Choosing between RAM plates.

[HeLiOn PrImE]

Hey there guys. I've been researching parts for my rig for a while, and I'm trying to settle on some RAM plates.

My initial choice is the G.Skill Ripjaws V 3200MHz CL14 1.35v Dual Channel Kit. However, although it has great reviews, I'm not a fan of the high profile, because it might cause issues when mounting the CPU cooler.

I also found the Corsair Vengeance LPX Black 3600MHz CL18 Dual Channel Kit at about the same price. It's a lower profile, but I have no clue if they are better or not.

My rig will be used mainly for gaming, but also occasional video editing.

The chosen CPU is the Intel Kaby Lake, Core i7 7700K 4.20GHz.

Can you tell me which one of these are better? Or if you have any suggestions, I'll be glad to listen...

[SquintyG33Rs]

they will perform identically. buy which ever is cheaper or most eastetically pleasing to you

[Skiiwee29]

So at a certain point the MHZ to Cas Latency ratio scale normalizes and really has no affect on performance anymore. What Cooler are you using?

[Minbari]

A positive fact about DDR4 is that in almost no situations does it impact performance beyond synthetic tests of the memory itself. As long as the heat spreader is compatible with the specific cooler you own, find the cheapest RAM that looks good enough to be in your system. Because of supply and demand issues, pricing can be all over the map between sites, even with identical products, on different days. Any dual channel kit of DDR4 will be just fine and you will be limited by other bottlenecks in your system anyway.

[HeLiOn PrImE]

I'm not using anything yet, to be honest. Still deciding. I'm planning to go with the Dark Rock 3 Pro from BeQuiet.

I saw that the ouside fan can be lifted a bit if RAM height is an issue, but I still want to play it safe.

 

[Skiiwee29]

If you are going with a large tower style cooler like the DRP3 then you would want to get the LPX ram for the extra clearance. 

[HeLiOn PrImE]

Thanks for clearing it out for me :).

[JoostinOnline]

28 minutes ago, Minbari said:

A positive fact about DDR4 is that in almost no situations does it impact performance beyond synthetic tests of the memory itself.

That was DDR3.  DDR4 has a noticeable affect.

 

@HeLiOn PrImE On paper, the 3200MHz RAM should perform better because of the lower latency.

[Minbari]

Just now, JoostinOnline said:

That was DDR3.  DDR4 has a noticeable affect.

Like where? Have any benchmarks? 

[HeLiOn PrImE]

Just now, JoostinOnline said:

That was DDR3.  DDR4 has a noticeable affect.

So then which one is better? Or should I look into something else?

[JoostinOnline]

2 minutes ago, Minbari said:

Like where? Have any benchmarks? 

This is the first video where it was noticed.  Nobody was testing it before because everyone assumed it was the same as DDR/DDR2/DDR3.

Where it really matters is on Ryzen though.  Infinity Fabric (which is how the cores communicate) runs at the same speed as the RAM.  Faster RAM means faster performance.

 

Also keep in mind this ONLY applies to when a game is CPU bound.  If you're doing something at 4K for example, it's always GPU bound so you won't see a difference.

2 minutes ago, HeLiOn PrImE said:

So then which one is better? Or should I look into something else?

See my edit.  It's more important that you get one that is compatible with your cooler though.  We're talking maybe 5 frames maximum difference on most games, and usually 1 or 2.  A better cooler to let you overclock higher will make a bigger difference than faster RAM.

[HeLiOn PrImE]

Noted. Thanks.