High Speed vs Low Latency RAM

[JuliusAugustulus]

Hello everyone,

 

I am just finalising my new build and I have a question about RAM. I am currently looking at two different RAM sticks to buy; they are both 16GB(2x8GB sticks) Corsair Vengeance LPX but one is 3200Mhz and has CAS timings of 16-18-18-36 and the other is 3600Mhz but has CAS timings of 18-22-22-42. Which one would you recommend for gaming performance? Would the faster speed make the latter the better option or does the lower CAS timings of the former make it a more attractive option?

 

There is another I am looking at, the Team Group 8Pack Edition which is 3600Mhz and has CAS timings of 16-16-16-36. The only reason why I wouldn't get it at the moment is that the website specifies it is optimised for Ryzen CPUs whereas I will probably go for the i7-9700K. Would this make a difference or would it work just as well?

 

The motherboard I will probably go for is the Asus Maximus XI Hero (WiFi).

 

Thanks!

 

Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB 3200Mhz:

https://www.overclockers.co.uk/corsair-vengeance-lpx-16gb-2x8gb-ddr4-pc4-25600c16-3200mhz-dual-channel-kit-black-cmk16gx4m2b32-my-456-cs.html

 

Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB 3600Mhz:

https://www.overclockers.co.uk/corsair-vengeance-lpx-16gb-2x8gb-ddr4-pc4-29200c18-3600mhz-dual-channel-kit-black-my-4a5-cs.html

 

Team Group 8Pack Edition 16GB 3600Mhz:

https://www.overclockers.co.uk/team-group-8pack-edition-16gb-2x8gb-ddr4-pc4-28800c16-3600mhz-dual-channel-kit-black-my-08q-tg.html

[Jurrunio]

3600C18 is better, you can get even better ones if the board isn't so overpriced with inferior hardware to boards every other brand offers

 

4 minutes ago, JuliusAugustulus said:

Would this make a difference or would it work just as well?

Makes no difference for Intel, AMD is the one more tricky to bin for.

 

[JuliusAugustulus]

Okay, thanks for the advice.

 

What other motherboard would you recommend instead?

[Jurrunio]

23 minutes ago, JuliusAugustulus said:

Okay, thanks for the advice.

 

What other motherboard would you recommend instead?

ASrock Z390 Taichi, Gigabyte Z390 Master and MSI Z390 Ace. Budget option will be the Gigabyte Z390 Pro WiFi

[JuliusAugustulus]

Thanks for those recommendations. I will probably go for one of those boards then. I will only be able to use WiFi though which means out of those three I think I could only use the Taichi or Master, as the Ace doesn't appear to have WiFi capability. Out of the Taichi and the Master is there either one you would recommend over the other? Also, you mentioned I could get better RAM if I got a different motherboard. If I went with the Taichi or Master might I ask what RAM you would go for?

 

EDIT: Just realised the MSI Z390 Ace does come with WiFi. I will probably go for that instead based on the reviews I can find. What memory would you recommend to go with it?

[Jurrunio]

7 hours ago, JuliusAugustulus said:

What memory would you recommend to go with it?

in the US

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/YTKcCJ/patriot-viper-steel-16-gb-2-x-8-gb-ddr4-4000-memory-pvs416g400c9k

 

if 4000MHz CL19 kits are too expensive and you're willing to tune it yourself, get a Crucial Ballistix 3200MHz CL16 kit. Otherwise 3600MHz CL16 or 17 will do.

[JuliusAugustulus]

Thanks.

 

Hmm, if I went with an AMD CPU instead, what motherboard and RAM would you recommend then? Something like the X570 Aorus Master or Xtreme?

[Jurrunio]

3 minutes ago, JuliusAugustulus said:

Thanks.

 

Hmm, if I went with an AMD CPU instead, what motherboard and RAM would you recommend then? Something like the X570 Aorus Master or Xtreme?

btw I forgot to mention that the Team Group x 8pack kit you mentioned is better than getting some general 3600MHz CL16 kit due to tigher out of the box timings that is so tight, it can only be Samsung B-die. Same applies for all other 16-16-16-36 kits, but 16-19-19-39 kits are common and much cheaper in comparison

 

You need a high end board for 9900k to sustain its power draw, but 3700X draws quite a lot less so you don't really need the flagships for power delivery. If you want the features then yes, the X570 Master, X570-E, Ace (4 SATA ports only though) and Taichi are comparable to what they have on Z390 (this time Asus doesn't suck). For overclocking though I doubt you'll see any difference if you dip down to say, an Asus X570 TUF WiFi.

[JuliusAugustulus]

Right, okay. What is your opinion on the 3700X vs 3900X? I could also get the 3950X, but that is really pricey at around £700. 

 

You mentioned earlier that AMD is the trickier one to bin for with regards to RAM, so would sticks such as the 8pack specified as tested for AMD be better than generic RAM kits?

[Jurrunio]

22 minutes ago, JuliusAugustulus said:

Right, okay. What is your opinion on the 3700X vs 3900X? I could also get the 3950X, but that is really pricey at around £700. 

More cores dont really help in games, nor would the extra memory write speeds.

 

25 minutes ago, JuliusAugustulus said:

You mentioned earlier that AMD is the trickier one to bin for with regards to RAM, so would sticks such as the 8pack specified as tested for AMD be better than generic RAM kits?

with the same frequency and timings? Not really, not for 3rd gen and even "for AMD" kits can seldom fail to run XMP settings

[JuliusAugustulus]

Okay, well, thanks for all your help! Sorry about my lack of knowledge; I've only recently really gotten into the finer details of PC gaming.