Is there any impact from increasing RAM speed?
Is there any impact from increasing RAM speed?
I made an error six months ago when setting up my new rig (i7 4790). I purchased crucial 2x4GB 1866mhz CL9 RAM with the H97 motherboard, thinking it was affordable and had a low-profile heatsink. Now that I’m planning upgrades, I need to decide what to do. The 1600mhz CL8 is cheaper, which is important because I use Counter Strike Source online and need fast CL response times. I also do a lot of video editing, so extra RAM makes sense. However, the CL8 would be limited by my current 1866mhz CL9 RAM (which actually runs at 1600mhz), so should I stick with the same RAM or go for the cheaper CL8? Is it possible to overclock the CL timings of my existing RAM to match the CL8? I have no experience with overclocking this generation of PCs, but I used to be an expert on that. =)
I have 2x4GB G.Skill TridentX memory sticks that are labeled as 2400MHz, but they were originally set to a default frequency of 1600MHz. I increased them to the full 2400MHz. Does this mean I'm overclocking or is going above 2400 still acceptable?
It isn't worth it. The benefits of overclocking RAM are minimal and the performance boost is hardly noticeable. I think it might help in APU systems or demanding video editing tasks, but overall the gains are almost insignificant. I prefer investing in faster RAM with lower latency rather than risking instability by overclocking.
I completely agree. The improvements from overclocking your RAM are negligible—especially considering the risks of instability and potential damage to your RAM if you go too far. In reality, benchmarks might show increased speeds, but in practice, your performance in games and everyday apps won’t change much. Instead, opt for lower latency RAM, run it at stock speeds with a 1.5x boost, and focus on overclocking your CPU and graphics card for the real speed gains.