CL16 at 3200MHz or CL18 at 3600MHz compatible with your Ryzen 3000 series processor
CL16 at 3200MHz or CL18 at 3600MHz compatible with your Ryzen 3000 series processor
Hello. Your recent purchase of the Corsair Vengeance RGB PRO 2x8GB 3200MHz CL16 setup is a solid choice for your Ryzen 5 3600 build. Comparing CL16 (16-18-18-36) to CL18 (18-19-19-39) depends on your needs—CL16 offers better performance and future-proofing, while CL18 provides slightly higher base speeds. Consider your workload and budget before deciding.
If you can push it to 3600 CL18, go for it. The infinite material will operate faster, giving you improved results. Plus, you already own the setup—feel free to try it out whenever you have some free time on the weekend.
I’d consider DDR4-3200 CL16 first. Then test if you can push it to higher speeds like DDR4-3400 or even 3600 using CL16 settings. If you locate DDR4-3600 CL16, that would be ideal. What’s the price of the Corsair Vengeance RGB PRO 2x8GB 3200MHz CL16? Do you have a reference link? I bought this Crucial Ballistix Kit for my Ryzen 5800X and it performed perfectly out of the box. Turn on XMP and it’s ready to go. Remember, this kit holds 32GB (16GB x 2), but there’s also a 16GB (8GB x 2) version available. Prices are shown in CAD, and it was discounted when I bought it in July. The Amazon page is here: https://www.amazon.ca/Crucial-Ballistix-...B083VN3CP1
I attempted to push the clock speeds to 3400-3600MHz with the standard CL16 settings, but haven’t managed to upload. The other sticks with similar specs run at 3600MHz for me. I spent 60€ on this package. https://www.corsair.com/ww/en/Categories...tech-specs Using these settings: https://www.corsair.com/ww/en/Categories...tech-specs
I handled the adjustments and verified the XMP settings. The DRAM frequency was changed to DDR4-3400, and the DRAM ratio set to x34. It's important to note there are additional secondary and tertiary timings beyond the main ones, and the XMP spec is validated at 1.35V for DRAM.
3200MHz CL16 matches the performance of 3600MHz CL18 in terms of overall delay, yet it offers greater data capacity and allows for a marginally faster clock frequency, making it a strong choice overall.
Considering your setup and usage, it's better to stick with CL16 3600MHz unless you need higher speeds. Your main tasks are gaming and work, which benefit more from stable performance than extra MHz.