These days, a really tricked-out gaming machine is more than just lots of RAM - it'll be based around the latest CPU, solid state memory cards to give yet more of a speed boost and various cooling systems will be installed to let you push all these things to their maximum overclocking limits.
But we're not all mega-gaming geeks who feel confident enough to attack their motherboard with a set of precision screwdrivers...
Replacing your RAM modules has never been easier - most late-model motherboards and PC cabinets make the RAM slots about the most accessible bits on your computer. So there's no excuse not to do it.
The real question is, how much RAM do you need? If you're a serious gamer, you already know the answer to that and you've taken the appropriate steps. If, like me, you just want a really cool computer that keeps running smoothly, 16GB of Tactical Tracer RAM from Ballistix will probably do the trick.
For anything more taxing than checking your emails, these days 4GB is nowhere near enough and as image and video editing software becomes more user-friendly, it also becomes more memory-intensive so even 8GB of RAM may no longer be enough to keep several programs running smoothly and simultaneously.
It's been a while since I poked around inside my PC, so I set aside a bit of time to replace my existing 2X4GB modules with the 2X8GB Tactical Tracers.
It took me about two and a half minutes.
Almost disappointingly straight-forward.
What actually was disappointing, was when I fired the computer up, I didn't notice any difference in boot time. Start times for memory-hogging games like Fortnite and Sims 4 didn't really change either. This is because operations like these rely more on how fast the memory works, rather than how much memory is available and it turns out, the memory I was replacing was already pretty quick.
The real improvements became more evident once I started to actually use my machine instead of just sitting there watching it. Firstly, reports from my resident gaming expert (14 year-old Monster #2) assured me her experience was now completely lag-free, consistently running at at least 60FPS. I don't really know what this means, but she seemed very pleased.
Editing video using Adobe Premiere Pro has previously been slightly fraught - fiddling about with large video files on a home PC often seems to lead to freezes and crashes, especially if you work too fast or if you've forgotten to save your project thereby causing you to lose all your cool edits and to lose your cool generally.
The extra RAM cleaned all that up straight away.
As you'd expect.
There are other, smaller improvements I've noticed too; swapping between users for example - something that has to happen regularly on a communal family machine like ours, thanks to the extra 8GB - this all now happens instantly. Not a biggie, but a pleasurable improvement none-the-less.
So although I was expecting more speed, what I actually achieved was better reliability - a computer that does what I want it too when I want it too - more direct control if you like.
But I'm perhaps I'm missing the most important feature of the Ballistix Tactical Tracer RAM module; RGB.
Yes, you know you're becoming a true gamer when you want your computer to light up.
Personally, I hate things that light up, but my resident gaming expert currently has a dazzling rainbow flashing across the very keyboard I'm using to type this, so I'm thinking she's kind of attached to the idea.
Lucky for her, the Ballistix Tactical Tracer RAM modules can do that too. Freakily, they'll glow whatever colour the rest of your PC is set to by default, but you can download the M.O.D. Utility from the Ballistix website which lets you take full control of the colour scheme and patterns. Admittedly, pretty cool if you have a viewing panel in the side of your PC's cabinet like I do.
What's more, you can download 3D printing files to create your own customised lighting bar. Yes, my RAM modules could light up the name "glennzb" in bright red if I wanted them to. (Not sure my resident gaming expert would be quite so impressed with that)
The M.O.D. Utility isn't just for show, it also let's you monitor the temperature, speed and performance of your ram if you do decide to try some overclocking tweaks. You can even activate a semi-transparent widget to display running temperatures while you're gaming if that's what you're into.
At about $365, 16GB of Tactical Tracer RAM isn't the cheapest thing you can do to upgrade your box, but it's in the same price range as other manufacturers' options and only a handful of those offer those groovy RGB lighting effects.
Next time Photoshop freezes on you, it might be worth a look.
Click here for more information and pricing on the16GB Ballistix Tactical Tracer DDR4 RGB RAM upgrade
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