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RAM: higher capacity vs higher speed (self.pcmasterrace)

submitted 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) by ViscloReader to c/pcmasterrace

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I am going to upgrade my 8gb desktop pc. I have 2 free slots and 2 slots with 2x4gb 2400Mhz. I will buy 2x8gb with 3600 MHz. Should I put them together and have 24gb at 2400Mhz or should I remove the 2x4 in favor of the 3600Mhz.

I'm asking because I read that when you have 2 different ram speeds it will default to the lower one.

Edit: it's for gaming and I have a Ryzen 3 1200 with a b350m as a motherboard

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[–] godot 6 points 3 months ago (2 children)

First generation Ryzen struggles with higher memory speed. You very likely will not get the full 3600MT/s. There’s no real reason to buy slower, just be aware you’re likely going to hit a ceiling.

For gaming you might see bigger improvements from upgrading the CPU, maybe to an R5 3600. That and the memory are both going to offer big performance improvement.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 3 months ago (1 children)

I'm 99% sure his 350 board and processor don't support 3,600 anyhow. My ryzen 5 and 350 board doesn't.

[–] godot 2 points 3 months ago

Yeah, even the better boards struggled to break 3,000MT/s with Zen 1. They sure were fun to play with, though, one of the last times I felt like tinkering was actually getting me something.

I’d be curious how the more modern “default” 3600 kits do, I didn’t have a Ryzen system by the time they were popular and cheap.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Can they not run an X3D processor? I’m in love with my 5800X3D, best processor I’ve had since the 2500k. I miss overclocking but the performance is fantastic stock.

[–] godot 2 points 3 months ago

Some B350m models did get Zen 3 compatibility. Not all, if I remember correctly, though I could be wrong. So whether it’s compatible I think is model dependent. Whether an old B350m has the VRMs for a chunkier CPU would also be a reasonable question.

I mentioned the R5 3600 because the prices on them are great. A 5800X3D does perform better, but I see completed eBay listings at $225+. They also needs a cooler. I see one 3600 that went for about $50 and several that went for $60, which isn’t too much more than a 16gb kit of DDR4.

I would definitely consider a Zen3 CPU for this upgrade, depending on budget.