are way more expensive than their performance benefit would warrant when compared to lower-spec'd DIMMs, so just choosing the highest-speed kit doesn't make much sense for most users. RGB lighting and large heatsinks are the norm these days as well, yet even so, the huge variety in memory aesthetics has kept us impressed throughout the year. DDR4 SO-DIMMs are also getting speed boosts as of late, with recent news articles boasting some crazy speeds for SO-DIMMs coming from both G.SKILL and Corsair. Here are our top picks for memory in 2017:

Winner: G.SKILL TRIDENT-Z 3200 MHz C14 DDR4

Choosing our number one pick for memory is quite easy. When it comes to DDR4 memory at the high-end, no company can compare to what G.SKILL has on offer. G.SKILL's superior IC binning routine has them releasing DIMMs with the same speeds as other brands, but with far tighter timings. Our number one pick goes to G.SKILL's 3200 MHz CL14, a kit that's capable on both AMD and Intel systems should you be familiar with timing tweaks for the AMD platform. If not, the exact same type of sticks with the same timings are available, but in the FlareX brand. Two TechPowerUp editors can personally attest to how many headaches the FlareX kits solved, and quoting W1zzard, "these kits magically fix all Ryzen memory problems". Indeed, our Ryzen processor reviews would have been much harder to accomplish without them.

Going back to the TRIDENT-Z, these sticks are capable enough to where, if cost isn't a factor, you'll get the most out of your system in nearly every instance, as evidenced by our Coffee Lake Memory Benchmark Analysis. Yes, you can get decent performance out of lesser memory for sure, but if you want a set that will work with nearly any system while still offering these performance levels no other brand can match, there is nowhere else to turn. G.SKILL deserves props for making excellent dedicated kits as well, and the company as a whole merits the top spot.

Read our review

Runner-up: A-DATA XPG SPEKTRIX D40 DDR4

There is another aspect of memory that must not be ignored, and that's default profiling. There aren't many full-size DIMMs on the market these days that support 2666 MHz without any user intervention in the BIOS, yet ADATA's SPECTRIX D40 sticks do offer that when no one else does. For those not comfortable with playing with memory overclocking, these are the perfect sticks to use with any current AMD or Intel rig as they perfectly match the top-level base specifications of each platform's memory support (although AMD systems will need to use two sticks only, while Intel rigs can run four without batting an eyelash). That ease of use goes a long way in our books, as not everyone has the time to play with BIOS settings to get the memory stable, and that's something that has plagued all platforms this year. The ADATA SPEKTRIX D40 sticks also include some RGB LEDs for some bling.

Read our review

Looking forward to 2018

When it comes to what we'd like to see for memory products in 2018, there are two obvious things that need to be solved by nearly every brand: RGB LED software should be compatible with all boards and the lack of 2666 JEDEC profiling needs to be addressed. The software side of things is obvious; most RGB LED DIMMs only support the ASUS AURA software, which doesn't always work on other motherboards. This is an oversight that really bugs me in a big way as I don't see any real reason for this to be the case, other than for obvious co-branding reasons. Be that as it may, the requirement for an ASUS motherboard for most RGB LEDs needs to stop in order for these RGB LED products to be truly capable. I've had some amazing RGB LED DIMMs in my test system this year, but I can't recommend any as a top choice because of that limitation alone. The ADATA sticks get a pass on the software side for offering that base 2666 MHz profiling, which is the other thing we need to see more of. I have spoken to several brands and have confirmed that several of them are working on such sticks, but I feel we need these rather sooner than later.