Ram Speed
Ram Speed
The ASUS ROG CROSSHAIR VIII HERO supports RAM up to 3600MHz according to its O.C specifications.
You’ll likely face constraints from your CPU’s IMC before reaching those speeds, and keeping the Ryzen FCLK at a 1:1 ratio can help reduce latency.
It might not perform optimally with the Ryzen 7 3700X due to its lower base clock speeds compared to newer models.
most Zen 2 CPUs handle 3600MHz efficiently even at single-rank speeds, though official support stops around 3200MHz. I've noticed some processors struggling above that, but it's rare. The actual speed drops with higher memory ranks due to increased latency. AMD mentioned that 3900x only supports up to 2666 MHz on quad-rank 128GB configurations—check the Reddit thread for details.
Yes, it works well for gaming. You might want 3600 CL16 RAM if it's not significantly pricier, or 3600 CL18 if you're handling bandwidth-heavy tasks (games aren't that much). A 3200 C16 is roughly equivalent to a 3600 C18 in latency.
I focus on gaming with my PC, choosing a 3200mhz Cl16 setup. My budget gets covered by the ROG 3080 OC.