Need help picking a RAM stick for my computer that's running Solus?
Need help picking a RAM stick for my computer that's running Solus?
Hey everyone! I am building my first computer system about fifteen years ago and want to learn how to Overclock it again. My new setup will handle everything from gaming and streaming to video editing, so I need the best stable performance possible. I'm looking at a few different options for my build and will list them below along with the full specifications.
The plan is to use G.Skill Trident Z Royal RAM (2x16GB sticks of 3600MHz) paired with a Gigabyte 2080 Ti Aorus Master GPU running on an Asus Crosshair X570 chipset and Nsxt cooling solution. I am really curious about how much extra performance I can get from using B-Die chips, especially if I choose two separate 2x16GB modules versus one single 4x16GB matched module. Also, have you ever heard of the B-Die advantage?
I haven't been up to speed on overclocking since the days when Athlon XP CPUs were common. I am super excited to try it again because I want to get more out of my new RAM sticks and GPU combo. Thanks in advance for any advice!
You should wait. Buying two separate kits means you get no guarantees, especially if they don't work well together but do on their own. If that happens, there is no way to fix it because manufacturers never promise that mixed parts will work, even if the part numbers look exactly the same. They only give a guarantee for one specific kit all at once. As long as the memory shows up in either its own list or on your motherboard's QVL (a list of tested items), then it works fine. Those lists are usually very limited and only mention a few models, while manufacturer lists tend to cover everything listed there without fail.
I'd probably look at another board first. I know there are at least three people who lost their Crosshair Hero VIII boards because they broke way too early, not just from overdoing it but also because of stupid mistakes by sellers or ASUS when replacing them. This happened before the big pandemic issue hit us hard. One guy got a used replacement with a piece of the back cover ripped off, and even though he called the support team, they wouldn't fix it. I used to love buying these ASUS boards, but things have changed in just the last two years. Now, ASUS seems so focused on making themselves look good that they don't care about their customers anymore. https://www.techpowerup.com/review/asus-...fi/14.html I'd check out these boards instead. If you really need extra M.2 slots for storage, the Tomahawk Max is probably a great choice. It would let you spend more money on better RAM. Something like a 3600MHz CL14 stick would make your system feel super fast and snappy. Ryzen 9 3950X on Good and Bad B450 Motherboards As we talked about back when we reviewed the AMD new flagship, the 16-core Ryzen 9 3950X, instead of testing it on a top-tier Gigabyte X570 Aorus Xtreme board... www.techspot.com Besides that, there isn't much room for overclocking with third-generation AMD CPUs anyway. The higher you go with your CPU model, the less space is left in the silicon itself for any crazy tweaking. They are already packing as much performance into the chip as possible most of the time. You might be able to squeeze out a few extra megahertz, but lots of people have found they can't do much more even if they set their settings to the stock speed profile.
First off thank you very much for the reply. I also back in the day had high standing for Asus, but hearing this does raise some flags sure. My next go-to back then was Gigabyte, and really that's the only board I've looked at since. The Aorus Master is my choice now because both fit my aesthetic vibe. I'm going to be running two m.2 drives so that third one on the Gigabyte isn't needed unless I decide to raid 0 for my game/editing drive. Both boards had decent stock VRM cooling with the looks I wanted, and I chose Asus over Giga because I liked the USB options more. Regarding the chip, I read that the 3950/3900 were made from the same chips, but the 3950s got better ones and should overclock better. Originally I wanted the 3900x, but since I can fit a 3950x, it's worth buying just in case there are no buyers for me later. Will I get any better results using a 4x16 kit over two 2x16? It sure will give them more chances to perform on the same level; just wondering how much more. I know this system is way too powerful for what I probably need, but I'm treating myself as a long overdue reward. I'm nearing retirement age and suffered a ruptured Achilles so my sports career is done forever. This replaces all that sorrow with new joy.
So, ESPECIALLY on this Ryzen platform but in general on any non-HEDT platform that does not have a quad or higher multiple memory architecture, the more DIMMs you run the less likely it becomes that you will be able to run it all at the advertised speed without problems. If you can get the full amount of memory you want to run using two DIMMs, then you want to do that. It's less stress on the memory controller for both AMD and Intel, and especially on these AMD platforms it greatly increases the probability that you'll be able to run at full speed. They specifically outline inability to run at full speed once you start going past four DIMMs above certain speeds, and that is dependent on which generation of Ryzen CPU and which chipset you are running. I'd stick to two DIMMs if it were me, unless you can't get the full amount of memory you want to run with only two DIMMs. Gigabyte was also my second choice for a long time. I have MANY ASUS and Gigabyte boards around here, in fact the board in my current rig, which is about five years old (6700k) is a Hero VIII, but I will not be going with them when I upgrade the platform (Presumably when the 4th Gen Ryzen CPUs are released). I will not be going with Gigabyte either as they've been dropping in quality IMO the last couple of generations as well. I have, in the past, generally not looked favorably on MSI because they tended to have a lot of quality control issues and some poor design choices on their motherboards but the last three years has seen a major turn around in that regard, especially on their mid to high end boards. I still wouldn't buy ANY "budget" enthusiast chipset motherboard from them. The Tomahawk/Max and Gaming Pro Carbon are the best of the B450 boards you can get without spending a ton of money, and then all you are really getting extra is maybe an extra PCI slot or two, an extra M.2 slot or two and maybe an extra SATA header or two, plus possibly depending on the board, an extra power phase or two. None of which generally make a lot of difference for an overclocking board, aside from the power phase, but clearly the power phase on the Tomahawk and Pro carbon are exceptionally good because they obviously are able to handle the highest core count and TDP CPU from the platform without problems. But I understand the lack of M.2 and color scheme. I'll be honest as well, I've seen some niggling problems emerging on some of the Gigabyte X570 boards like the Elite, and my advice would be to avoid that. I can also understand wanting X570 for PCIe 4.0 capability if you're going to run multiple M.2 drives AND if you're going to make sure that you choose PCIe 4.0 NVME drives, otherwise, X570 is pointless and I'd wait to see what the B550 boards have to offer which should be coming very soon. What kind of sports were you involved with?
I play basketball, but at my age (46 or 47 right now), both of my knees have been checked and now my Achilles tendon is torn. It's time to put this ball on the wall. Even though I still run around like a kid in high school and don't want to slow down, that doesn't help either. Being a gamer all my life makes gaming a really easy option since it never gets tired. Since everything burned down when the building I lived in in 2005 was destroyed, I haven't done much with building or tweaking things lately. Beyond gaming, I plan on taking out more hikes to stay active and record some videos of beautiful views. Because I want to game/stream and make a video to save time, I'm going to get a solid 64GB stick for RAM. I also want the computer to last me three or four years so it won't break soon. Both my hard drives are Gen 4 yes, I'm getting Sabrents.
It's good to see this. If you ever decide to check back out at the Crosshair Hero, just say no to buying a full board right now since I won't spend that much money on one unless it was set up for custom loops and had open loop cooling with mono blocks already installed.
Haha hey don't panic! I already have a video about this specific Asus line. Actually, my real worry right now is whether I should wait for the 4x16 kit to come back in stock or just grab two of them in 2x16 packs. Plus, yeah, I'm actually planning on getting some water cooling a few months down the road.
You need to wait before buying anything. If you buy two separate kits, you get no guarantees because they might not play nicely together even if they work on their own. Memory makers never promise that mixed kits will work together, even if the part numbers are exactly the same. They only guarantee them when all the memory came in a single kit and if it is listed as compatible on their own website or on the motherboard's QVL list (the official list of tested models). These lists are usually not very complete; they often just list a few popular models that have been tried and proven to work. Memory maker compatibility lists, however, are almost always more thorough because they include any memory that has been officially tested for use with that specific motherboard. There are good reasons for this rule: sometimes the "odd one out" sticks from different batches of kits won't fit together perfectly, even if they look similar at first glance. If you try to put sticks into a machine that were bought separately, there is a very high chance they simply will not work with each other. There is also a decent chance you can make them work by spending some time learning how to figure it out yourself, but most of the time you won't succeed. The only real exception is if both sets use the same speed and timings, and both kits are within the official speed limits for that specific platform; in that case, they are much more likely to cooperate than if they had different speeds or settings. Here is some advice: If you just bought this memory and ended up buying two separate sticks instead of matching them together, try to get a refund so you can buy a kit later. It is always better to have matching modules because even if the model numbers look the same, there could be tiny differences in the actual chips inside, or they might come from different production batches. Sometimes manufacturers use the same number for products that are actually quite different. The only way to know with 100% surety that two pieces of memory are truly identical is to ensure they came out together in the exact same blister pack and were sold as a tested kit. To figure out if differences or voltage issues from using multiple sticks are causing your problems, always start by trying to turn on the computer with just one stick installed first. For most consumer motherboards made since about 2014, slot A2 is usually where you install a single memory module. Slots A2 and B2 are typically used together for two modules, while slots A1 and B1 are often used for singles, though that depends on the specific board. Honestly, I don't recommend installing three sticks at all unless you have a very special triple-channel board. Pairing memory is almost always the better choice, except if your motherboard supports triple channel operation normally. When it comes to memory, there are no "single channel" or "dual channel" modules; instead, there are only physical memory modules and the CPU architecture decides whether dual, triple, or quad channels work based on how many sticks you put in. Occasionally, some boards can run three sticks at once if two of them act as a pair while the third one runs alone, but it's often better to avoid this setup because many motherboards will just treat all three sticks as singles anyway. If you ever plan on needing 16GB of memory, buy 16GB from the start and get everything in one matching set to avoid future headaches. And here is some proof that using identical part numbers doesn't guarantee your sticks will work:
A ton of great info here and I once again thank you so much. Actually, a system builder told me that if I wanted 64gb but could only afford 32 gigabytes right now, it's better to just buy the 32g kit first and then add more later. The kits I was looking at are both G.Skill Royal 16-16-16-36 B-Die, where the 64gb version has been sold out for about ten days already. So I've been thinking about buying two separate sets instead. I get really stuck on the price per gigabyte when I shop because I always want the best deal for my money too. I was also looking at a 4x8gb 3600 speed kit with 14 sticks that cost less, but it has half the total memory and about $5/gb more. Ideally, would I go with stock 3600 instead of the 3200?