RAM speeds with normal computer usage

[bob4933]

Did I miss something in the past few months?

I see EVERYONE cringing at the thought of running ddr4 at anything less than 3000mhz. (*NOTE* by "everyone", that is hyperbole but does include more than this site.)
Has there been some great renaissance of ram speeds and timing where ddr4 2400 is suddenly "useless"? Is there ANY real world application where 3000mhz provides visceral gains over even ddr3 ram? Talking gaming, productivity, general usage and light video editing and stuff like that. Professional applications need not apply ofc.


Now, OBVIOUSLY, if we're talkin a couple bucks here or there, then "duh"... get the faster speed lol. But is there a reason to spend even 20$ on "faster ram"? Not berating anyones choices or preferences, Im sincerely trying to figure out what the focus is.

 

[Woomack]

Memory controller matters more than RAM. Also cache speed matters. "Memory performance" is an effect of memory+memory controller+cache work. Simply Skylake is scalling good with memory frequency but even 2133-2400 memory is fast enough for most applications just because there is fast memory controller and cache.
There are also other things like memory ranks. 2x16GB 2400 dual rank kit can be faster than 2x8GB 3000 single rank in some applications. It's more about memory architecture than specs that you see on the box. DDR4 is faster than DDR3 but mainly because of new architecture around the memory.
Fast and large CPU cache is helping to reduce visible latency so even if you have lower frequency memory then you can't really see the difference. However some long and demanding tasks can finish faster on fast memory ( barely ever happens on home computers ).

Simply if you are playing games then most OCF members will recommend you ~3000-3200 memory just because it can be faster in some applications and often can find it in similar price as 2400-2666 kits. However performance is not much higher and you can live with 2133-2400 memory if you can get it much cheaper.

 

[EarthDog]

Simply if you are playing games then most OCF members will recommend you ~3000-3200 memory just because it can be faster in some applications and often can find it in similar price as 2400-2666 kits. However performance is not much higher and you can live with 2133-2400 memory if you can get it much cheaper.

This.

From my perspective, though I'm aware that performamce differences are negligible in most cases, that speed (3k-3.2k) is also in the pricing sweetspot a lot of the time. Another thought process of mine is....why would I buy ddr3 speeds with ddr4 latency?? Now, if the user can save $10 and needs to, I'll suggest something lower. Or if the user has a non overclocking board, it's 2133. Otherwise, due to the minor price difference, if budget allows, I'd spend the $10 more for 3k over 2.4k.

I typically recommend GSkill these days.. here is 2800 and 3200 Trident Z from Newegg.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...=GSkill_DDR4_Trident_Z-_-20-231-924-_-Product ($103)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...=GSkill_DDR4_Trident_Z-_-20-231-929-_-Product ($109 not on sale)

GSkill Trident Z doesn't seem to have anything lower than 2800 Mhz. I'd spend $6 (in a $1000 build) for 3200 MHz...