Are all ram created equal?

[Doyle]

I’m in the process to try and build a new pc and I’m having trouble picking out parts but one of the things troubling me is which ram set to choose from! Isn’t 32GB of ram 32GB of ram? Or are some better than others? Like say do some actually handle a 32GB load better than others?

[Doyle]

Also any recomendations on what I should use in my pc would be apreciated 32 GB

[manikyath]

first question: why do you need 32GB ram?

second question: what hardware are you pairing it with?

third, answer: no, not all ram is equal, but nothing is "objectively best"

 

EDIT: oh, and welcome to the forum

[Jurrunio]

Capacities of different sticks always equal to what it says, so 32GB from Samsung or Crucial or any brand hold the same amount of data. Their speeds could vary even if the memory dies are the same though, just like how the same CPU can overclock differently, while Ryzen and Coffee Lake are clearly different.

 

btw if you game only then there's no need for more than 16GB memory

[corrado33]

Buy some DDR4-3200 and be happy. If you're on ryzen, make sure it's on the supported memory list for your motherboard, if you're on intel, it doesn't matter. 

[manikyath]

Just now, corrado33 said:

Buy some DDR4-3200 and be happy. If you're on ryzen, make sure it's on the supported memory list for your motherboard, if you're on intel, it doesn't matter. 

worst recommendation seen today..

 

among other, things that can go wrong with your recommendation:

- spending too much

- number of sticks (vs number of available slots and channels)

- compatibility (since OP has given zero information about the rest)

[Guest]

Besides speed (which directly corresponds to timings) all ram are, indeed, created equal. 

[manikyath]

1 minute ago, ears_ears said:

Besides speed (which directly corresponds to timings) all ram are, indeed, created equal. 

false. on paper yes, in reality no.

[Guest]

Just now, manikyath said:

false. on paper yes, in reality no.

Within practical reason. 3000MHZ ram is going to act like 3000MHZ ram from any manufacturer; overclocking to impractically high speeds (3600+) is not the point here.

[manikyath]

Just now, ears_ears said:

Within practical reason. 3000MHZ ram is going to act like 3000MHZ ram from any manufacturer; overclocking to impractically high speeds (3600+) is not the point here.

physical design, die density (an issue on intel NUCs for example), the specific dram manufacturer used, etc.

 

if OP asks a blanket statement, the answer should be no, because it's impossible to foresee if he'll run into the specific details where they differ.

[corrado33]

19 minutes ago, manikyath said:

worst recommendation seen today..

 

among other, things that can go wrong with your recommendation:

- spending too much

- number of sticks (vs number of available slots and channels)

- compatibility (since OP has given zero information about the rest)

- He didn't ask, it's not my place to tell people how to spend their money. Hell, half the people here have RGB everything, talk about a waste of money.

- Almost every ram pack comes in a dual channel pack now-a-day. The very large majority of motherboards will only support dual channel anyway. 

- Did I not say "Make sure it's on the ram compatibility list?" 

 

EDIT: Gaming performance drops off after 3200 MHz in certain games, therefore it's really the only ram you should consider.

[manikyath]

1 minute ago, corrado33 said:

Gaming performance drops off after 3200 MHz in certain games, therefore it's really the only ram you should consider.

who said OP's gaming?

 

if op was gaming i'd say it's a waste to buy 32GB at this point.

[corrado33]

6 minutes ago, manikyath said:

who said OP's gaming?

 

if op was gaming i'd say it's a waste to buy 32GB at this point.

How much you wanna bet he's gaming? 2 posts, not very knowledgeable. Likely building first gaming PC for Christmas.  

 

RAM speed also doesn't really affect video editing either. So what else... exactly could he be doing that would care about ram? 

 

https://forums.adobe.com/thread/1255433

 

Again, yes, we all know that 32 gigs is too much for gaming, but who cares if the OP wants to buy it. He didn't ask for whether it was the right amount or not. 

[Falkentyne]

3 hours ago, Doyle said:

I’m in the process to try and build a new pc and I’m having trouble picking out parts but one of the things troubling me is which ram set to choose from! Isn’t 32GB of ram 32GB of ram? Or are some better than others? Like say do some actually handle a 32GB load better than others?

If you are buying a modern high end computer, 32 GB is plenty.  Games will only get bigger and bigger and applications will only use more and more memory in the future.  Right now, 16 GB is fine, but at this point 16 GB is bare minimum now for comfort.  The main issue is that DDR prices are extremely expensive, so what people often do is buy 2x8 GB of high speed low timings memory, then they will have 2 more slots to upgrade later, in a 4 slot board.

 

And as far as RAM itself, no, not all RAM is created equal.

the RAM chips themselves will vary on timings capability and speed, certain companies will produce certain chips that can overclock quite high (by tweaking, timing and voltage adjustment and raising speeds slowly), like Samsung "B-die", others will just be stable at their base timings.  Then there is the quality of the PCB also.   Having good RAM chips on a bad PCB can cause issues.  

Then there is QA (or lack of it) on sticks by more well known companies--better QA increases the chances you get a good set of RAM.  Then there's compatibility (e.g. Ryzen is best with Samsung B-die), etc.

 

Try to avoid no-name random memory.  Most people these days like G-skill, Corsair, Geil, Crucial.and sometimes teamgroup (note: Micron is the manufacturing arm of Crucial, afaik the only semiconductor company that makes its own IC's; I do not know if Crucial sells sticks made by other chip makers).

There may be others I've forgotten.