Cl 16 vs Cl 18
Cl 16 vs Cl 18
So I’m looking at these three RAM sticks and I’m not sure if I should spend an extra 30$ for lower CL between the 3600 ones. What do you think? Is there a noticeable difference in gaming? * G.Skill Trident Z Neo 3200MHz 16CL = 145$ * G.Skill Trident Z Neo 3600MHz 18CL = 165$ * G.Skill Trident Z Neo 3600MHz 16CL = 195$ This is my build: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/8JHgWb
3600 cl16 is an option if your budget allows. Otherwise, a 3200 cl16 will likely match the performance of the 3600 kit while being more affordable.
In gaming, the CL16 kit offers a modest improvement of 2-6%, which isn't a significant gap. https://www.gamersnexus.net/guides/3508-...ock-mclock (Check 3200Mhz CL16 versus 3600Mhz CL16)
This package is quite costly for a 3600MHz CL16. The kit you linked is priced at $80.
Whatever you choose, keep in mind that: CL16 is the standard and anything above it is considered loose or "slow". You could try tightening up a CL18 3600 kit down to CL16, but there's no guarantee that it would cooperate with you. CL14 is considered fast and CL12 is really fast. In essence - it's better to choose a lower frequency kit with tighter timings than the other way around