$10 dollar difference - 16 gbs DD4 2400 MHZ, 15 lat, 1.2 v's vs. DD4 3000 MHZ, 15 lat, 1.35 v's

sjf999 · Jan 5, 2017

Looking at a new build, 16 gbs G.Skills Ripjaws, only $10 difference between the 2400 mhz and the 3000 mhz. Will be on a Skylake 6700k processor with a z170 motherboard that is rated for both frequencies. I know I have to enable the XMP in the bios to see the proper mhz greater then 2133.

Is there any reason not to go with the 3000 mhz ram? Increased heat? Stability Issues? Is the 2400 mhz safer overall? Or is the 3000 mhz a better choice since the skylake is scale-able, it will perform better since they both have the same 15 latency?

Or am I overthinking this one way too much?

my pc usage: work (spreadsheets, presentations), media (music, video, streaming), some games, heavy internet, etc. pretty normal stuff.

Thanks in advance.

Scott

Dark Lord of Tech · Jan 5, 2017

Your board and CPU combo can run the 3000.

Either one is perfectly fine , I'm running 32GB of 2400 on a similar setup.

Speed
vs
Latency

Why CAS latency isn't an accurate measure of memory performance
http://www.crucial.com/usa/en/memory-performance-speed-latency
Great info here.

[video="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-TWQ0rS-SI"][/video]

photonboy · Jan 5, 2017

1) It's unlikely your usage case will benefit beyond 2400MHz CL15.

2) Yes, the extra voltage will put stress on the memory controller in the CPU. It in theory could be a source of failure but probably it won't be.

3) I have been recommending 2666MHz CL15 DDR4 for most users.

4) *FYI, a lot of tests showed a 6C/12T (i7-6800K? I forget) only get 7% boost in one test going beyond 2666MHz CL15 (7zip compression using all threads) so again YOU would not benefit beyond 2400MHz.

photonboy · Jan 5, 2017

http://pcpartpicker.com/product/J27CmG/corsair-memory-cmk16gx4m2a2666c16

That's an example of a kit I recommend (USD pricing).

The 3000MHz kit I'd recommend is the same price from the same company:
http://pcpartpicker.com/product/MYH48d/corsair-memory-cmk16gx4m2b3000c15

Karadjgne · Jan 5, 2017

Yes the 3000 will actually raise the cpu temp, but barely, not even really worth mentioning. Yes, in some rare applications the 3000 will show higher numbers. Mostly benchmarks. Real life, you'd not notice the difference. Stick with the 2400.

photonboy · Jan 6, 2017

My above post doesn't say it, but the top link is for 2666MHz CL15 and that's my top choice.

Andy P · Jan 6, 2017

Scott,
I have ordered a nearly identical build and I think I'm using the same exact ram chip you are using (got it at newegg for like $102). After ordering I was looking into the speed limits of the z170 board (msi m5) and was similarly concerned. But it looks like with an i7 6700k we'll probably have no issues. Fingers crossed..

photonboy · Jan 8, 2017

Andy P :

I didn't quite understand this. Do you have only a SINGLE memory stick or two?

With a single stick you will lose performance in some scenarios. With two sticks you get twice the bandwidth to the CPU. So a 2666MHz kit or better should have minimal to no loss depending on the scenario.

Karadjgne · Jan 8, 2017

Running ram in dual channel mode gets an aggregate average of @20% better performance. Absolutely no point in ever running ram in single channel. Only reason dimms are sold singularly is for upgrade purposes. Can't see it as being intelligent to choose higher speed ram for its very slight performance boost, just to bomb it with single channel. Buy ram by the kit. You want 16Gb, you buy a single kit of 2x8Gb sticks or 4x4Gb.

sjf999 · Jan 8, 2017

photonboy :

Andy P :

I didn't quite understand this. Do you have only a SINGLE memory stick or two?

With a single stick you will lose performance in some scenarios. With two sticks you get twice the bandwidth to the CPU. So a 2666MHz kit or better should have minimal to no loss depending on the scenario.

2 x 8 gb sticks

Andy P · Jan 11, 2017

photonboy :

Andy P :

I didn't quite understand this. Do you have only a SINGLE memory stick or two?

With a single stick you will lose performance in some scenarios. With two sticks you get twice the bandwidth to the CPU. So a 2666MHz kit or better should have minimal to no loss depending on the scenario.

I have 2 8gb sticks, 3000Mhz

Karadjgne · Jan 11, 2017

You are massively overthinkng this whole thing. Ram is Ram. It's all the same, does the same job. Ram operates at such unbelievably high speeds, you couldn't tell the difference. It boils down to only 1 Important factor, Quality. Speeds mean nothing, latencies, voltages, even the fancy heatsinks don't mean a damned thing, don't need'em. Playing the same game on the same pc, once loaded with g-skill value unheatsinked ram will yield the same results as using over-priced Dominators. Just looking at the game, it's impossible to tell which was loaded when. Quality ram uses quality silicon and is expected to perform as advertised without issues. Everything else is bragging rights and cosmetics. Sure, there are certain times when faster ram shows some small advantage, as does better timings, after all 1600/7 is faster technically than 1866/10 or even 2400/12 and that might translate into a few more fps at times, or a slightly faster encode, but you'd only see the difference between the two on a benchmark. Which doesn't mean diddly.

Get the best quality ram, at whatever speed, budget, looks, etc that suits you and your build. The 2400 or 3000 will be good either way.

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$10 dollar difference - 16 gbs DD4 2400 MHZ, 15 lat, 1.2 v's vs. DD4 3000 MHZ, 15 lat, 1.35 v's

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