A quicker RAM might not justify the $30 investment.
A quicker RAM might not justify the $30 investment.
You're considering swapping RAM between your secondary and main PCs. The secondary setup has 8x DDR4 3000 modules while your main still uses 16GB DDR4 2132. You've noticed the secondary is running faster than the main, which makes sense given the newer 3000 spec. It seems like upgrading to a DDR4 3000 in the main could improve overall performance, especially for gaming. The trade-off is about $30 extra for potentially better speed and stability. Since you're focused on gaming, even a small boost might matter. It depends on how noticeable the difference becomes for your use case.
I have limited knowledge about RAM and haven’t used it much. I’ve always chosen the most affordable options, focusing on CPU and GPU instead. If you need help comparing or understanding something, here’s a picture of the RAM you’re interested in along with some CPU details for your current setup.
It's unlikely to notice a big change from Intel CPUs, possibly just a slight boost in game performance. The decision of whether it's worth spending $30 depends on you. Have you experimented with overclocking your current RAM?
Your PC's RAM is 3000 MHz. Just turn on XMP in your BIOS settings. DDR4 modules with a rating above 2133 MHz need XMP to perform at their best—it functions more like an overclock. Look for the XMP option in the BIOS menu, activate it, and your RAM will reach 3000 MHz.
I was telling you all this time I had a DDR4 3000 and it was running about 30% below its full potential. What are you asking?
I've noticed Ryzen performs well with quick RAM, while Intel doesn't seem to benefit as much due to latency issues.
Zen 1 (first Ryzen chips) truly gained from faster RAM more than today. This was mainly because the processors were just... not exceptional. They offered good value but weren’t outstanding. Zen 2 brought many improvements and now runs more efficiently by default, to some extent. That’s true, but it doesn’t fully explain why RAM speed changes don’t help as much anymore. The main point is that both Intel and Ryzen favor around 3200 MHz RAM, which is a sweet spot before performance plateaus. Going up to 3600 is possible but only a small gain. 3000 MHz is still acceptable, particularly for your CPU. Stable RAM speed also relies on the CPU’s IMC (integrated memory controller), so you probably won’t see much improvement beyond that. Unless you push it to 3600, it might even limit your CPU’s overclock potential, which would have a bigger effect. Yeah... laugh it off. Check your BIOS, turn on XMP, and give it a try. It should work fine—your 6700k shouldn’t struggle with 3000 MHz RAM. You might see only a slight boost, maybe a few frames faster, but it’s there to be used.