Which ram to go with 5950x

WhiteHawk77

WhiteHawk77

WhiteHawk77

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Hey guys, I have a bundle on the way that includes a 5950x, Asus Strix X570-F Gaming motherboard and 2x16GB Corsair Vengeance RGB PRO 3200MHz DDR4.

I am going to sell on the RAM, and replace with 4x8 sticks as I wanted to populate all slots and as it turns out it’s been discovered that these new processors like 4 sticks over 2 with a up to 8-10% performance/frame rate improvement.

But I’m not very knowledgeable on the AMD RAM situation, so I need to know what RAM to get that’s high performance but not crazy prices. I was going for 3600Mhz sticks as that seems the sweet spot before the money starts to shoot up, but maybe 3800Mhz, I don’t know. I also am unsure of the CL, I know what it means and lower is better but don’t know what’s more important, speed or latency.

On the Intel side I know unless I’m over clocking, which I won’t be to begin with at least, that I only need to switch on XMP and job done. On AMD a lot of the terms are different, like Infinity Fabric etc. So there’s things I need to learn, what do I do on a AMD system when I first boot into the BIOS, and should I buy higher speed sticks so I can manually get the CL down, how do I know what numbers to input that will be stable?

Anyway, hope someone can help me with this.

Thanks.
 
The Gamers Nexus video is a weird one. Someone of Steve's calibre should know what is going on and why the performance uplift happened. I've read so many posts on here and Reddit yesterday that 4 sticks is optimal as if it's some sort of mantra.

What is actually happening is memory interleaving. You will get exactly the same performance from 2 sticks that have memory chips on both sides of the PCB (so they can also take advantage of memory interleaving). I'm no expert but logically speaking 2x16GB should edge out 4 DIMMS slightly even if they both take advantage of interleaving.

I don't know the percentage off the top of my head but most boards for Ryzen that are actually worth buying are dasiy chain so they favor 2 dimms. You should 100% be looking at a dual rank 2x16 GB kit at 3,600 speed. You may have heard talk of like "OMG 2000 FCLK" and I thought so too but it's just a bait. See here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LPTbx4fk3rw

Zen 3 is somehow able to allow 3200C14 with a 1600 FCLK to trade blows with 2000 FCLK and 4000C15 RAM. I'm speculating here but all the internal architecture changes/IPC increase has literally made a higher FCLK *almost* irrelevant. Even if you are able to get a lower memory latency, Zen 3 seems to not actually care as much as it should. Regardless, a 1800 FCLK will allow us to use almost all the potential of Zen 3 so 3,600 RAM should be our pick.

If you have money for a 5900x then the 3 kits you should be considering are the following (in the UK anyway). There is 0 reason to get anything else for Zen 3.

1: BL2K16G36C16U4B. Can be hard for £137.99 and might go lower Black Friday. 16-18-18-38 timings.
2: https://www.overclockers.co.uk/team...00c16-3600mhz-dual-channel-kit-my-002-8p.html - This should settle to £199 on offer or even slightly lower if black friday. 16-16-16-38 is close to the best 1.35v XMP you will get.
3: G. Skill's upcoming 3600C14 2x16GB kit will be in the UK around late November.

You get 2 or 3 if you are a B-Die fanboy and want to squeeze out that extra 3-5 fps. The 3600C14 dual rank kit is likely going to be over £200 so option 1 or 2 is a good bet.
 
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Apologies for crashing the thread but what is the advantage, if any, of buying one kit of “4x8 3600 CL14” over buying two lots of “2x8 3600 CL14” from the same manufacture?

I ask as OCUK have 2x8 3600 CL14 in stock (so what is the merit in waiting for the GSkill 4x8?).
 
GregI said:
BL2K16G36C16U4B
Click to expand...

Just quickly highlighting that the above is not necessarily dual rank. From another post of mine - where I bought them had part listed as BL2K16G36C16U4R:

Mine show as BL16G36C16U4R.M8FB1 with 'Organisation' as 2048M x64 (1 rank).

-------------------------------------------------------------
MEMORY MODULE
-------------------------------------------------------------
Manufacturer : Crucial Technology
Series : Ballistix Red
Part Number : BL16G36C16U4R.M8FB1
Lot Number : 421189422
JEDEC DIMM Label : 16GB 1Rx8 PC4-2666V-UA2-11
Architecture : DDR4 SDRAM UDIMM
Speed Grade : DDR4-2666V
Capacity : 16 GB (8 components)
Organization : 2048M x64 (1 rank)
Register Manufacturer : N/A
Register Model : N/A
Manufacturing Date : July 20-24 / Week 30, 2020
Manufacturing Location : Boise, USA (SIG)
Revision / Raw Card : 0000h / A2 (8 layers)
-------------------------------------------------------------
DRAM COMPONENTS
-------------------------------------------------------------
Manufacturer : Micron Technology
Part Number : C9BLG (CT40A2G8VA-55M:B)
Package : Standard Monolithic 78-ball FBGA
Die Density / Count : 16 Gb B-die (Z22A / 17 nm) / 1 die
Composition : 2048Mb x8 (128Mb x8 x 16 banks)
Input Clock Frequency : 1333 MHz (0.750 ns)
Minimum Timing Delays : 19-19-19-43-62
Read Latencies Supported : 23T, 22T, 21T, 20T, 19T, 18T, 17T...
Supply Voltage : 1.20 V
XMP Certified : 1802 MHz / 16-18-18-38-58 / 1.35 V
XMP Extreme : Not programmed
SPD Revision : 1.1 / September 2015
XMP Revision : 2.0 / December 2013
 
Some new info to consider (as if it wasn't getting complicated enough). Your motherboard RAM topology matters as to whether it prefers using 2 slots vs 4 (source).

Seems most X570 prefer 2 slots, which means you'd want 2 sticks of dual rank memory.
 
GregI said:
1: BL2K16G36C16U4B. Can be hard for £137.99 and might go lower Black Friday. 16-18-18-38 timings.
2: https://www.overclockers.co.uk/team...00c16-3600mhz-dual-channel-kit-my-002-8p.html - This should settle to £199 on offer or even slightly lower if black friday. 16-16-16-38 is close to the best 1.35v XMP you will get.
3: G. Skill's upcoming 3600C14 2x16GB kit will be in the UK around late November.
Click to expand...

Yeah careful with that BL2K16G36C16U4B. The kit I got a few days ago is showing as Dual Rank E-Die but mikeym's is Single Rank B-Die. He did buy that a couple of months ago now though.
 
mikeym said:
Just quickly highlighting that the above is not necessarily dual rank. From another post of mine - where I bought them had part listed as BL2K16G36C16U4R:

Mine show as BL16G36C16U4R.M8FB1 with 'Organisation' as 2048M x64 (1 rank).
Click to expand...

Have you checked your RAM by looking under the heatspreader to see if this is true? They might have just got lazy like how most manufacturers don't put the PCB revision correctly. Before posting I did check to see if the Crucial black edition was dual rank: https://imgur.com/gallery/z1QIzGz

It would be very strange to have different manufacturing versions for a color. In this case the TeamGroup or G. Skill B-Die might be the 100% safe bet.

@Nitefly It's hard to say. I know there can be manufacturer tolerances but I have read of people buying the same 2x8GB sticks twice and not being able to run them at XMP. Buying a 4x8GB kit is more likely to work.
 
Nitefly said:
Apologies for crashing the thread but what is the advantage, if any, of buying one kit of “4x8 3600 CL14” over buying two lots of “2x8 3600 CL14” from the same manufacture?

I ask as OCUK have 2x8 3600 CL14 in stock (so what is the merit in waiting for the GSkill 4x8?).
Click to expand...

I guess it guarantees its the same parts within the kit, in practical terms though it probably makes no difference especially if you get them from the same retailer
 
Mesai said:
Some new info to consider (as if it wasn't getting complicated enough). Your motherboard RAM topology matters as to whether it prefers using 2 slots vs 4 (source).

Seems most X570 prefer 2 slots, which means you'd want 2 sticks of dual rank memory.
Click to expand...

2 sticks for stability yes but you have to consider that lower capacity modules might be able to push more aggressive timings so if you want 32GB you're left with a balancing act of:
- single vs dual rank modules
- use 2 or 4 slots dual channel
- higher frequency or tighter timings

basically 6 factors at play, and could vary based on your individual CPU and motherboard as to what the best is... this is where you need 8Pack or the hardware review sites to shed some light
 
BigBANGtheory said:
2 sticks for stability yes but you have to consider that lower capacity modules might be able to push more aggressive timings so if you want 32GB you're left with a balancing act of:
- single vs dual rank modules
- use 2 or 4 slots dual channel
- higher frequency or tighter timings

basically 6 factors at play, and could vary based on your individual CPU and motherboard as to what the best is... this is where you need 8Pack or the hardware review sites to shed some light
Click to expand...

From what I've read, dual rank is the biggest gain, so basically find the combination that fits your need and budget, but make sure it's a dual rank setup.

It's also a weird situation because you basically have to go 32GB minimum to achieve this, which is beyond what most people need.
 
Mesai said:
From what I've read, dual rank is the biggest gain, so basically find the combination that fits your need and budget, but make sure it's a dual rank setup.

It's also a weird situation because you basically have to go 32GB minimum to achieve this, which is beyond what most people need.
Click to expand...

but you can achieve dual rank by using 2x single rank per channel aka using all 4 modules, the only difference I can see is your motherboard having to keep 4 modules insync whilst managing the crosstalk/interference. Just go 2x dual rank I hear you say.... yes but 16GB dual rank modules struggle with CL14 timing. It might well be the whole thing balances out would be good to have someone test it imho I don't pretend to know what the answer is all I'm saying is there are variables at play its not black & white. So when people say things like 'go for 4000Mhz RAM mate...' its not that helpful
 
Well, I play MSFS2020 and likely to swap my 3900x for a 5900x at some point. Don't think it would be worth getting new 2x16GB dual rank RAM or adding additional 2x16GB single rank kit. Might try and add my old 2x8GB ram (rated at same speed/timings).
 
BigBANGtheory said:
but you can achieve dual rank by using 2x single rank per channel aka using all 4 modules, the only difference I can see is your motherboard having to keep 4 modules insync whilst managing the crosstalk/interference. Just go 2x dual rank I hear you say.... yes but 16GB dual rank modules struggle with CL14 timing. It might well be the whole thing balances out would be good to have someone test it imho I don't pretend to know what the answer is all I'm saying is there are variables at play its not black & white. So when people say things like 'go for 4000Mhz RAM mate...' its not that helpful
Click to expand...

Yep, although there is apparently a slight performance loss as most X570 and B550 boards use a daisy chain topology for the memory channels, but the benefit of dual rank far outweighs that (apparently).

A lot of it comes down to where you want to go in the future. With 32GB of memory, just for gaming, you're probably going overboard, in which case you'll need to go 4x4GB as 8GB dual rank sticks appear to be rare, which would then limit you from going beyond 16GB RAM - whether that ever plays a factor in the future, who knows. I personally need 32GB to cover both gaming and work but haven't been able to find decently priced 8GB sticks, so I'm going with 2x16GB.
 
I'm opting for 4 x 8GB personally to get the benefits of dual rank per channel and lower latency, but as the frequencies rise above 3600 MHz I'm certain to loose some of those benefits. At the end of the day its only about £25 more doing it that way if I have to loosen the timings a bit Im still no worse off that the 2 x 16GB option at least that is how I see it
 
Mesai said:
Yep, although there is apparently a slight performance loss as most X570 and B550 boards use a daisy chain topology for the memory channels, but the benefit of dual rank far outweighs that (apparently).

A lot of it comes down to where you want to go in the future. With 32GB of memory, just for gaming, you're probably going overboard, in which case you'll need to go 4x4GB as 8GB dual rank sticks appear to be rare, which would then limit you from going beyond 16GB RAM - whether that ever plays a factor in the future, who knows. I personally need 32GB to cover both gaming and work but haven't been able to find decently priced 8GB sticks, so I'm going with 2x16GB.
Click to expand...

In 2020, every gaming configuration should have at least 8 GB of RAM, though 16 GB would be preferable, as it's the perfect middle ground at the moment. Meanwhile, 32 GB might be a good idea if you want to make your build more future-proof or use any RAM-intensive software. https://www.gamingscan.com/how-much-ram-for-gaming/
Click to expand...

Many people get slower RAM so they can get 32GB or 64GB. Like 3200MT/s of 32GB size instead of 3600-4400MT/s of 16GB size. Or a cheap 64GB kit with bad timings at 3200MT/s. That is a bit stupid if all you want to do is game. People should get the fastest memory of at least 16GB capacity (some kits are £150 or lower on sale for 16GB @ 4400MT/s with good timings). Some games do use 32GB of RAM which is rare. Also modding a game eats memory very quickly.

With the new AMD cpus the Infinity Fabric can now hit 2000MHz.

AMD does, however, highlight that 2000MHz Infinity Fabric clock is likely to be better achievable via overclocking, thus bringing the relevance of 4000MHz DIMMs into play. https://www.kitguru.net/components/cpu/luke-hill/amd-ryzen-9-5900x-zen-3-cpu-review/all/1/
Click to expand...
 
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zx128k said:
In 2020, every gaming configuration should have at least 8 GB of RAM, though 16 GB would be preferable, as it's the perfect middle ground at the moment. Meanwhile, 32 GB might be a good idea if you want to make your build more future-proof or use any RAM-intensive software. https://www.gamingscan.com/how-much-ram-for-gaming/
Click to expand...

I 100% agree that, purely for gaming, 16GB is going to be enough, but then that means you need to find 4x4GB or 2x8GB (dual rank) sticks; do either of those even exist?
 
Mesai said:
I 100% agree that, purely for gaming, 16GB is going to be enough, but then that means you need to find 4x4GB or 2x8GB (dual rank) sticks; do either of those even exist?
Click to expand...

I got 4x8GB of 8-pack ripped edition RAM. https://www.overclockers.co.uk/team...3600mhz-dual-channel-kit-black-my-001-8p.html 3600MT/s CL14 which should hit 4400MT/s with good timings. I have seen pictures of 4266MT/s CL16. 16-16-16-32 with the same ram.

A kit like it can cost a lot https://www.corsair.com/uk/en/Categories/Products/Memory/VENGEANCE-LPX/p/CMK16GX4M2K4266C16
 
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