The performance may be limited, but it still functions. Consider your needs before deciding.
The performance may be limited, but it still functions. Consider your needs before deciding.
Hey there, first time here! I landed a solid deal on a Lenovo Legion gaming setup. It comes with an i7 12700, 32GB DDR5 4400MHz RAM (with a CAS latency of 36), an RTX 3060 (12GB model), a 1TB Samsung 980 Pro SSD, a 1TB HDD, and a 500W power supply. I purchased it for $1160 CAD plus taxes. I’m planning to use it for both gaming and some creative work as well as everyday office tasks. My main concern is whether the 4400MHz RAM really matters compared to faster kits like 4800MHz, 5200MHz, or even higher speeds. I’m thinking about swapping it back because of the slower memory speed. I’ve searched online but haven’t found clear guidance on this specific trade-off. Thanks ahead!
It varies based on the workload, but many people gain from a slightly quicker setup. The main issue is that unless you choose a specialized system, you won’t find faster RAM, and those options tend to cost a lot more without real value. Set the price accordingly, but upgrading to faster RAM isn’t practical—especially with Lenovo’s strict BIOS controls—and a faster option would likely be too expensive.
Ram performance dont matter that much, things problably not that upgradable anyways and the bios is likely garbage that cant tune anything so just keep it Also you sure thats a 980 pro oem? Those are pm9a1, if its a pm981 then its just the dramless ass 980
It doesn't seem like a gamer would really need that kind of speed, right? Probably future-proofing makes sense. Could you snap a photo of the motherboard to confirm all power connectors are clear? If it uses standard 8-pin EPS and 24-pin ATX connectors, you should be able to replace it with a better B660 that clocks the RAM properly. The existing board still holds value, so you might resell it for $60–80 and buy a newer 90–120$ B660 or even a $130 Z690. Before swapping, take a picture of the RAM slots with the labels visible. If the microns are poor, it won't justify upgrading just for clocking RAM. Run a stress test using Cinebench in a loop and check temperatures with hwinfo64. Make sure temps stay below 100°C and avoid thermal throttling. If the CPU cores aren’t hitting their full boost frequency, that’s likely power throttling—definitely a reason to replace the board.
I get what you're saying about the 980 pro speeds, all I'm saying is I'm pleasantly surprised they have a higher end drive in here since this is a mid range Legion. I'll send a pic of the mb later but I don't think it really matters too much as I believe the ram is only rated at 4800mhz anyway. So here's a pic of it running cinebench and this 12700's clock speeds aren't running on the max turbo frequency of 3.6 and 4.8ghz for the E and P cores but it isn't thermal throttling either? Shouldn't cinebench push all the cores to their max turbo frequencies for the whole test?
Enable power throttling by turning on the throttle stop, activate the button, navigate to TPL, record a screen, and determine the optimal settings.