Can RAM be overclocked without adjusting the CPU's speed?
Can RAM be overclocked without adjusting the CPU's speed?
I received an Asus Z170-A motherboard and am a beginner builder, so this is my first question. I need DDR4 RAM with speeds between 2600 and 3200mhz. To achieve that, I’ll have to overclock it using the XMP profile. Because I’ll be overclocking the CPU, I’m wondering if the processor I choose will also need to be unlocked for this purpose. I was planning to get an i5-6500 which isn’t unlocked, but if I need to overclock the CPU to enable RAM overclocking, might I have to opt for the 6600k instead? Am I right or can I overclock RAM without also overclocking the CPU?
It depends on the quality of the IMC. But since you're not adding extra strain by OCing, 3200 seems reasonable with Skylake. Some golden chips can reach much higher speeds, though. Performance differences are usually negligible outside benchmarks or for specific memory needs. Another point is I'm not entirely sure if the locked i5 6500 supports multipliers up to 3200 XMP; I'm confident in 2666 at stock.
What is the highest speed you can use without a CPU overclock? You're considering the 3200mhz model.
It depends on the quality of the IMC. But since you're not adding extra strain by OCing, 3200 seems reasonable with Skylake. Some golden chips can reach much higher speeds, though. Performance differences outside benchmarks or specific memory needs are minimal. Another point is I'm not entirely sure if the locked i5 6500 supports multipliers up to 3200 XMP; I'm confident at 2666 for the stock version.
I plan to use the pc for learning programming, focusing mainly on RAM and drive read/write speeds. Although the performance boost might be small, I want to make the most of it. I’ll likely get a 256GB M.2 drive and use it only for the OS and writing programs, starting with 16GB RAM. If needed, I can add more sticks later. Thanks for your assistance and have a happy Easter!