Whether you are upgrading an old computer or if you are building or just buying a brand new computer, you may wonder if it is worth buying high performance ram. Generally speaking, high performance memory claims to be faster and also claims to be able to handle higher temperatures, and for this you pay a higher price. However, is it really worth the extra money?

Performance RAM Speed

One claim by memory manufactures is that performance memory is faster. To a point, they are correct. In a recent study done by Tom’s Hardware, they found that, on average, performance memory was 1-3% faster than standard memory. They found cases in which the memory was even faster, but they also found cases in which the regular memory outperformed the higher performance memory. For me personally, if this was the only factor, a 1-3% gain is not worth the extra cost.

Heat Dissipation and Overclocking of Performance RAM

Another reason that you may opt for performance RAM is that you are attempting to overclock. In this case, the performance RAM shows its main benefit. In many tests conducted by users at tom’s hardware and overclockers.com, they have found that they are able to push a system with performance RAM to higher speeds and maintain stability. This is mainly due to the fact that performance RAM can handle and dissipate heat better than normal or value memory. So, if you thinking about overclocking, going with the performance memory may be worth it for you.

Now, this is not to say that you can’t overclock with normal memory. You can achieve very impressive overclocks with normal memory. However, if you are a minmaxer, then you may want to go with performance RAM.

Consider Pricing and User Reviews

If you are about to make this decision, you may want to look at the price difference and user reviews. During a recent sale, I was able to pick up some performance memory that was only 10% higher than the regular memory. At this price, it was worth it to me. By looking out for a deal, you may not have to pay much more for a higher quality product.

In this article, I am talking in generalities. Before making any purchases, I highly recommend that you read product reviews and research the product you are looking at buying. This will give you a good idea of the quality and reliability of the product you are purchasing.

Wrapping Up

The conclusion is pretty simple, if you have the money and want to go for extreme  overclocks, I would recommend a highly rated performance memory. However, if you have no intention of minmaxing your overclock or if you don’t plan to overclock at all, normal RAM or value-ram should be fine for you.

What do you think? Let me know in the comments!