RAM Speeds

[Gali]

Ok, a few questions for you awesome people - 

 

1. Can I mix different speeds of RAM, example: combine 16 GBs (2x8GB) of 2133 and 32 GBs (2x16GB) of 3200, or is that bad practice / not functional?

 

2. What is the difference between manufacturers at the more "Pro" levels once you get into the 2400+ speeds? This is targeting price point differences, which I don't understand if they're the same speed, shouldn't they share a similar cost? (Please ignore the ignorance there)

 

3. I'm working with an i7 6700k / GTX 1070, and Asus z170 Mobo ... I currently have 16GBs of 2133 RAM. Providing the answer to question 1, would it be beneficial to sell off the 2133s and change out for the 3200s?

 

Thanks as always, y'all are the best.

[Electronics Wizardy]

1. Yes, it will run at the lowest speed of the batch.

 

2.Not a huge difference.

 

3. Just stick with 2133. Ram speed doesn't really make a difference.

[ministrsinister]

The RAM will be set to the slowest speed stick that is in the computer.

 

For instance, if you had 4 sticks of RAM, two are 2133 and two are 3200, they will all be set to run at 2133.

I guess you could call this a bad practice, but it depends who you talk to. If you are doing a heavy workload, even at a lower speed, you'll benefit from more memory, though be wary as it can cause issues with your system, especially if its a Mac, though that is irrelevant

 

Generally RAM speed isn't terribly important unless you are using a LOT of memory, say for VMs, though other than that, I'd say the performance difference is marginal, don't worry about upgrading to a higher speed if you already have 16 GB

  

[Gali]

1 minute ago, ministrsinister said:

The RAM will be set to the slowest speed stick that is in the computer.

 

For instance, if you had 4 sticks of RAM, two are 2133 and two are 3200, they will all be set to run at 2133.

I guess you could call this a bad practice, but it depends who you talk to. If you are doing a heavy workload, even at a lower speed, you'll benefit from more memory, though be wary as it can cause issues with your system, especially if its a Mac, though that is irrelevant

 

Generally RAM speed isn't terribly important unless you are using a LOT of memory, say for VMs, though other than that, I'd say the performance difference is marginal, don't worry about upgrading to a higher speed if you already have 16 GB

  

So for general gaming, even at 4k, it's not a clutch piece of hardware. That's mainly the GPU, aye?

[AjKawalski]

While it is technically possible to do so if you are extremely careful about the timings and other factors it is definitely not recommended. A whole host of things can go wrong, the simplest is that the better RAM will be forced to underperform and the worst is just not working at all. In general it is best to just stay with the exact same type in your MOBO. 

 

Ok so just the number of 3000 doesn't really mean anything. What matters is how much time it actually takes to process the data. This is a bit of a complicated formula but it is essentially CAS Latency *2000/(RAM TIMING)= Delay in ns. However as others have said the benefits to faster ram are marginal at best. 

 

If you really need more ram just buy more of the exact kind you have. If you don't forget about it, its not worth the cost. 

[ministrsinister]

Just now, Gali said:

So for general gaming, even at 4k, it's not a clutch piece of hardware. That's mainly the GPU, aye?

Aye, for 4k gaming say on most triple-A games today, its going to come down to MOSTLY down to your GPU but your CPU can also make a difference, your rig should be very much capable at playing demanding games at that res with fair frames, and most games with around 50-60 FPS, so long as there are not any variables affecting performance 

[Imakuni]

22 minutes ago, Gali said:

Can I mix different speeds of RAM, example: combine 16 GBs (2x8GB) of 2133 and 32 GBs (2x16GB) of 3200, or is that bad practice / not functional?

It's never advised to mismatch sticks. With that said, though, they'll work together most of the time.

22 minutes ago, Gali said:

What is the difference between manufacturers at the more "Pro" levels once you get into the 2400+ speeds? This is targeting price point differences, which I don't understand if they're the same speed, shouldn't they share a similar cost? (Please ignore the ignorance there)

No idea what you mean when you say "pro levels". Brands don't matter, and neither do their heatsinks as well. Just look at their specs and you can tell which one is better based on that alone.

 

With that said, speed is not everything. Timings also play a factor, so that can "justify" a kit being more expensive than the other. Aside for that, though, no real reason to pay extra other than liking the looks of, say, an LED kit more than a plain one.

22 minutes ago, Gali said:

I'm working with an i7 6700k / GTX 1070, and Asus z170 Mobo ... I currently have 16GBs of 2133 RAM. Providing the answer to question 1, would it be beneficial to sell off the 2133s and change out for the 3200s?

Rather, just OC your kit. You might not get to said 3200mhz, but if you can at least get to 2666~2800, you are good to go.

[Gali]

Ok, so what does use a lot of RAM at higher speeds?

production-based software (e.g. video editing, etc.)?

[Gali]

1 minute ago, Imakuni said:

It's never advised to mismatch sticks. With that said, though, they'll work together most of the time.

No idea what you mean when you say "pro levels". Brands don't matter, and neither do their heatsinks as well. Just look at their specs and you can tell which one is better based on that alone.

 

With that said, speed is not everything. Timings also play a factor, so that can "justify" a kit being more expensive than the other. Aside for that, though, no real reason to pay extra other than liking the looks of, say, an LED kit more than a plain one.

Rather, just OC your 2133. You might not get to said 3200mhz, but if can at least get to 2666 or 2800, you are good to go.

Excellent. I may opt to exchange RAM based only on aesthetic and keep my dollars away from the intense speeds. With "Pro" I was referring to the names like "Dominator" and the likes. The stuff that costs a LOT of money (relative to what I buy, such as the 2133 and even 2400 speed RAM) though it does look pretty sexy when all set up.

 

I'm kind of lost on the "Timing" aspect though ... 

 

I apologize if my knowledge is ... lacking .. shall we say on the technical aspects. I've been out of the game a long time. Just getting back in with this new rig.