Is it worth getting DDR4-3200 over 2400 or between

RainOfPain125

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Feb 24, 2017
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10,680
*initially I was gonna pick 2x4GB sticks of DDR4-3000 but a friend found ones with the same price but 3200*

Is it worth buying DDR4-3200 over 2400? I'm mainly going to be running games, but maybe other small stuff like photo editing / video editing / rendering things in Blender

And when IS faster RAM needed? What kind of software or applications would require faster than 2400 RAM speeds to perform better / get a task done faster?

Should I future proof and just stick with 3200 RAM?

This is the build I wanna make - *excluding the current RAM of course..*
https://pcpartpicker.com/user/RainOfPain125/saved/Rvd4D3
 
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Ryzen benefits from faster RAM, but there is a diminishing return above 3000MHz.
The step from 2133/2400MHz to 3000MHz is a noticeable gain, but the difference between 3000MHz and 3200MHz+ is negligible (in most cases), while starting to cost a decent amount more.

For example, the RAM you had selected vs something like this:
https://pcpartpicker.com/product/6zJkcf/team-vulcan-8gb-2-x-4gb-ddr4-3000-memory-tlred48g3000hc16cdc01

Is a +13% price increase, with performance gains likely to be <5%.

A "smarter" long-term investment would be to populate with a 2x8GB kit from the outset. Some games are utilizing >8GB memory today (although most cap out around 8GB)..... would give you a bit more longevity, and avoid any potential "just add...

Eximo

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Ryzen likes faster memory. That sets the speed of the communication between the CCX modules. So you get a significant boost in CPU speed if you can achieve those speeds. Also not a bad idea to get faster memory anyway, DDR4 prices have been steadily going up.
 
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Barty1884

Retired Moderator
Ryzen benefits from faster RAM, but there is a diminishing return above 3000MHz.
The step from 2133/2400MHz to 3000MHz is a noticeable gain, but the difference between 3000MHz and 3200MHz+ is negligible (in most cases), while starting to cost a decent amount more.

For example, the RAM you had selected vs something like this:
https://pcpartpicker.com/product/6zJkcf/team-vulcan-8gb-2-x-4gb-ddr4-3000-memory-tlred48g3000hc16cdc01

Is a +13% price increase, with performance gains likely to be <5%.

A "smarter" long-term investment would be to populate with a 2x8GB kit from the outset. Some games are utilizing >8GB memory today (although most cap out around 8GB)..... would give you a bit more longevity, and avoid any potential "just add more" headaches.
The cheapest: https://pcpartpicker.com/product/pH2rxr/geil-memory-gpr416gb3000c15adc


Also, I'd ensure you opt for a B350 board over an A320. While you may have no desire to Overclock from the outset (just a guess), keeping that option open will allow you to stretch the usable lifespan of a Ryzen5 1400 in future...... although the chips do benefit quite substantially from overclocking form the outset.


Given the starting point you have there, I'd make some tweaks..... this does add $40 to the build overall (but that's down to the 16GB DDR4). A 1050TI is also a stronger performer vs an RX560.

Your PSU was overkill, as was the aftermarket cooler - the stock cooler is sufficient for some modest overclocks.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 5 1400 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($156.48 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock - AB350M Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: GeIL - EVO POTENZA 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3000 Memory ($119.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital - Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($46.88 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: EVGA - GeForce GTX 1050 Ti 4GB SC GAMING ACX 2.0 Video Card ($149.89 @ OutletPC)
Case: Rosewill - FBM-X1 MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($26.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair - CX (2017) 450W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($39.99 @ Amazon)
Headphones: Logitech - G430 7.1 Channel Headset ($39.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $640.20
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-08-17 15:06 EDT-0400

If you stuck with 8GB, it actually comes in a little cheaper.
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 5 1400 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($156.48 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock - AB350M Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Team - Vulcan 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-3000 Memory ($75.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital - Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($46.88 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: EVGA - GeForce GTX 1050 Ti 4GB SC GAMING ACX 2.0 Video Card ($149.89 @ OutletPC)
Case: Rosewill - FBM-X1 MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($26.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair - CX (2017) 450W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($39.99 @ Amazon)
Headphones: Logitech - G430 7.1 Channel Headset ($39.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $596.20
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-08-17 15:08 EDT-0400


You could also consider Ryzen3, although only a QuadCore, no SMT.
Still totally capable for gaming, but your editing/rendering would see a noticeable drop in speed vs the R5 1400.
The Ryzen3 should definitely be overclocked too...... although so should the R5 1400.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 3 1200 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor ($109.89 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock - AB350M Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Team - Vulcan 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-3000 Memory ($75.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital - Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($46.88 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: EVGA - GeForce GTX 1050 Ti 4GB SC GAMING ACX 2.0 Video Card ($149.89 @ OutletPC)
Case: Rosewill - FBM-X1 MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($26.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair - CX (2017) 450W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($39.99 @ Amazon)
Headphones: Logitech - G430 7.1 Channel Headset ($39.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $549.61
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-08-17 15:09 EDT-0400
 
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