A suitable DDR4 RAM speed for a Core i5-13600K is typically around 3200–3600 MHz.
A suitable DDR4 RAM speed for a Core i5-13600K is typically around 3200–3600 MHz.
Chose 13th gen Intel setup and believe it saves costs. Opted for a Z690 DDR4 board suitable for light gaming, video editing, and CAD tasks. Aiming for at least 16GB RAM under $200. Concerned the 3600MHz clock speed might not be enough for the 13th gen, wondering what to do next.
This subject has some details, so I’ll simplify it a bit. Essentially, you should aim for 3200 CL16 or 3600 CL18, or a DDR5 2x16GB 5600. The memory controller supports three modes—Gear 1, Gear 2, and Gear 4. Gear 1 offers the lowest latency by syncing memory speed directly with DRAM, while Gear 2 provides slightly higher bandwidth since it runs in 1:2 mode. Gear 4 is mainly for testing and doesn’t deliver good performance. For most setups, stick with Gear 1, which usually hits speeds around 4000–4300 MT/s depending on your motherboard. Mid-range to high-end DDR5 kits are now competitive with DDR4 options, and since DDR5 can boost with XMP, it’s worth getting a full DDR5 system. If you really want to cut costs, go with 3200 CL16 or 3600 CL18, but that’s not the best long-term choice.
Right, but those 'low end' kits are like, a lot cheaper, at least in the US. The SP gaming 3200 32GB kit has been $65 for a while now, which literally broke me from recommending 16GB for anything other than the absolute tightest budgets. If you budget has you deciding between 16GB of DDR5 and 32GB of DDR4, I'd get the DDR4. And while price parity of models is close (it's still more expensive) there are A LOT of really cheap DDR4 boards out there that don't have equivalent DDR5 models, most of which have all the features a gamer would ever need and some. Like, in the US right now, this platform is all most users need and will still be very fast for quite some time and it's under $300, opening up 1k budgets for some really fast GPUs and reliable PSUs, especially with all the very slightly used 6000 cards on eBay: (not a parts list for OP, just an example) PCPartPicker Part List CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 5600 3.5 GHz 6-Core Processor ($149.99 @ B&H) Motherboard: Asus Prime B450M-A II Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard ($79.99 @ B&H) Memory: Silicon Power GAMING 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory ($65.97 @ Amazon) Total: $295.95 Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available Generated by PCPartPicker 2023-01-17 00:23 EST-0500 You can also usually find the 5600 for a lot less than this and wifi b450 boards pop up for $80 all the time.
For the memory, that's essentially what I meant—low-end DDR4 is incredibly affordable compared to low-end DDR5. Mid-range options like 3600 CL16 or 4000 CL18 become quite pricey, but they’re still within about $20 of a DDR5 5600 kit for similar capacity. Usually you won’t find a better value, except for the $20 premium, which is worth it if you want a bit more performance and compatibility with future upgrades. Not that the DDR4 kits are useless, they work fine in most cases, but only the budget models really limit your choices.
I’m talking about these as the "budget" memory kits available right now—they’re the most affordable, still deliver solid performance for everyday tasks, and are great for moving up to another CPU or motherboard later.
Regarding the motherboard, I’d have some reservations. Budget boards often lack DDR5 support, and even those that do usually struggle with high-end CPUs like the 13600K without hitting power limits. So, while they’re decent enough for a 13600K or 13700K, they’re probably not the best long-term bet.
In the US market, the cheapest DDR4 boards with VRM I’d consider solid for a 13600K/13700K are the B660M Pro AX at $140 and the B760M PG Riptide at $150. It’s a bit pricier, but for a build targeting a 13600K, that’s close to $1000 or more. The DDR5 alternatives start around $150, making the DDR4 a more sensible choice in most scenarios.
For motherboards I wouldn’t settle for a z790 Msi pro since you can’t reliably lower the voltages on b boards properly—they only offer a tiny 0.05mV adjustment, which is useless if you expect your CPU to hit 100°C during stress tests.