Unsure on RAM compatibility

[JBuss]

Hi Guys, newbie to PC building (very excited to get my teeth into it as its something i've wanted to do for years but always been reserved) and unsure on a lot of the terminology and compatibility of components.

I've purchased the ASRock B450M PRO4 Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard and AMD Ryzen 5 2600x and intending on purchasing Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2x 8GB) 3200MHz DDR4.

However I have been advised on Facebook that some motherboards/CPUS, like the 2600x, that the fastest compatible RAM will be 3000Mhz. Been told to "check my motherboards QVLs" but I don't know what that is nor what I'm looking for.

Can anyone shed some light on this before I purchase so I don't get the wrong parts.

Thanks in advance.

 

[philo-sofa]

Hi Guys, newbie to PC building (very excited to get my teeth into it as its something i've wanted to do for years but always been reserved) and unsure on a lot of the terminology and compatibility of components.

I've purchased the ASRock B450M PRO4 Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard and AMD Ryzen 5 2600x and intending on purchasing Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2x 8GB) 3200MHz DDR4.

However I have been advised on Facebook that some motherboards/CPUS, like the 2600x, that the fastest compatible RAM will be 3000Mhz. Been told to "check my motherboards QVLs" but I don't know what that is nor what I'm looking for.

Can anyone shed some light on this before I purchase so I don't get the wrong parts.

Thanks in advance.

Firstly welcome JBuss both here and to the PC Master Race in general. I’ve had to dive deep into this subject the last few days due to upgrading my new Zen build’s memory and so hopefully can help.

Long story short:

- They’re probably talking about the ‘Qualified Vendor List’ which details which ram a board has been tested with
- Your board wouldn't officially support 3200MHz kits without ‘overclocking’
- Regardless a 2000 series will be comfortable with a 3200MHz kit and should run one with no fuss
- QVL type lists are a way to ensure zero potential problems, but they’re kind of a cop out when given as advice

Have read enough about Ryzen 5000 memory that I’ve picked up a lot of info on Ryzen 3000 and your board/CPU will honestly be fine. Most can actually run 3400 or 3600 MHz memory speeds.

When you get the modules, just enable XMP or AMP in your BIOS and the board should do the rest. If you have any issues post here and we’ll help, but the process would just involve telling the memory to run at 3000MHz and given the nominal price difference even then I'd recommend the 3200MHz kit.

Buy with confidence