Is the upgrade beneficial?
Is the upgrade beneficial?
Hello, after upgrading your CPU and motherboard, you're thinking about donating your old parts to your dad. You currently have 24GB of RAM split between two 4GB modules and another two 8GB modules, all running at 3000 MHz. You're considering whether to buy new RAM or keep your existing setup. It makes sense to weigh the pros and cons—new RAM would boost performance, especially for gaming and programming, but timing matters too. Modern CPUs often prioritize fast memory speeds (timings), so keeping your current timings might be better than switching to a different speed. A noticeable difference is possible if you upgrade, but it depends on how much you use it at high frequencies. For your workloads, 32GB at around 3600 MHz could work well, though 16GB might suffice if you're not pushing the system too hard.
Possible, but not likely. The single CCD Ryzen 5000 chips like the 5800X aren't super memory sensitive, so faster memory doesn't help too much. It does help, yeah, but not that much. I'd still recommend just getting a new kit for you and leaving the old sticks in your old system though. 2x16GB kits do not cost much more the 2x8GB kits nowadays, and the extra $10-20 you'd have to spend on the extra capacity is probably worth it. It's a little complicated, as timings tend to matter more than the actual memory frequency to a point. That said, the kits with good timings cost significantly more than the kits with OK timings do, so actually getting a kit rated at say 3200 CL14 or 3600 CL14 (probably the best performing XMP for Ryzen 5000) is going to cost over double that of 3200 CL16 or 3600 CL18 for not that much extra performance. Spending much more than necessary on DDR4 doesn't make much sense nowadays since the only reason to go for an AM4 system is to save money (AM5 is just faster overall, and a 7600 costs about the same as a 5800X with motherboards being about the same price), so sticking to a 3200 CL16 or 3600 CL18 kit is for the best. Err towards 3600 CL18 since it should be slightly faster than 3200 CL16, but if it's more than $2-3 more just get 3200 CL16.
I’d prefer a fresh 2x16 over purchasing two 8GB units for your dad. Many of the newer 8GB sticks have been reduced in performance (1Rx16) and don’t match the older models, which would help fix your mismatched module setup and boost your total capacity by 8GB while keeping room for a future upgrade to 64GB. You probably won’t notice much difference in speeds between 3000 and 3200 or 3600 or tighter timings, so I’m in agreement about opting for an affordable kit and moving forward.