If you plan on a mid-range build for around $1,500, you’ll look for the most suitable value products. Our dedicated Intel Core i5-13600K review shows that the CPU provides outstanding value and performance. Of course, to enhance the CPU’s performance, we have compiled a list of the top RAM kits for the Intel Core i5-13600K CPU after extensive research.
- Why you can trust Tech4Gamers: Our roundups feature products that are based on dedicated hands-on testing by our team of experienced hardware experts. Find out more about how we test.
Here is a comparison table of our top picks:
More for the Core i5-13600K:
Best RAM For Core i5-13600K
These are our picks for the best RAM for Core i5-13600K based on different use cases:
- Best Overall RAM For Core i5-13600K: Corsair Vengeance RGB 32GB DDR5-6000
- Best Performance RAM For Core i5-13600K: G.Skill Trident Z5 RGB 32GB DDR5-6600
- Best White RAM For Core i5-13600K: Corsair Dominator Platinum RGB 32GB DDR5-5600
- Best Value RAM For Core i5-13600K: Corsair Vengeance 32GB DDR5-5600
- Best DDR4 RAM For Core i5-13600K: Kingston Fury Renegade 32GB DDR4-3600
Corsair Vengeance RGB
Best Overall RAM for Core i5-13600K
Memory Type: DDR5 | Capacity: 32GB (2× 16GB) | Frequency: 6,000MHz | Latency: CL36 | Latency (Nanoseconds): 12ns | RGB: Yes | Voltage: 1.35V
Pros
- Decent 6,000MHz Frequency
- Impressive gaming performance
- Beautiful aesthetics
- Good overclocking potential
Cons
- Compatibility issues
Design: The Corsair Vengeance RGB 32GB DDR5 RAM kit incorporates an aggressive look with a huge Vengeance logo in the middle. The dual-tone black theme looks drop-dead gorgeous with a massive RGB light bar at the top. Moreover, we loved the dark heatsink paint finish that complements the RGB lighting.
Performance: Moving to its performance, the RAM kit offers a 6,000MHz frequency, decent CL36 timings, and a fair 12ns latency. During our dedicated gaming tests, the RAM kit showcased impressive gaming benchmark results, showing its variability with the Intel Core i5-13600K CPU.
According to Nauman Siddique, one of our hardware reviewers, the RAM kit offers outstanding performance, which blew his mind. This is what he stated in his review:
“The Corsair Vengeance RGB 2x16GB DDR5 kit 6000MT/s CAS36 offers good and stable performance out of the box. This kit offers brilliant digitally controllable RGB lighting with even diffusion and vivid colors.”
Overclocking Potential: In terms of overclocking, we loved how much we could push the RAM for greater performance. To explain, during our testing, we got a 600MHz boost with a 0.05V increment without changing the timings. You could also attempt to tighten the timings with more voltage.
Buy It If
We took a few images during our review:
✅ You’re looking for the complete package with great value: If you’re looking for a RAM kit that offers beautiful aesthetics, impressive gaming performance, and allows decent overclocking with the Intel Core i5-13600K CPU without costing an arm and a leg, we recommend purchasing the Corsair Vengeance RGB DDR5 32GB RAM kit.
Don’t Buy It If
❌ You’re using a bigger air cooler: We don’t recommend purchasing this RAM kit if you’re using a bigger air cooler, such as the Be Quiet! Dark Rock Pro 4, because of the RAM’s height and clearance issues.
What Makes It The Best Overall RAM For Core i5-13600K?
The Corsair Vengeance RGB ticks all the boxes for an amazing RAM kit. Because of its outstanding performance, aesthetics, and overclocking capabilities, we have given it the best overall RAM for the Intel Core i5-13600K CPU award.
| Performance: 9/10 | Value: 8/10 |
| Features: 9/10 | Design: 9/10 |
G.Skill Trident Z5 RGB
Best Performance RAM for Core i5-13600K
Memory Type: DDR5 | Capacity: 32GB (2× 16GB) | Frequency: 6,600MHz | Latency: CL34 | Latency (Nanoseconds): 10.3ns | RGB: Yes | Voltage: 1.40V
Pros
- Superb 6,600MHz frequency
- Low 10.3ns latency
- Beautiful aesthetics
- Impressive gaming performance
Cons
- Low overclocking capabilities
Design: The G.Skill Trident Z5 RGB DDR5 RAM kit is available in two colors: metallic silver and matte black, and both options look gorgeous with the aluminum-brushed heatsink. To top it all off, an RGB light bar also blends into the top end of the memory stick.
Performance: The RAM kit provides outstanding gaming and productivity performance with its 6,600MHz frequency, tight CL34 timings, and a low 10.3ns latency. During my performance testing, the kit achieved remarkable results in video editing tasks at 1080p resolution with the i5-13600K processor.
Overclocking Potential: Although the G.Skill Trident Z5 RGB RAM showcases impressive performance with Intel XMP 3.0 enabled, I was dissatisfied with its overclocking capabilities. To explain, I only got a 400MHz boost with a substantial voltage increase during my testing. Any further made the RAM unstable.
Buy It If
Here are a few shots of the G.Skill Trident Z5 RGB 32GB DDR5 from our review:
✅ You want outstanding productivity performance with a beautiful kit: If you’re looking for a RAM kit that provides the most productivity performance when paired with the Intel Core i5-13600K CPU and also offers beautiful aesthetics, I recommend buying the G.Skill Trident Z5 RGB 32GB DDR5 RAM.
Don’t Buy It If
❌ You want higher overclocking potential: If you plan on overclocking your RAM kit to get the most performance out of it, I don’t recommend buying it because of its limited overclocking capabilities.
What Makes It The Best Performance RAM For Core i5-13600K?
If you want extreme RAM performance to go along with your i5-13600K, then there is no other DDR5 RAM out there that is as good as the G.Skill Trident Z5 RGB. Moreover, the kit also has beautiful aesthetics and a low-profile build. Overall, it is the best performance RAM for the Intel Core i5-13600K CPU.
Out of all the RAM kits, I personally loved the G.Skill Trident Z5 RGB the most because of its awesome gaming and productivity performance, outstanding aesthetics, and good pricing. Moreover, we also gave the kit the award of the best performance RAM for the Intel Core i5-13600K CPU. So, if you have the budget and RAM clearance, you won’t regret buying this kit.
– Hayyan Serwer
| Performance: 10/10 | Value: 8/10 |
| Features: 8/10 | Design: 9/10 |
Corsair Dominator Platinum RGB
Best White RAM For Core i5-13600K
Memory Type: DDR5 | Capacity: 32GB (2× 16GB) | Frequency: 5,600MHz | Latency: CL36 | Latency (Nanoseconds): 12.8ns | RGB: Yes | Voltage: 1.25V
Pros
- Outstanding white aesthetics
- Decent overclocking potential
- Lower input voltage
- Decent performance
Cons
- Expensive
- Slow latency
Design: The Corsair Dominator Platinum RGB DDR5 RAM kit features a beautiful white theme with a minimalistic Dominator logo at the center. Furthermore, I loved the RAM’s RGB customization capabilities the most because of Corsair iCUE.
Performance: The RAM kit performs well with 5,600MHz frequency, CL36 timings, and a slower 12.8ns latency. While I wasn’t impressed by the RAM’s on-paper specifications, its real-world value changed my mind. During my testing, the RAM did not bottleneck the i5-13600K CPU at all at 1080p resolution, even in the most demanding titles.
Overclocking Potential: Outside of its XMP 3.0-enabled performance, I loved the RAM’s overclocking potential. I achieved a decent 500MHz boost with a 0.25V increment during my testing. While I didn’t change the timings, you can attempt to do so by playing with the kit more.
Buy It If
Here are a few shots of the Corsair Dominator RGB from our testing:
✅You want beautiful white RAM with outstanding performance: If you’re building a white PC and are looking for a gorgeous white RAM kit that provides outstanding gaming performance without needing much tweaking, I recommend purchasing the Corsair Dominator Platinum RGB DDR5 RAM kit.
Don’t Buy It If
❌ You’re on a tighter budget: If you’re on a tighter budget, I don’t recommend buying the Corsair Dominator Platinum RGB DDR5 RAM kit because of its greater price.
What Makes It The Best White RAM For Core i5-13600K?
If you’re building a white PC with the i5-13600K, then the Corsair Dominator Platinum RGB White should be your RAM of choice. The memory packs enough raw power to give you good performance figures and offers impressive overclocking potential. But, after all, the beautiful looks of the kit make it the best white RAM for Intel Core i5-13600K.
| Performance: 8/10 | Value: 7/10 |
| Features: 8/10 | Design: 10/10 |
Corsair Vengeance DDR5
Best Value RAM For Core i5-13600K
Memory Type: DDR5 | Capacity: 32GB (2× 16GB) | Frequency: 5,600 MHz | Latency: CL36 | Latency (Nanoseconds): 12.8ns | RGB: No | Voltage: 1.25V
Pros
- Impressive value
- Slight overclocking potential
- Low 1.25V requirement
- Low-profile design
- Decent gaming performance
Cons
- No RGB
- Slower latency
Design: The Corsair Vengeance DDR5 RAM kit does not look flashy at all. Its looks depict how much Corsair has solely focused on the essentials. You can get the RAM in two colors, black and white, and both of them have a matte finish with glossy triangles. However, I disliked that the RAM lacks RGB lighting.
Performance: The RAM kit offers decent performance with 5,600MHz frequency, CL36 timings, and a slow 12.8ns latency. While it doesn’t seem so, the kit did not bottleneck the i5-13600K CPU during my performance testing at 1080p resolution, even in the most demanding games.
Overclocking Potential: The kit showcases slight overclocking potential, and during my testing, I hit a decent 6,000MHz without much effort. While reducing the CAS timings and increasing the frequency would have been ideal, you can’t expect too much from value RAM kits.
Buy It If
✅ You want a low-profile RAM kit with decent overclocking capabilities: If you’re looking for a low-profile RAM kit that can be overclocked for better performance and doesn’t cost much, I recommend buying the Corsair Vengeance DDR5 RAM kit.
Don’t Buy It If
❌ You require RGB and lower latency: If you’re looking for a low-profile value RAM kit with RGB lighting and lower latencies, I don’t recommend purchasing this kit because it has a 12.8ns latency without any RGB.
What Makes It The Best Value RAM For Core i5-13600K?
No RAM is as good as the Corsair Vengeance for the best bang for the buck. The kit provides outstanding gaming performance with XMP 3.0. On top of that, its input voltage of 1.25V also means considerable space for more overclocking. Thus, it is the best value RAM for the Intel Core i5-13600K.
| Performance: 8/10 | Value: 10/10 |
| Features: 8/10 | Design: 8/10 |
Kingston Fury Renegade
Best DDR4 RAM For i5-13600K
Memory Type: DDR4 | Capacity: 16GB (1x 16GB) | Frequency: 3,600MHz | Latency: CL16 | Latency (Nanoseconds): 8.8ns | RGB: No | Voltage: 1.35V
Pros
- Super affordable
- Decent 3,600MHz frequency
- Impressive gaming performance
- Slight overclocking capabilities
Cons
- Lacks RGB
- Single stick kit
Design: The Kingston Fury Renegade 16GB DDR4 RAM kit uses a black aluminum heat spreader that goes superbly with the black PCB to prevent thermal throttling. Since the RAM has no RGB, having an all-black theme for a gamer-ish, aggressive vibe provides a decent darker design.
Performance: The Kingston Fury Renegade kit provides 3,600MHz frequency, tight CL16 timings, and a low 8.8ns latency. While the RAM kit only has 16GB memory in a single DIMM slot, I saw impressive gaming performance with the i5-13600K CPU at 1080p resolution during my performance testing.
Overclocking Potential: Moving towards its overclocking potential, the kit offers slight overclocking capabilities without requiring much effort. I increased the frequency by 400MHz during my testing without changing the RAM’s voltage or timings.
Buy It If
✅ You’re looking for an affordable DDR4 kit with astounding performance: If you’re looking for a DDR4 RAM kit, around half the price of DDR5 kits and provide astounding performance when paired with the Intel Core i5-13600K CPU, I recommend buying the Kingston Fury Renegade 16GB DDR4 RAM kit.
Don’t Buy It If
❌ You want a dual-channel setup: If you want to work on productivity tasks and require higher performance, I don’t recommend purchasing this RAM kit because of a lack of memory and a dual-channel setup.
What Makes It The Best DDR4 RAM For Core i5-13600K?
Even though DDR5 memory is superior in all aspects, if you want to use DDR4 memory, then the Kingston Fury Renegade is the best RAM. It offers adequate performance and relatively good input voltage without costing too much. All these points make it the best DDR4 RAM for the Intel Core i5-13600K CPU.
| Performance: 7/10 | Value: 10/10 |
| Features: 8/10 | Design: 8/10 |
Test Results Of The Best RAM For i5-13600K
We conducted extensive tests on various kits to select the top RAM for the i5-13600K. Our AIDA64 benchmark results are summarized below, and detailed reviews of each product are available for even more scores and benchmarks.
Our Selection Criteria
This section will walk you through our criteria for selecting the best RAM for Core i5-13600K. You should also follow these guidelines when purchasing any RAM, regardless of the CPU.
- Budget: The entire budget and affordability factor is more important for a mid-range CPU like the i5-13600K. Because you most likely have limited money to build your PC, you’re going for a mid-range processor, not anything high-end like the i7-13700K or i9-13900K.
- Performance: Whether the RAM is DDR4 or DDR5, its performance is the most crucial factor. Regarding performance, there are two things to go over: the transfer rate and timing latency. So, when choosing our kits, we considered higher frequencies and tighter timings for ideal performance.
- Power Consumption: While higher power consumption is necessary for higher performance figures, it also means that the memory will generate more heat. So, our selected RAM must balance power consumption, performance, and thermal efficiency.
- Aesthetics: Although looks aren’t as important as other factors we have discussed, they can still be why you would skip a particular RAM. So, having a memory with beautiful RGB bars to accompany the rest of your lightened-up rig is always nice.
Frequently Asked Questions
Despite being at the bottom of the Raptor Lake line-up, the Core i5-13600K is a powerful beast. Once paired with the right GPU, the processor can easily run all AAA games at good FPS. So, for a CPU this good, the RAM speed should be between 5,600 – 6,000MHz because it also ensures you have enough memory power to run future AAA titles.
Like the previous-generation Alder Lake, the Raptor Lake CPUs, including the i5-13600K, are backward compatible with DDR4 memory. So, while it’s best to use DDR5 RAM, you can also use the previous-gen DDR4 RAM.
While you can easily get away with 16 GB of RAM, for the best performance, you should go for a kit of 2x 16 gigs each DDR5 RAM, totaling up to 32GB. This way, you will get the best performance possible.
Yes, no matter how you look at it, DDR5 is better than DDR4 in all performance figures. It has higher transfer rates, more overclocking potential, and low input voltage requirements. So, whether gaming or other hard-core tasks, DDR5 will perform much better than DDR4.
Recent Updates
- February 26, 2024: Added benchmarks from our tested reviews.
- December 16, 2023: Few text and grammar changes to improve readability. Added image galleries. No products were changed.
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[CPU Coolers & RAM Expert]
Hayyan Serwer is a tech enthusiast, with a love for PC building and article writing. Hayyan specializes in writing about CPU coolers and RAM kits. Hayyan has been familiar with the tech industry for over half a decade now, and has now stepped into providing quality reviews for the latest and greatest tech.
