TridentZ RGB vs HyperX Fury vs Corsair Vengeance LPX

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mihailt

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Hi guys,

I am considering what RAM to purchase for my new build.

My CPU is the i5-8400 and I plan to have it in a H370 MB once they come out. The most intensive task I'm looking at is gaming, no video editing.

The options I'm currently considering are:
1. TridentZ RGB 2x16 GB / 2400 / CL 15 (Timing 15/15/15/35)
2. HyperX Fury 2x16 GB / 2400 / CL 15
3. Corsair Vengeance LPX 2x16 GB / 2400 / CL 16 (Timing 16/16/16/39)

Their prices are comparable where I'm getting them from and I don't really care if it's RGB or not. Also, they all run on 1.2V.

Which option do you consider best? I read a bunch of stuff about tweaking settings in BIOS/UEFI, but I'm really not comfortable with these at this stage, so is any kit the easiest to install or would they all run automatically with just plugging? Further to this, I'm not looking into overclocking.

P.S. I'm looking at 2x16 GB modules, but is there any advantage in having 4x8 GB instead, though?
 
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azaran
Go with the lower timings for better performance. So TridentZ or HyperX unless you need the lower profile size of the Corsair. The likelyhood of you noticing the difference between CL 15 and CL16 is pretty minimul so it's not the worst thing to go with CL 16, but if they're all the same price in your market you might as well go with the better performer.

That said, also look at your motherboards QVL for RAM. Given the hassle of returning/RMAing RAM if something goes wrong, having a RAM kit thats been verified by the manufacture to work with their motherboards can be worth more than the difference between CL15 and Cl16.

As for 2x16 vs 4x8, go with the 2x16. It puts less strain on the memory controller, which can introduce a tiny bit...
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mazboy

mazboy

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Given the choice, I always buy Crucial RAM (I'm particularly fond of Ballistic Sport), it's always worked for me, never had any trouble with it. Fact is, though, that any premium brand of RAM these days (including the ones you mention, and G.Skill, Kingston, etc) have lifetime guarantees and tightly match their specs.

If you're a hyper nerd you'll buy it on timing specs and rated speed (especially if you're going to overclock it). Me...I like the pretty red ones...
 
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azaran

azaran

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Go with the lower timings for better performance. So TridentZ or HyperX unless you need the lower profile size of the Corsair. The likelyhood of you noticing the difference between CL 15 and CL16 is pretty minimul so it's not the worst thing to go with CL 16, but if they're all the same price in your market you might as well go with the better performer.

That said, also look at your motherboards QVL for RAM. Given the hassle of returning/RMAing RAM if something goes wrong, having a RAM kit thats been verified by the manufacture to work with their motherboards can be worth more than the difference between CL15 and Cl16.

As for 2x16 vs 4x8, go with the 2x16. It puts less strain on the memory controller, which can introduce a tiny bit of latency. It's also less parts to possibly go wrong. And it leaves two slots open down the road should you for some insane reason need more than 32GB for gaming.
 
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mihailt

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Hey mazboy and azaran,

Many thanks for your help!

Since the potential motherboard for my system is still unreleased, I cannot actually confirm its QVL at this time.

However, I believe these 3 options are pretty mainstream and should be covered by upcoming MBs for Coffee Lake. Also, they're at 2400 MHz, so nothing special or crazy there.

OK, so excluding the Corsair Vengeance due to slightly higher CL, we are left with the TridentZ and HyperX Fury. With 2 sticks I don't think there will be clearance issues with either kit. However, Kingston markets their memory as automatically clocking itself to the maximum possible values for the system. Does this mean that I would have to do some UEFI/BIOS tweaking for the TridentZ RGB to work, or do you think it will be just as easy to install?
 
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azaran

azaran

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Well keep in mind UEFI/BIOS tweaking is (generally speaking) a matter of setting a RAM speed option to a XMP profile and you're done. To call it simple is almost an understatement. Since there is no real overclocking involved since you're using a H series chipset it's really nothing to be concerned with. If you were going with a Z series and trying to squeeze out every bit of performance the HyperX might be more worthwhile.

Both kits are pretty much the same in terms of performance so go with one you think looks best or is cheapest. Unless you're getting a restrictive CPU cooler, in which case research out any RAM height clearance issues.

On the note of buying RAM. Unless you need to buy it now because of a great deal or the money has to get spent on this before it's spent on something else I'd personally wait till you have the motherboard before buying the kit. If for some reason the RAM is faulty, doing a return to the vendor is a lot faster than doing an RMA to the manufacture. So I'd try and get it within the same time frame with the motherboard so store return policies line up properly. Also if any issues with the mobo/ram do come up, the manufactures tech support tend to give you an easier with RAM thats on the QVL. So it might make life easier to wait till you see the list.

That's just my 2 cents on it from headaches I've had in the past with builds. Either way I hope you enjoy your build!
 
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mihailt

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Hey azaran,

Thank you for the further details shared!

Well, the prices of these kits are indeed at a discount at the moment and, as a lot of gurus claim that predicting RAM prices in 2018 is rather impossible, I'd rather pull the trigger right now. If, God forbid, it turns out that they're incompatible with my future MB, I suppose I could resell them, but hopefully it doesn't come to that.

As for the cooler, it's the Be Quiet Pure Rock, it does creep over the first RAM slot, but using them in the 2 an 4 positions should be fine even with the taller TridentZ. Or I could just mount the fan on the other side of the heatsink, I guess.

I'll think some more about it and probably reach a decision by the end of the day.
 
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mihailt

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Hey guys,

I have a further question, as my company sysadmin claims that choosing a 2666 MHz memory would be more beneficial with the i5-8400. Is there any truth to this? He recommended the kit below:

https://www.newegg.com/global/bg/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16820233853

Basically, I thought that a 2400 MHz / CL 15 RAM would perform pretty much the same as a 2666 MHz / CL 16, but I'd like to hear a second opinion.
 
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azaran

azaran

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Unfortunately Be Quiet doesn't like listing it's RAM clearance, because why make things easy for your customers. But from what I could see online, the Be Quiet Pure Rock "should" be able to support Corsair Vengeance LED which has a height of 49mm. So you'd probably be safe running anything under that. Both the TridentZ RGB (44mm) and the HyperX Fury (34-35mm) should fit in just fine. I would also look at the Cryorig line of coolers. They're on par with the Be Quiet models (if not better) but they don't have any RAM clearance issues.

As for the info from your sysadmin, he may be right. The problem is since the H370 boards haven't come out yet, we don't know what the max supported speed is going to be. I've seen pieces on rumors that it'll only support 2666Mhz, some with rumors that they're support up to 3200mhz/3600Mhz, and some saying they won't lock the multiplier at all. So until you know exactly what it supports, you wont know what your buying range is. Now you can always just throw the dice and get a higher speed model. If it higher speed isn't supported the board will just run it at it's own max speed, so you wont have RAM laying around you can't use. It'll just run slower than it's labeled as being able to run. Sometimes that's good if there's a sale where 3200Mhz is somehow cheaper than 2400Mhz. RAM prices get weird sometimes and I've seen that happen a lot in the last year. It's why buying ahead of time, especially if the board hasn't even hit the market yet, can be risky. But a sale is a sale and I get that. I would say it's likely they'll at least support 2666Mhz sticks, so looking at sales on those sticks might be a good idea. Also you can try looking at the QVL listings for the H270 equivalent boards to see what brands and models make that list. It's likely the H370 QVL will be a modified version, and you can use that to narrow down the choices for prepurchases. Just keep the RAM height to under 49mm and you should be alright.

As for if CL15 ram at 2400Mhz performing as well as CL16 at 2666mhz, there's a pretty simple equation you can use to find out:

(CL/Data Rate)*1000=speed in nanoseconds

So CL15 at 2400mhz is (15/2400)*1000 = 6.25 nanoseconds, CL16 at 2666mhz is (16/2666)*1000= 6 nanoseconds.
So even at a slower CL, the 2666 stuff is .25ns faster than the tighter 15CL 2400Mhz stuff. Now if you'll ever notice the .25ns difference... well that's debatable. If the hardware/software you're using can really leverage that difference (say 3D rendering) then yeah it may be worth the price difference. If they can't then you'll never see the difference and you'll have basically spent money on bragging rights. Personally I'd rather spend the difference in cash on components that can make a difference in things like better GPU, better monitor, larger capacity SSD, and so on. But everyone has different needs for their builds and to some the extra money on LEDs is worth more than a higher capacity SSD. To each their own and only you can decide where the importance lies for your build.
 
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mihailt

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Very extensive info and details once again! Many thanks, azaran!

Regarding the CPU cooler - it's already been purchased, actually. I was aware of Cryorig at the time but unfortunately they're not available at my home country and at the time I didn't have the means of importing components from the US by myself. Hopefully, I won't be regretting my Be Quiet Purchase, though.

I have decided to disregard my sysadmin's recommendation and will be going for one of the 2400 MHz / CL 15 kits, still split between the TridentZ RGB and the HyperX Fury, though. I think I'll toss a coin and make the choice based on heads or tails. :D

On another note, I actually came across several Z370s on newegg, which are within my budget. I'm wondering whether or not to pull the trigger on one of them right now. Does it matter that I have an 8400 and don't plan to do any overclocking? Let's say my budget for the MB is $150, do you think it's better to get a Z370 for that price at the moment, or do you reckon that there would be H370s with more relevant specs for my needs at this price point down the line?
 
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azaran

azaran

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I wouldn't worry about the quality of the CPU cooler. Be Quiet makes quality parts, I suggested Cryorig mostly for it's lack of RAM interference. With the size memory modules you're looking at, you shouldn't have any problems.

As for the memory speed, chances are you wont really notice the difference. Intel isn't as dependent on memory speed as AMD, so it's not as big a deal. Higher speed is always nice, but if the speed vs price difference doesn't come out in the RAMs favor then there's little point to it.

With the Z370 boards... it's hard to say. Neither your RAM nor your CPU selection would benefit from that chipset. The one perk you would have with the Z370 chipset is if you did decide to upgrade to a K series CPU or a higher speed RAM kit down the road, you'd have the option to do so without having to buy a new board. The problem is unless you absolutely know you want to do so, you might be throwing away money that could be better spent on a faster RAM kit, bumping up to an i7, a faster SSD, or better GPU now. So unless you have a specific need that these higher end boards offer over their H chipset brothers, or you get an amazing deal on one, I'd wait for the H series to come out. Again, just my two cents.
 
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mihailt

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Hi azaran,

Indeed the 2666 MHz kit on Amazon was at a lower price than the 2400 MHz on Newegg, which prompted me to go for it.

Regarding motherboards, leaving aside the overclocking features on Z series, which I indeed will not be using, I've read that manufacturers tend to use higher quality materials and components such as capacitors on their Z MBs compared to the H MBs. Is there any truth to this, or is it more of a myth? It should be noted that I don't have a strictly defined budget, so if a Z motherboard comes with better engineering and manufacturing processes, which would theoretically lend it a better life-cycle, I'd have no problem with splashing some more cash on it.
 
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azaran

azaran

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It really depends on the manufacture and the model. High end gaming boards running a H series chipset is very common now so I wouldn't worry about quality of the caps. If you're concerned, look at the specs for a 200 H series board and it's Z series brother by the same company and you'll see what (if any) differences there are in build quality. Chances are this will translate to the 300 series when they come out. You'd be more likely find beefer cooling (heatsinks and the like) on the Z series, but since those are designed for overclocking it makes sense. So long as it's a reputable company you'll be fine. Tho always look in to the reviews of any boards to find out the details on the construction. What you may find sometimes is thinner PCB motherboards on some of the less expensive boards. But even then it's rarely an issue. Asrock, a company loved by many and one I've used many times, runs fewer layers (or at least used to) than say Asus. Does it matter? Unless your flexing the hell out of your board, no not really. But some people still prefer the thicker PCB.
 
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