G.Skill TridentZ RGB 32GB (2x16GB) DDR4-4000 CL18 Black

Peak DDR4 with elite latency and RGB that actually looks good. If you're still on AM4, this is your last great RAM upgrade.

The latency here is the real story. At CL18 with 4000 MT/s, this kit lands in the 98th percentile for latency in our database. That's best-in-class territory, and it shows in snappy gaming and workstation tasks. The speed itself is solid, sitting around the 65th percentile, which makes sense since DDR4 is a mature platform. What surprised us is how many buyers report just flipping on XMP and hitting the full 4000 MT/s without touching a single timing. On a Ryzen 5700X with an MSI B550 board, multiple owners say it's literally one BIOS toggle. That's not always a given at these speeds, so credit to G.Skill for binning these modules well.

The Kingston Fury Renegade and Corsair Vengeance RGB are both DDR5 kits, so they're not direct competitors if you're on an older platform. But if you're cross-shopping, the Corsair CMH32GX5M2B6000C28 runs at 6000 MT/s with tighter relative timings and is the better buy for a new build. The Crucial Pro Overclocking kit is another DDR5 option that undercuts this on price per gigabyte. Where the TridentZ wins is pure DDR4 compatibility and that 98th percentile latency. If you're locked into AM4 or Z490, none of those DDR5 kits will even fit in your board. The ADATA Lancer Blade and Patriot Viper Venom are also DDR5, so same story. For DDR4 specifically, this G.Skill kit is the one to beat.

At USD 270 in the US, this isn't cheap for DDR4 in 2025, but you're paying for top-tier latency and proven reliability. The EUR spread is wild though, ranging from EUR 337 to EUR 419 across vendors. If you're in Europe, shop around because that's an EUR 82 difference for the exact same kit. The best deal we see is at the low end of that range, so don't just grab the first listing. For the performance you get, especially if you're squeezing the last life out of an AM4 build, it's worth it. But if you're building new on AM5 or LGA1700, put this money toward DDR5 instead.

This is the RAM kit you buy when you want DDR4 to go out with a bang, not a whimper. The G.Skill TridentZ RGB F4-4000C18D-32GTZR hits 4000 MT/s at CL18, which puts its latency in the absolute top tier of our database. It's a 32GB dual-channel kit that looks fantastic and, more importantly, actually hits its rated speed on the right motherboard. The one thing to know? This is peak DDR4. If you're still on AM4 or an older Intel platform, this is about as good as it gets before you jump to DDR5.

If you're building a new PC on AM5 or LGA1700, this isn't for you. DDR4 is a dead end and you'd be better off putting the money toward a solid DDR5 kit like the Corsair Vengeance RGB or Kingston Fury Renegade. Also skip it if you're running a Ryzen 3000 CPU, because you probably won't hit the full 4000 MT/s without a fight. Go grab a 3600 CL16 kit and save yourself the headache.

Buy it if you're on AM4 or an older Intel platform and want the best DDR4 experience available. The latency is elite, the XMP profile is painless on Ryzen 5000, and 32GB gives you plenty of headroom. Skip it if you're building new, because DDR5 is the future and this money is better spent there. But for a final DDR4 upgrade, this is the kit.