8gb @3000mhz or 16gb @2133mhz?

100%scottish · 23 Aug 2022 at 17:30

I have 16gb Corsair vengeance 3000mhz ram but its actually 2 x 8gb kits (matching) meaning all 4 dimms are occupied. I can not get xmp stable at all. Works fine in windows but games just crash. I'm assuming it's too much for the memory controller and it's actually not officially supported by my MB (aorus x470 ultra gaming). My plan is to get a 2 dimm kit that is officially supported when finances allow but in the mean time should I pull 2 sticks and run 8gb @3000mhz opposed to the 16gb @2133mhz?

Rob_B · 23 Aug 2022 at 17:42

"It depends"

Afraid that's the answer, it depends on your CPU, it depends on your workload.

Perhaps 2133 and tighten timings to the hilt if you can (?)

Tetras · 23 Aug 2022 at 18:00

16GB 2133

100%scottish · 23 Aug 2022 at 18:34

Rob_B said:
"It depends"

Afraid that's the answer, it depends on your CPU, it depends on your workload.

Perhaps 2133 and tighten timings to the hilt if you can (?)

Just for gaming tbh, mostly gta online and cod. I might give it a try and see if I run into any issues with only 8gb. There is a noticable increase in frames with xmp on but obviously it crashes after 10 mins or so...

Tetras · 23 Aug 2022 at 18:35

Did you try e.g. 2666 through manual adjustment? Would probably work at default dram voltage, too.

100%scottish · 23 Aug 2022 at 18:35

Rob_B said:
"It depends"

Afraid that's the answer, it depends on your CPU, it depends on your workload.

Perhaps 2133 and tighten timings to the hilt if you can (?)

Forgot to say, I'm really not that clued up on timings tbh. I know how to slacken them off if need be but I wouldn't know what adjustments to make to tighten them..

100%scottish · 23 Aug 2022 at 18:36

Tetras said:
Did you try e.g. 2666 through manual adjustment? Would probably work at default dram voltage, too.

Yes mate, tried right down to 2400mhz with same result unfortunately

Tetras · 23 Aug 2022 at 18:38

100%scottish said:
Yes mate, tried right down to 2400mhz with same result unfortunately

That's a shame, is this with the 2700X? I think I'd still go for 2133 dual channel rather than 3000 single.

100%scottish · 23 Aug 2022 at 19:37

Tetras said:
That's a shame, is this with the 2700X? I think I'd still go for 2133 dual channel rather than 3000 single.

Yeah 2700x mate. It would still be dual channel, just 2 sticks rather than 4.

FredFlint · 24 Aug 2022 at 12:28

I am running 64GB @2133 as I just updated the BIOS and forgot to change it to 3000, not noticed any difference and Cinebench score is almost the same.

ZXSpectrum · 24 Aug 2022 at 16:01

I had similar issues with a 1800X (same board as you) and 16Gb(2x8Gb) Corsair Vengeance RGB Pro but found that if i set to xmp but then reduced the memory frequency down till i could get it stable it worked fine. Think i was at 2800-2933 it was the same with the 2700(NonX) But then was fine with the 3700X and i am now using the same memory with another pack in a ROG Strix X570-F with no issues at 3200mhz.

I did sell my 2700 and X470 ultra gaming to a friend and stuck a pack of 16Gb (2x8Gb) crucial ballistix 3200Mhz in and it was fine running at XMP 3200Mhz..

Drumroll · 27 Aug 2022 at 21:58

8GB seems quite short for games at the moment.
I think the limitation is more on the motherboard than the CPU, as the 2000 series aren’t that fussy about RAM as the first gen Ryzen.
A safer bet would be some B-Die Samsung which seems to work well, but usually quite pricey.
To add to the complexity, some RAM kits will only on rare cases work at advertised speed/timings. Looking for reviews of the Patriot Viper and you’ll notice that almost every user struggles to achieve the advertised speeds and timings.
I would keep one eye on B Grade and try to get a 8Pack kit. Or swap the motherboard. Just be aware of any headaches about windows license and other apps when changing motherboard.