Memory and the QVL
Memory and the QVL
Building a first workstation after at least 10 years and my how things have changed, from quality of cases to memory selection complexity. I’ve got the ASUS X570-Ace WS and a Ryzen 3900x. Currently have 16GB G.SKILL Trident Z 3000/CL 16 which is on the ASUS QVL. In an ideal world I’d go to 3600 CL 16 but haven’t found the intersection of something that matches the QVL and what’s available. I say ideal world because I will prob upgrade to 32GB in 6 months and want the fastest I can to match. How much do I need to do a full stop with the QVL? It only goes to 3200 and I know there is a “3600 sweet spot” for the Ryzen.
I found the QVL to be rather ineffective on my X570 ASUS board. My setup only fits 2x16GB 3200CL16, while I use 4x16GB 3600CL14. Initially there were problems (ASUS automatically limited DRAM current which led to random shutdowns, but I resolved it by increasing the limit). OFC, you can't be sure it will always work without QVL, but it seems likely it will function properly if you adjust a bit. By the way, ASUS support was pretty disappointing when I asked about the shutdown issue—they said my DRAM wasn’t on QVL and suggested getting a different kit. They also mentioned the board supports up to 128GB RAM, though there was no 128GB option available in their QVL.
The QVL remains unchanged after new RAM is launched, making it somewhat outdated. Opt for the version others have verified as functional.
That's positive! It seems you might want to explore more options.
I initially used a 16GB G.SKILL 3000 CL16, upgraded to a 3600 CL18, and now have a 32GB 3200 CL16 Corsair setup. Each model is compatible to different degrees on the QVL, and reviews indicate solid support. The larger 32GB version fits in two of the four slots, leaving room to potentially double the RAM soon.