Ryzen 3000 series. What Ram?

[LarryMason1337]

So another thing I am trying to figure out is if I end up grabbing a ryzen 3600 in a few months when they come out what sort of RAM should I go for? 3000mhz? 3200? less? I plan to start with a 16gb kit 2x8 and then add on another 16gb kit down the road.

Any suggestions or insight is helpful and appreciated! Sorry if this is super noob question.

[Jurrunio]

3000-3200 are usually the best, of course price is a big factor. Do get high frequency ones though, only a little more expensive than sub 2666 ones.

[BiG StroOnZ]

Hopefully with the Ryzen 3000 series, there is a vast improvement with higher speed memory compatibility. Because as of right now, with the 1000/2000 series you are capped at about 2933-3200MHz speeds on average. 

 

If reviews show that the IMC is greatly improved, and as a result, allow higher speeds than 3200MHz; then I would say a 16GB (2x8) CAS15 3600MHz kit would be a nice sweet spot between frequency and CAS Latency. On the off chance that Ryzen 3000-series allows even higher speeds than 3600MHz, then I guess at that point reevaluate the improvement in performance versus the cost - as The Infinity Fabric speed is affected by memory speed and consequently you can see solid gains in performance.

 

Here's a nice review which shows scaling well, under the most ideal circumstances:

 

https://www.legitreviews.com/ddr4-memory-scaling-performance-with-ryzen-7-2700x-on-the-amd-x470-platform_205154

[nick name]

If you're going to be combining kits then don't expect them to mix perfectly.  They might, but kits are tested as a set and if you combine them they aren't guaranteed to work.  So if more RAM is what is important then I would get the best 3200MHz kit you can and hope all four sticks will eventually run well together.  

 

If you're simply talking about what Zen 2 will be able to handle then I have seen several people in the know talk about its potential to perform better than Zen+.  That performance being: strong Samsung b-die running 3600MHz at 14-15-14-14 reliably and some up to 3666MHz and Hynix CJR running up to 3800MHz with looser timings.  

[LarryMason1337]

So even if I buy the same exact RAM 6 months later because it is a different kit there will probably be issues?

[BiG StroOnZ]

6 minutes ago, LarryMason1337 said:

So even if I buy the same exact RAM 6 months later because it is a different kit there will probably be issues?

Just make sure to get the same kit later, and then you will avoid any issues.

[ubm3d]

I am running a very budget g.skill aegis 3000 kit @3200 on a gigabyte budget board, its nothing for a overclocker enthusiast, but for general usage it is just fine. - i am pretty sure that i was just lucky in the silicone lottery, as it is a Hynix A-die. You might just order cheap ones, and if it doesn't fit to your needs - get better ones and return the cheap one  - It has to be mentioned that generaly the motherboards do cap your capapbility to OC your Ram nicely. (same kit does not go greater 2933 on a asrock b450 board which is way more expensive then my gigabyte.)

[LarryMason1337]

2 minutes ago, ubm3d said:

I am running a very budget g.skill aegis 3000 kit @3200 on a gigabyte budget board, its nothing for a overclocker enthusiast, but for general usage it is just fine. - i am pretty sure that i was just lucky in the silicone lottery, as it is a Hynix A-die. You might just order cheap ones, and if it doesn't fit to your needs - get better ones and return the cheap one  - It has to be mentioned that generaly the motherboards do cap your capapbility to OC your Ram nicely. (same kit does not go greater 2933 on a asrock b450 board which is way more expensive then my gigabyte.)

I don't plan to OC or push my system in any way. I prefer to run just stock settings. I was looking at g.skill 3000 or 3200mhz kits as my preference and in the 80-95$ price range. Is there anything about the ram besides the 3000mhz or 3200mhz that i should really care about running stock?

[ubm3d]

3 minutes ago, LarryMason1337 said:

I don't plan to OC or push my system in any way. I prefer to run just stock settings. I was looking at g.skill 3000 or 3200mhz kits as my preference and in the 80-95$ price range. Is there anything about the ram besides the 3000mhz or 3200mhz that i should really care about running stock?

just dont forget to enable the xmp profile , if you are lucky, you might give it a 3200 for the 3000 budget model afterwards.

edit: make sure not to OC the voltage too much ( i am running these settings even undervolted @ 1.33 V for ddr4

[nick name]

Don't buy a kit with an odd CL.  For example a 3000CL15 kit.  Honestly, don't buy anything less than 3200MHz.  Ideally 3200CL14, but that is gonna cost ya more.  And the reason you don't want 3000CL15 is because Ryzen doesn't like odd CAS Latency and will usually try to change it to the next even timing.  So a 3000CL15 will run at CL16 because the 3000 kits aren't the best silicon anyway.  However, a good kit like the 3600CL15 will run the odd CAS Latency and also run at tighter timings all around, but that is really more than you want to spend.  

[LarryMason1337]

19 minutes ago, nick name said:

Don't buy a kit with an odd CL.  For example a 3000CL15 kit.  Honestly, don't buy anything less than 3200MHz.  Ideally 3200CL14, but that is gonna cost ya more.  And the reason you don't want 3000CL15 is because Ryzen doesn't like odd CAS Latency and will usually try to change it to the next even timing.  So a 3000CL15 will run at CL16 because the 3000 kits aren't the best silicon anyway.  However, a good kit like the 3600CL15 will run the odd CAS Latency and also run at tighter timings all around, but that is really more than you want to spend.  

So something like this is preferable? https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231977&utm_medium=Email&utm_source=IGNEFL032919C&cm_mmc=EMC-IGNEFL032919C-_-EMC-032919-Latest-_-DesktopMemory-_-20231977-S1A4C&ignorebbr=1

 

• DDR4 3200 (PC4 25600)
• Timing 16-18-18-38
• CAS Latency 16
• Voltage 1.35V

[nick name]

That's usually my bare minimum recommendation on RAM for Zen+.

[LarryMason1337]

How much of a difference would like CAS Latency 16 vs CAS Latency 14 or 18? Is smaller number better?

[nick name]

Smaller is better, but you really won't be able to see a difference with the naked eye.  It's something you have to actually measure.  With your plan, however, something like a 3200CL14 kit will give you room to back off some timings if the kit you add later isn't matched well enough to run combined. 

 

Benefits of a 3200CL16 kit is the lower price, a little wiggle room with the timings, and a respectable speed.