Building a computer (Choosing RAM)

[JFlow]

Hey,

 

Is there a difference between DIMM and SDRAM in RAM? I am really no sure which ram should I buy 
I don't have any clue whatsoever about RAM and I just want to buy a good one.

I am focusing on the:

1. HyperX FURY 2x16GB DDR4 2400MHz CL15 Kit (DIMM)

2. HyperX Savage 2x16GB DDR4 2400Mhz CL14 Kit (SDRAM)

 

I will have the Asus MAXIMUS IX HERO z270.

If someone has a better RAM for me I will be glad to know.

 

Also, Any comments on my future build(?):
Intel - Core i7-7700K 4.2GHz Quad-Core Processor

Corsair - H100i 77.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler

Asus - MAXIMUS IX HERO ATX LGA1151 Motherboard

NZXT - Phantom 410 (Gunmetal/Black) ATX Mid Tower Case

Zalman - TX 700W ATX Power Supply (exist now)

Gigabyte - GeForce GTX 1060 6GB 6GB WINDFORCE OC 6G Video Card (exist now)

[migeo]

Go with the sdram.

[EunSoo]

DIMM is the name of the slot that the RAM goes into. SDRAM is a generic name for a type of RAM. So those terms can be ignored as they are two talking about two completely different things. And don't really concern with compatibility. As all ram goes into DIMM slots and it being SDRAM doesn't matter at all.

 

I usually end up getting g.skill or Corsair ram but hyperx is also fine. Get whichever one matches your build

Edited June 27, 2017 by SCGazelle

[Zyndo]

14 minutes ago, JFlow said:

Is there a difference between DIMM and SDRAM in RAM?

DIMM stands for "Dual In-line Memory Module" and refers to, basically, any modern stick of RAM. For example a 4x8GB kit of 32GB RAM would have 4 DIMM's in it, with each DIMM having 8GB, for a total of 32GB.

 

SDRAM refers to the type of memory on the DIMM. RAM stands for "Random Access Memory"... the D stands for "Dynamic". the S stands for "Synchronous"... put that together and you understand what SDRAM is... and if that is confusing, pretty much all desktop memory is SDRAM nowadays (unless you have a really old system).

 

You can google this information quite easily if you wish to learn more.

 

14 minutes ago, JFlow said:

Is there a difference between DIMM and SDRAM in RAM? I am really no sure which ram should I buy 
I don't have any clue whatsoever about RAM and I just want to buy a good one.

I am focusing on the:

1. HyperX FURY 2x16GB DDR4 2400MHz CL15 Kit (DIMM)

2. HyperX Savage 2x16GB DDR4 2400Mhz CL14 Kit (SDRAM)

So, both of these kits have 2 DIMMS of DDR4 SDRAM. the only difference is the second kit has lower latencies, which will make it very slightly better (CL14 is better than CL15).

 

What is the purpose of this rig? based on the rest of the build it looks like a gaming rig, and you are seriously overspending in some areas and spending extremely little in other more important areas. as far as memory is concerned, you should not buy more than 16GB of system memory if gaming is your only workload.

[Zyndo]

2 minutes ago, SCGazelle said:

DIMM is the name of the slot that the RAM goes into.

That is not what a DIMM is. what you are referring to is a DIMM slot. See above

[Guest]

Get the cheapest sticks that look alright. There will likely be no performance changes that actually make a big difference between a stick of 8GB DDR4 at 2133MHz and one at 3200MHz, so don't worry about the speed. RAM is pretty much all the same.

[JFlow]

1 minute ago, Zyndo said:

What is the purpose of this rig? based on the rest of the build it looks like a gaming rig, and you are seriously overspending in some areas and spending extremely little in other more important areas. as far as memory is concerned, you should not buy more than 16GB of system memory if gaming is your only workload.

The purpose of the rig is definitely for gaming as I am trying to give it some sort of an "high-end" specifications.

[JFlow]

1 minute ago, LeinadTM said:

Get the cheapest sticks that look alright. There will likely be no performance changes that actually make a big difference between a stick of 8GB DDR4 at 2133MHz and one at 3200MHz, so don't worry about the speed. RAM is pretty much all the same.

 

6 minutes ago, Zyndo said:

What is the purpose of this rig? based on the rest of the build it looks like a gaming rig, and you are seriously overspending in some areas and spending extremely little in other more important areas. as far as memory is concerned, you should not buy more than 16GB of system memory if gaming is your only workload.

 

So basically you guys think I should go with a cheaper\Lower-Memory RAM?

[Zyndo]

Just now, JFlow said:

The purpose of the rig is definitely for gaming as I am trying to give it some sort of an "high-end" specifications.

get no more than 16GB of RAM then. the difference in gaming performance between 8GB and 16GB isn't fairly minimal as it is (although that doesn't mean 16GB is bad because some games like the extra RAM) whereas the difference between 16GB and 32GB is non-existent.

 

What kind of monitor do you have (resolution and refresh rate are important here)? and do you intend on upgrading your GPU to a GTX 1080ti or some AMD Vega counterpart in the near future? You could probably save several hundred dollars and see no performance loss by switching to a Ryzen build instead of a 7700k build.

[Zyndo]

4 minutes ago, JFlow said:

So basically you guys think I should go with a cheaper\Lower-Memory RAM?

If you stick with your 7700k and its current GPU pairing, your RAM speed will not affect performance (although this is not true for all systems and gaming configurations) so yes  for your needs and configuration just get whatever is cheapest. but you also probably shouldn't be buying a 7700k (will depend on the questions asked above)

[Guest]

4 minutes ago, JFlow said:

So basically you guys think I should go with a cheaper\Lower-Memory RAM?

Cheaper, not necessarily lower capacity. 16GB should be great for a high-end gaming PC, 32GB is gracious overkill. But whatever capacity you're getting, get the cheapest you can find.

[JFlow]

8 minutes ago, Zyndo said:

What kind of monitor do you have (resolution and refresh rate are important here)? and do you intend on upgrading your GPU to a GTX 1080ti or some AMD Vega counterpart in the near future? You could probably save several hundred dollars and see no performance loss by switching to a Ryzen build instead of a 7700k build.

My current monitor is actually pretty bad... Wasn't considering switching it since no money from the savings left  But, if I'm switching the RAM to 16GB (2X8GB is better?) I should probebly will have the extra money to buy a monitor... (any suggestions?), and yes, resolution and refresh rate are important here.

 

About the GPU I just recently replaced my GTX 970 with this one so its actually an improvement since I'm not spending more money on GPU.

But I think I should stick with the 7700K build since it was my final decision (after many hours). Do you have another suggestion for any other good i7 processors for gaming?

[Zyndo]

4 minutes ago, JFlow said:

(2X8GB is better?)

16GB is not better than 32GB... but its also not worse. in gaming situations they will perform identically to one another. No sense investing a ton of extra money to get a 32GB kit of RAM if its not going to improve fps/performance at all.

 

5 minutes ago, JFlow said:

and yes, resolution and refresh rate are important here

I needed these specs in order to give you hardware suggestions. Please tell me the resolution and refresh rate of your current monitor and I will tell you if buying a 7700k platform is a good idea or not.

 

6 minutes ago, JFlow said:

But I think I should stick with the 7700K build since it was my final decision (after many hours). Do you have another suggestion for any other good i7 processors for gaming?

My suggestion would be to not invest in a 7700k unless you can pair it with a very powerful graphics card and high refresh rate monitor. an R5 1600 with a stock cooler and cheaper B350 motherboard will perform pretty much identical to a 7700k when paired with a GTX 1060 6GB on a 60hz monitor. You would be severely overspending to buy an unlocked i7 for performance you're never going to be able to achieve due to a weaker GPU and monitor preventing you from getting to the high framerates where the 7700k shows its strengths.

 

It would be highly advisable to save yourself several hundred dollars by switching to Ryzen if you intend to keep your GTX 1060 6GB for more than a few months.

[JFlow]

29 minutes ago, Zyndo said:

16GB is not better than 32GB... but its also not worse. in gaming situations they will perform identically to one another. No sense investing a ton of extra money to get a 32GB kit of RAM if its not going to improve fps/performance at all.

What i meant was is the single RAM of a 16GB is better then 2X8GB? since you convinced me about the RAM

29 minutes ago, Zyndo said:

It would be highly advisable to save yourself several hundred dollars by switching to Ryzen if you intend to keep your GTX 1060 6GB for more than a few months.

I would probably will be able to switch my GTX 1060 in 6 months, so it not going to stay that much. About the Ryzen option... never considered buying an AMD system, because I was advised not to buy AMD since it heats a lot.

29 minutes ago, Zyndo said:

I needed these specs in order to give you hardware suggestions. Please tell me the resolution and refresh rate of your current monitor and I will tell you if buying a 7700k platform is a good idea or not.

I saw that my current refresh rate was at (a very low) 60 Hertz. About the monitor it is a 22' MAG H2213L (I thank my parents for the bad choice since it was back in 2011).

 

Maybe an i5-7600K will do it?

 

Since I will be saving on the RAM and the processor, I will be able to buy a new monitor for this build. Any suggestions about which monitor should i buy?

[Zyndo]

1 minute ago, JFlow said:

What i meant was is the single RAM of a 16GB is better then 2X8GB? since you convinced me about the RAM

oh okay. 2x8GB is preferred over 1x16GB.

 

To give you a simple answer for why, a Dual channel memory configuration is better than Single channel memory configuration. If you don't know what that means, google it or watch some Youtube videos on the subject. Largely speaking it probably won't make a huge difference, but if you have the option to go for dual channel or even quad channel memory (not supported on LGA 1151 or AM4 platforms) would be better than running single channel.

4 minutes ago, JFlow said:

I would probably will be able to switch my GTX 1060 in 6 months, so it not going to stay that much. About the Ryzen option... never considered buying an AMD system, because I was advised not to buy AMD since it heats a lot.

Not sure who gave you that advice, but its wrong. I mean, AMD chips do have a reputation for being a bit hotter than Intel chips (especially the older models of CPU's), but they're not dangerously hot or anything like that. Ryzen, which was released a few months ago, breaks that mould and is actually an extremely good CPU for the money when compared against Intel's current offerings in pretty much all applications across the board.

 

The 7700k is technically a stronger gaming CPU, but the caveat here is in order to actually leverage that increased performance you need to spend a great deal more money on your entire system in order to leverage it well (7700k only makes sense if you can spend over $1500 on your setup).

 

8 minutes ago, JFlow said:

I saw that my current refresh rate was at (a very low) 60 Hertz. About the monitor it is a 22' MAG H2213L (I thank my parents for the bad choice since it was back in 2011).

 

Since I will be saving on the RAM and the processor, I will be able to buy a new monitor for this build. Any suggestions about which monitor should i buy?

60hz isn't really "low" as that is what most people in the world have. Its a very normal refresh rate (its even what I have right now). So yes, that monitor has a 1920x1080 resolution @ 60hz. that is a very typical monitor for people to be using. Based on all of this information I would highly recommend getting a Ryzen system. a 7700k doesn't really make sense for a user of your budget.

[JFlow]

15 minutes ago, Zyndo said:

Ryzen, which was released a few months ago, breaks that mould and is actually an extremely good CPU for the money when compared against Intel's current offerings in pretty much all applications across the board.

Something that i was in shock with is that in my region, the Ryzen costs more then the i7 7700K processor

The motherboard choices was between the Asus - MAXIMUS IX HERO ATX LGA1151 Motherboard and the Gigabyte AORUS GA-AX370-Gaming 5 AM4 and it seems that the prices is "kind of" similar (20$ more for the Asus). 

Should i consider the Intel Core i5-7600K processor? since he is cheaper then bout the Ryzen and the i7-7700K.

 

About the monitor, if I save that much money maybe i should consider buying a better one? or should I go with an improved GPU?

[Zyndo]

10 minutes ago, JFlow said:

Something that i was in shock with is that in my region, the Ryzen costs more then the i7 7700K processor

"Ryzen" has many CPU's in its arsenal... are you telling me that an R5 1600 is more expensive for you than a i7-7700k? because for most other places in the world an R5 1600 is nearly half the cost of a i7-7700k. Then there is also the cost of the CPU cooler and motherboard, which should both be significantly cheaper than what you would be needing for a 7700k.

 

10 minutes ago, JFlow said:

Should i consider the Intel Core i5-7600K processor? since he is cheaper then bout the Ryzen and the i7-7700K

well... the 7700k would have better performance which means it would be relevant for longer. You may have to upgrade a 7600k in 2-3 years because it can't give you the same fps anymore in the newer titles out then, whereas the 7700k would be less susceptible to that effect. not that the 7600k is bad or anything, it just doesn't have the same longevity as the 7700k would.

[JFlow]

6 minutes ago, Zyndo said:

"Ryzen" has many CPU's in its arsenal... are you telling me that an R5 1600 is more expensive for you than a i7-7700k?

I was very mistaken with that... I watched the R7 1700X. The R5 1600 cost 50$ less then the Intel Core i5-7600K and (approximately) 120$ less then the i7-7700K.

I can bear the difference of the 120$ and take the i7-7700k.

 

Let's say that I will go with the R5 1600 (X or not X?), is the Gigabyte AORUS GA-AX370-Gaming 5 AM4 will be a good choice? and do I need to upgrade my GPU?

 

Since i was able to lower the price on the RAM, should i consider upgrading my GPU or my monitor?

[Zyndo]

7 minutes ago, JFlow said:

Let's say that I will go with the R5 1600 (X or not X?)

Not X. the 1600x will not come with a cooler, which means you will need to pay more to get one. the 1600 comes with a stock cooler which is actually decent and can do some mild overclocking. The only advantage the 1600x has is slightly higher stock frequencies, but if you are okay with manually overclocking then you may as well get the 1600 since its cheaper and will overclock to the same frequencies as a 1600x.

 

9 minutes ago, JFlow said:

is the Gigabyte AORUS GA-AX370-Gaming 5 AM4 will be a good choice?

Yes that motherboard is a good one, but you also do not need to spend that much money on a motherboard if you do not want to. Something like an MSI B350 Tomahawk is really all you should need. But you can certainly go for an X370 motherboard if you want as it will give you better and more granular voltage control when overclocking (B350 motherboards can still overclock, they just have less tools at their disposal to do so). the X370 Taichi is also a great board from Asrock if you're interested in an X370 ATX board. It would help to know what kind of aesthetic/colour you're after if you want me to recommend specific motherboard models since I don't really know what pricing and availability is like wherever it is you live.

 

13 minutes ago, JFlow said:

do I need to upgrade my GPU?

If you're going to be sticking with a 1080p 60hz monitor then no. 1060 6GB is an excellent GPU to be paired with a 1080p 60hz monitor. But if you feel the urge to upgrade and you have the money, then consider upgrading both your GPU and your monitor at the same time, but I certainly wouldn't say its necessary. Nothing wrong with a 1080p 60hz gaming experience. with an R5 1600 and a GTX 1060 6GB you should have no issues staying above 60 fps in all games at ultra settings pretty much all of the time. You should be quite satisfied with your gaming experience and that kind of investment (especially with all the money you're now saving by switching to Ryzen).

 

17 minutes ago, JFlow said:

Since i was able to lower the price on the RAM

When it comes to Ryzen, Faster RAM will be of great benefit to you. Try to look for some 2x8GB or 4x4GB kit of 3200MHz RAM if you can. It shouldn't be a whole lot more expensive than 2133MHz or 2400MHz RAM and its worth every penny. Due to Ryzens unique architecture, having much faster RAM results in a pretty notable performance improvement which you normally wouldn't really see on something like a core i7 or some other platform.

 

16GB of 3200MHz with C16 timings (although if you can get C15 or C14 timings without spending much more money that is a good idea too) is what you should be looking for. find something affordable which you think would look good in your system and buy that

[JFlow]

5 minutes ago, Zyndo said:

Thank you very much for all the explanations! I will consider the AMD solution (and will probably go for it). I will try to google a bit more about all the options.

Still, if i could manage to put my hands on some extra money this summer, should I consider the Intel solution over the AMD one? Or just try and upgrade my monitor and GPU?

 

7 minutes ago, Zyndo said:

would help to know what kind of aesthetic/colour you're after if you want me to recommend specific motherboard models since I don't really know what pricing and availability is like wherever it is you live.

Actually no aesthetic or color are considered in my build... I am not looking for beauty on my rig but on my screen

[Zyndo]

8 minutes ago, JFlow said:

Actually no aesthetic or color are considered in my build... I am not looking for beauty on my rig but on my screen

There is no reason you can't have both. It may be worth thinking about.

 

8 minutes ago, JFlow said:

Still, if i could manage to put my hands on some extra money this summer, should I consider the Intel solution over the AMD one?

If you could afford a GTX 1080ti/1080p 144hz monitor or faster (and want a high refresh rate gaming experience instead of a high resolution gaming experience), in addition to the extra cost involved with a 7700k platform... then maybe. But its, overall, a LOT more money than what we're currently discussing.

 

If all you want is your games to look prettier, then a higher resolution gaming experience is probably more beneficial to you, and higher resolutions don't require much more CPU horsepower (in fact they usually require less since you will usually be running at lower framerates), merely more GPU horsepower.

 

So it basically largely comes down to your budget and preference if you should buy a 7700k or not... but for the most part most people should be building Ryzen systems atm rather than Intel systems unless you have the budget and desire to really go all out and buy all the high end stuff.