Composite anodes of Si nanoparticles (SiNPs) and reduced graphene oxide (RGO) sheets with highly dispersed SiNPs were synthesized to investigate the performance-related improvements that particle dispersion can impart. Three composites with varying degrees of particle dispersions were prepared using different ultrasonication, and a combination of ultrasonication and surfactant. With more dispersed SiNPs, the capacity retention and rate performance as evaluated by galvanostatic cycling using increasing current density rates (500-2500 mA/g) also improved compared with anodes that have poor particle dispersion. These results demonstrate that better nanoparticle dispersion (small clusters to mono-dispersed particles) between the stable and the highly conducting RGO layers, allows the carbonaceous matrix material to complement the SiNP-Li+ electrochemistry by becoming highly involved in the charge-discharge reaction mechanisms as indicated by chronopotentiometry and cyclic voltammetry (CV). Particle dispersion improvement was confirmed to be a key component in a composite anode design to maximize Si for high-performance lithium ion battery (LIB) application.