Consider whether upgrading to a quicker memory is better than adding more of the slower one for your current setup.
Consider whether upgrading to a quicker memory is better than adding more of the slower one for your current setup.
TL;DR: You have 16 gigabytes of DDR4-2400 RAM. Should you increase to 32 gigabytes or opt for faster DDR4-3200 at 16 gigabytes? Which option offers better value? Greetings, Greyson. Your build from a few years ago is noted. CPU: Intel Core i5-9600K 3.7 GHz; Cooler: Noctua NH-D15; Board: EVGA Z370; RAM: G.Skill Ripjaws V (16 GB). Recent performance issues with high-demand games suggest memory usage spikes. You may need a CPU upgrade but not sure how much. Any advice?
That's interesting—though I didn't consider it much until now.
High-speed RAM alone isn't enough; pairing it with slower RAM won't improve gaming performance.
Did you see that section? Moving from 2400 to 3200 on an i5 9600 won't bring huge performance gains even with a new RAM upgrade. Are people checking the original article or just the title? What do you think @PDifolco will experience if he uses two 2400 RAM sticks in one channel and two 3200 RAM sticks in another? How much improvement can he expect? @Gileotine, focus on getting the most affordable option. If you were me, I’d look into used RAM sales nearby. Spending a lot on an old platform isn’t worth it.
I understand your setup is quite old. While I appreciate your rig, it might make sense to consider swapping the slow RAM for a faster one if prices drop. Alternatively, adding more RAM could help, though finding another 16 gigabytes of the same type may be challenging.
I wonder if the higher 32gig capacity at 2400 would be superior to 16gigs at 3600. I discovered my motherboard actually handles 3600, which means a bigger improvement. I believe I’ll end up with 16gigs of 3600—it’s about $70 and won’t cause any issues.
Many people might be curious that after adding my new RAM, it was running at 2100 MHz, matching my previous setup. It seems you need to enable XMP on your system to unlock the maximum speed, which is why I've been using 2100MHz for more than four years. The components inside my computer were actually rated for 3000 MHz—never realized that before!