RAM Speed - Does it matter?

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Minimattt

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Nov 4, 2014
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I have been up and down the block so many times, I am just fed up...

I have been trying to upgrade my shabby computer into a gaming rig and every step of the way, some smart ass has been there to point out how I need to just get an entirely new machine...

I have a 600W PSU which works absolutely perfectly and see no reason why I need to replace it. I have a 1TB Hard Drive that also works great and has more than enough space for my needs.. My case is big but has plenty of airflow which works for me.

All I want to replace is the Motherboard, CPU and Graphics card.. The Mobo I'm using is the MSI A78M-E35 and the CPU is an AMD Athlon x4 760k.

Now I also already have 2 sticks of 4gb RAM which I can run in Dual Channel... Now this is the last straw when it comes to what I need to upgrade and so many people have been more than happy to lecture me on how fast my RAM needs to be..

So here's my question!

As someone who is just fed up of going back and not at all fussy and has a perfectly decent kit of DDR3 RAM... Does it REALLY matter if it's not 1600mhz or 1333mhz?

I hope someone can just put my mind at ease so I can start upgrading and not spend any more money.
 
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The difference between 1333 and 1600 is not big in a gaming rig and since you are running discrete graphics it will not bottle neck you GPU. I do realize many gamers must have the fastest available equipment and I'm not saying it won't help to have faster ram but a frame per second is not a big gain. I would rather have more ram than faster ram.I run a q6600@3.4ghz with a raid 5 with mechanical drives with ddr-800 ram and I still play new titles with no problem.
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n4exodus

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The difference between 1333 and 1600 is not big in a gaming rig and since you are running discrete graphics it will not bottle neck you GPU. I do realize many gamers must have the fastest available equipment and I'm not saying it won't help to have faster ram but a frame per second is not a big gain. I would rather have more ram than faster ram.I run a q6600@3.4ghz with a raid 5 with mechanical drives with ddr-800 ram and I still play new titles with no problem.
 
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Zerk2012

Zerk2012

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Oct 6, 2014
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If you already have 1333 memory their nothing wrong with it for gaming.
On a side not why do you think you need more than 8GB?
Do whatever you do on the PC now and open task manager and see how much memory your using no gaming PC needs more than 8GB of memory now or in the anytime near future.
 
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Minimattt

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Nov 4, 2014
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Just to clarify, are 1333 and 1600 the only 2 speeds DDR3 RAM comes in?
 
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n4exodus

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No ram comes in many speeds, I've seen speeds for DDR3 up to 3200 for premium sticks but they cost much more. DDR3 1600 has the best price for performance. Just make sure you run dual channel (2 sticks) for best performance. But if you already have DDR 1333 you will not be able to feel the difference playing on the machine vs DDR 1600.
 
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Minimattt

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Like I said, I got 2 4gb DIMMS and they'red 1333 so I'm good to go, thanks!
 
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