More RAM speed offers better performance, while dual rank provides a balance between speed and capacity.
More RAM speed offers better performance, while dual rank provides a balance between speed and capacity.
Hello! For your gaming and creative tasks, you're considering a Ryzen 7 3700X with an X570 Mobo. When it comes to RAM, I've checked CAS latency, timings, and speeds. While high clock speeds (like 3600MHz+) are great for performance, dual-rank RAMs can match those speeds at lower frequencies, which might save you money. A 3200MHz dual-rank option like the Corsair Vengeance LPX Black DDR4-3200 CL16 (32GB) seems reasonable. If you prefer a single high-speed unit, a top-tier 3600MHz kit would also work well. As for the Gigabyte X570 Aorus Ultra, it's a solid choice but keep in mind its pricing and features compared to other options. What do you think overall?
In a compute scenario where I understand the workload depends heavily on RAM bandwidth, 3200 dual-rank memory outperforms 3600 single-rank by more than 20% in throughput. A slight boost from increasing the IOPS to RAM speed could have helped a bit, but it wasn’t substantial. This isn’t the typical situation most applications face. Most use cases aren’t that sensitive to RAM speed, and the strong L3 cache in Zen 2 minimizes this effect even more. I tested with a Kingston HyperX 4000 RGB 2x8GB, which supports an XMP 3600 profile delivering better real-world performance on both Zen 2 and Intel systems than the 4000. The 3200 RAM I used was a Corsair Vengeance Pro RGB 2x16GB. In general, I think 16GB modules are likely dual-rank to achieve capacity, though recent sales show 8GB units are single-rank only.
I believe people are confusing RAM ranking with RAM channels. They're completely different concepts. Dual-rank RAM has little effect on most users, especially when considering cost efficiency. Performance gains are minimal unless you're in a professional setting. The distinction is subtle, as shown in the video: dual-channel RAM can still matter, but Intel's high-end boards often use triple-channel ECC memory instead, offering a more affordable option.
The presence of dual rank depends mainly on RAM density. During the early DDR4 era, 8GB modules could come in single or dual rank configurations. As memory chip density has grown, I don’t recall any 8GB modules being dual rank now. My knowledge on 16GB modules is limited since I own only dual rank ones; I’d assume they would be dual rank as well. For 32GB, it’s likely they’d also be dual rank. It seems unfair to run a system that prioritizes performance with fewer supported channels. Current mid-range Xeons typically use six channels, and three channels have been absent since the first Core i series about ten years ago. No matter the channel count, high-capacity systems will almost always use dual rank modules, often more than one per channel.
I’m looking to incorporate some components from my existing setup. This includes my GTX 1080 which will be upgraded later, the PSU (please keep it quiet!), and possibly my old AIO CPU (Corsair H80). My current plan is outlined below:
PCPartPicker Part List: https://de.pcpartpicker.com/list/yBxMb8
CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 3700X 3.6 GHz 8-Core (€337.20 @ Amazon Deutschland)
Motherboard: Gigabyte X570 AORUS ULTRA ATX AM4 (€269.00 @ Alternate)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance RGB Pro 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3600 (€92.90 @ Alternate)
Storage: Samsung 970 Evo 500 GB M.2-2280 NVME SSD (€77.90 @ Alternate)
Overall cost: €777.00 (shipping, taxes, discounts applied where possible)