Which RAM Should I Buy?

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Luminor

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Jul 25, 2015
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Does RAM speed really matter when it comes to 16GB to 32GB of DDR3?

i.e. 1600 vs 2000 or 2600 vs 3000

 
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MarkW
1600 is the standard. 1866 is a decent speed bump. 2133 is a minor speed bump over 1866. Beyond that, mostly bragging rights.

But there is more to speed than the 4 digit number. For example, each 4 digit speed number also comes with a CL number. This is the latency. The lower the CL number, the faster the memory is. So 1600 CL8 is faster than 1600 CL 11. But, 1866 CL 13 would be slower than 1600 CL 10.

The general rule of thumb that I use is this. For each increase in speed of 266, the CL number can go up by 1, and the increase will be worth it. But if the CL number goes up by 2, its probably a tie, and if the CL number goes up by 3 or more, its likely slower.

I know. This is a little complicated. But almost everything about...
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CTurbo

CTurbo

Pizza Monster
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Aug 27, 2013
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Depends on what you're doing, and what parts you have.

8GB is plenty for gaming and speeds make little difference. 16GB is somewhere between "future proof" and wasting money. 32GB is wasting money for sure.

If you're rendering, editing, 3D, etc...

16GB is standard, 32GB is better, and RAM speeds start to make a little difference.
 
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MarkW

MarkW

Judicious
Dec 7, 2009
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1600 is the standard. 1866 is a decent speed bump. 2133 is a minor speed bump over 1866. Beyond that, mostly bragging rights.

But there is more to speed than the 4 digit number. For example, each 4 digit speed number also comes with a CL number. This is the latency. The lower the CL number, the faster the memory is. So 1600 CL8 is faster than 1600 CL 11. But, 1866 CL 13 would be slower than 1600 CL 10.

The general rule of thumb that I use is this. For each increase in speed of 266, the CL number can go up by 1, and the increase will be worth it. But if the CL number goes up by 2, its probably a tie, and if the CL number goes up by 3 or more, its likely slower.

I know. This is a little complicated. But almost everything about computers is complicated.

Here is an article on memory, and it covers what I just tried to do in a single paragraph or two in much more detail.

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/ddr-dram-faq,4154.html
 
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