Help me choosing ram speed
Help me choosing ram speed
Hi everyone, I'm currently running a ryzen 5 1600. I am planning to upgrade my ram. The ram that I wanted to buy is 3600MHz speed but on AMD website the capabilities of my cpu is only at 2667MHz. Does that mean it cannot run at 3600MHz although my motherboard support it? Does it mean if I buy 3600MHz ram is a complete waste of money? I forgot to tell everyone that the reason I wanted to upgrade my ram is because I currently have 2x4GB ram. I wanted to upgrade to 2x8GB or 2x16GB but the MHz realy confused me. Also, in my country memory with 2666MHz is already rare because almost no stores sell ram with 2666MHz anymore. If I buy 3200MHz or 3600MHz memory will it work with my cpu or not? Does my cpu is capable of reading 3200MHz or 3600MHz? This might be a very basic question but I really need to know this so that I can buy the correct ram for my pc. Edited December 16, 2022 by Emillio
It's a bit tricky. The official memory speed is often lower than what the CPU actually handles, and you can push it to a faster rate. The issue with first-generation Ryzen is its basic memory controller, which usually works above 2666MT/s, but only half of CPUs can hit 3200MT/s when using XMP. Some can go higher, but it requires a lot of work and good luck. Consider a more affordable 3200 CL16 kit or skip the upgrade altogether.
It's better to conserve funds now and avoid upgrading RAM unless you expect noticeable improvements. Planning for a stronger CPU later would be more practical.
I overlooked mentioning why I planned to upgrade my RAM. At the moment I have 2x4GB, and I was thinking about increasing it to 2x8GB or even 2x16GB. The MHz numbers were really confusing for me. Also, in my country, 2666MHz is already uncommon since most shops no longer stock RAM at that frequency. Would buying 3200MHz or 3600MHz memory be compatible with my CPU? Can my processor handle those speeds? This seems like a simple question, but I really need to understand it before making a purchase.
It functions on the CPU, but it won’t operate at the speed claimed by the RAM kit since the CPU could struggle. I’ve seen 3200 or 3600 kits work fine—just let the CPU memory controller manage it (around 3000 is typical). Upgrading the CPU would be beneficial soon; a used 3600 or 5600 would be a great step forward and should handle 3600 RAM without issues.