Looking to upgrade RAM..

[Tank Geek]

Hey folks, I built my machine last Fall. I used my old RAM and was thinking about upgrading to a current edition. Would I even need 32GB? Or stick with 16GB? Brand and speed? I looked around the forum but didn't see anything similar to my build. You guys helped me so much in the past, I have much respect for you. This is the third machine I have built , ever. Right now its at 4.5Ghz.
Thanks for you help.

 

[EarthDog]

16gb or 32gb is your choice. Are you close to using 16gb currently? If so, I'd go 32gb. If not, it wont help.

I'd go gkskill trident z 2x8gb 3200 Mhz. Or 2x16gb.

 

[Tank Geek]

Thank you for the response! I took a couple screen shots. One has the RAM under a stability test and the other not. Do I go by what the RAM usage says with or without a load?

 

[EarthDog]

A stability test is not remotely a realistic test to see how much ram you use. Real world situations is what you need. Play a game with your browser up and a few tabs and see. Use it as you normally would and check peak use.

 

[Tank Geek]

Ok, that makes sense. Thank you for the info.

 

[trents]

Different stability tests will use different amounts of RAM and many stability tests allow you to set the amount of RAM used. But like ED said, how much RAM you will benefit from is highly application dependent. Is this for gaming? 3D content creative computing? Surfing the Internet? High end photo editing or AV rendering? What do you mainly use the computer for?

One thing I noticed is that you are currently running your memory at 2133 mhz. That's entry level for DDR4. Any particular reason you chose that slow memory? Was it budget related? At 16gb you probably have enough RAM to efficiently do a wide range of common computing tasks but I would certainly look at getting some higher speed RAM if you have the upgrade itch.

 

[Tank Geek]

Thanks Trents! I used the RAM from an old machine trying to cut corners with the budget. I use my machine for surfing and storing photos. I am an amateur photographer. One of the reasons I build these is the satisfaction of geeking out. It is fun and I have some bragging rights. Thanks again for the info. I will be upgrading my RAM soon.

 

[don256us]

According to ARK (https://ark.intel.com/content/www/u...9700k-processor-12m-cache-up-to-4-90-ghz.html) your CPU utilizes 2 channels for memory. I would say that whatever RAM you select, make sure you use a divisor of two. 2 sticks or 4 sticks. In my unscientific testing, I found that you get the most speed by using both channels. More so than buying more or faster RAM in an odd number. I would think that 2x8 would most likely meet your need(?), would give you the most speed for any given rating and would meet a cost per GB sweet spot. 4x8 GB would future proof you for a long while if you're not doing anything memory intensive which I do not know if you do.

To maximize speed, you want a combination of higher Mhz and lower CAS. Find a kit in your budget and make sure you're happy with the brand name (Read, good warranty, high reliability rating, been in business for a while.) and buy from a retailer that you trust.

 

[Tank Geek]

Thanks for the info,don256us!

 

[Tank Geek]

My Apologies, my RAM in 3200. I'm not sure why but in BIOS is it said 2133.. I did some digging and this is the RAM I got in 2015.
https://www.newegg.com/g-skill-16gb-288-pin-ddr4-sdram/p/N82E16820231941?Item=N82E16820231941

Thanks..

 

[trents]

The bios will not automatically set the RAM frequency to it's full rating. Rather, the bios will default to the minimum RAM frequency for the hardware platform, in this case 2133. If you want the RAM to run at the full 3200 mhz you must choose "XMP" (Intel) or "AXMP" (AMD) in the bios RAM frequency control option. There sometimes can also be an "XMP-2" and an "AXMP-2" with some RAM and motherboard combos.

 

[EarthDog]

Typically boards will set the memory speed to the stick's JEDEC specifications upon first boot.

AMD's "XMP" profiles are called DOCP (Direct Over Clock Profile) on Asus boards. I've never seen any board call it "AXMP". It is still XMP.

Some sticks have multiple XMP profiles, correct.

 

[trents]

Might be an MSI only convention. https://www.fudzilla.com/news/automotive/43171-msi-announces-a-xmp-technology-for-amd-ryzen

 

[EarthDog]

I havent run across an AMD MSI board. Each seems to call it something different...though giga and asrock use xmp.

Anyway, that is all for AMD systems AFAIK. The OP has a Intel.

 

[Woomack]

I think that previous series had still XMP naming as I don't remember A-XMP in earlier MSI boards.

Barely any memory has a profile designed for AMD and most manufacturers call it XMP. There were memory kits in the past with memory profiles with clear DOCP profile naming but you won't find it anymore. Motherboard manufacturers are calling it in their own way. Some are using XMP, some are adding A so it sounds like the profile is designed for AMD and some are using DOCP naming which is no longer in use since Ryzen release.
Anyway, all motherboards from popular brands are supporting memory profile under any naming (AMP, XMP, A-XMP, DOCP, ...) and SPD profiles which are usually under Auto settings (compatible with JEDEC). There are memory modules without additional profiles and then only SPD works.

If motherboard can't read the profile right or when you enable memory profile and it doesn't work stable then set all main timings and memory clock manually. All additional settings should be set within' motherboard's BIOS range and should be stable (as long as memory isn't faulty in some way).