When I was choosing the components for my existing PC, I found myself splurging on a few components that didn't add much to the performance. Of course, I wasn't spending my own funds since I had $1,800 worth of prize money at my disposal, but I still regret many of the hardware purchases I made for this build. One of these purchases was the G.Skill Trident Z Neo DDR4-3600 C16 32GB RGB kit, which I picked for slightly lower latency and, of course, the RGB design.

While it didn't exactly cost double that of other 3,600MT/s non-RGB kits at the time, I could have used the extra money on a better CPU cooler, power supply, or NVMe SSD. Each of these components would have served me better than a more expensive, better-looking memory kit.

I paid for the brand and the looks

Paid for it dearly

I had decided beforehand that I would choose white-themed components as much as possible. Choosing the graphics card wasn't in my hands since Nvidia was sponsoring the RTX 3080 FE, but I could freely choose the rest of the components as long as they fit the overall $1,800 budget. While browsing memory sticks, I found many regular-looking, non-RGB modules with black heatsinks that were priced around 30% less than the model I was eyeing.

These cheaper 32GB kits were also rated at 3,600MT/s, and even the brands were reliable — Adata, Kingston, Patriot, and TeamGroup. Still, I added the G.Skill RGB kit to the cart, thinking I was buying a "better" brand. The white RGB design might have been better-looking compared to the other kits I ignored, but G.Skill didn't exactly belong to the cream of the crop. If anything, I should have chosen Corsair if I wanted a top brand.

Considering I would be spending my own money on my next build, I would think twice before splurging on expensive white RAM that wouldn't do anything for gaming performance. I might even go for a non-RGB black kit and a white case for a dual-tone theme.

Low latency matters, but only to a point

You run into diminishing returns

The RAM I bought was a CL16 kit, slightly more expensive than a similar CL18 model. While I was fixated on buying a DDR4-3600 CL16 kit without any rationale behind it, you don't need to commit the same mistake. RAM latency is important, but you don't need to buy the fastest kit on the market to ensure you get the most performance out of your PC. In the age of DDR5 RAM, memory is already quite a bit faster than it used to be in the DDR4 days, and you don't need anything more than a DDR5-6000 CL30 kit.

Going beyond that won't improve your gaming performance in any meaningful way. Besides, higher resolutions are less reliant on faster memory anyway, so unless you're gaming at 1080p, you shouldn't chase the highest numbers. DDR5 CL26 kits have arrived on the market, but for the premium they command, the additional performance benefits are negligible, let alone worth the investment. It might feel good to buy a fancy memory kit with the lowest latency, but you'll forget about it in a few days, and the additional money you spent would be a waste.

Blazing-fast RAM has its own problems

You might not be able to run it at the rated speed

The 7,200MT/s, 8,000MT/s, and even faster memory kits that look great on paper probably won't run at the advertised speeds on your system anyway. Every CPU and motherboard combo supports RAM speeds up to a point, beyond which you're unable to even boot to the desktop. This limit is typically 6,000MT/s for Ryzen systems, and slightly higher for most Intel PCs. Investing more money in an expensive kit only to fail to run it at the rated speed is pointless.

This problem is especially true for enthusiasts trying to populate all four RAM slots on the motherboard. The more modules you install, the greater the signal load on the CPU's memory controller, and the slower the stable frequency at which you can run the memory. While I didn't face any stability issues on my dual-stick DDR4-3600 configuration, it's a genuine risk on many faster DDR5 kits. Hence, it's best to stick to the tried-and-tested DDR5-6000 kits, unless you want to experiment and deal with possible returns.

I'll never fall for expensive RAM again

I knew buying expensive RAM just for the heck of it was wrong when I was doing it, but I couldn't resist the urge. Hopefully, you can be better than me when you're building your next PC or upgrading from DDR4 to DDR5 RAM. You don't need memory kits with the fastest transfer speeds, lowest latencies, or even the best designs to build a high-end and good-looking gaming PC. There's always an achievable balance between price, performance, and esthetics when buying PC parts.