Top choice for RAM in Threadripper 3970x.
Top choice for RAM in Threadripper 3970x.
You're asking a lot of questions, and it's totally normal to feel confused. Let's break it down in simple terms.
For your setup—Threadripper 3970x with ROG Zenith II Extreme Alpha, Asus 3090 GPU, and heavy use like programming and game dev—here’s what you should consider:
Cl16 at 3600MHz provides the best value. Cl15 and below give minimal extra speed, though 3600MHz ensures the RAM and memory controller operate in harmony. For RAM, any four-slot configuration works well. Corsair Vengeance can be a bit more complex, so it might be wise to skip that option.
3200 cl16 or 3600 cl18 suffices. Higher tiers like 3600 cl16 or above easily handle overclocked 3200 ballistix—skip them. Stick with 2x8 or 2x16 kits for quad channel. Mixing components isn’t a big issue unless you’re certain. For guaranteed results, opt for generic OEM bare PCBs (8GB/16GB). Tell the seller to send only one IC type. Then purchase bare PCBs in the desired micron range and aim for D9VPP (2400 rev/e) or D9WFL (3200 rev/e). The trade-off is manual overclocking, but you can input generic 3600 16-18-18 and let the board auto-adjust at 1.35–1.4V. This approach is more affordable and delivers better performance depending on your chosen IC. Also, 3600 cl16 or faster is very budget-friendly.
High performance RAM kits are mainly for enthusiasts who enjoy overclocking and showing off their skills. A 3600 CL 18 should work well for most setups, and the most affordable solid kit I've seen is the Viper Steel 4400 CL19 (16GB), which already matches the price of a 3600 CL18 32GB unit. Skip the 3600 CL16 as it's usually better suited to 3600 CL18 to 3600 CL16 conversions, which often results in poor performance. The 16-16-16 Samsung kits are also overpriced, though they're available. You can also purchase bare PCBs like 2133-2666 Samsung or Micron Rev E for a similar build. Alternatively, consider adding the option to run at 4000+ MHz if possible on your system.
It’s mainly about how fast data travels, particularly with AMD. You can call a 3600 C18 “acceptable,” but let’s be honest, those clock speeds aren’t great. He invested in a Threadripper and now wants to fill slots with cheaper RAM. If I were making those choices, the C18 wouldn’t be my top pick. Clearly that’s just my perspective. With C14 you don’t need to push too hard to achieve solid performance—it comes ready out of the box.
Using c14 becomes really pointless unless you upgrade it to a faster version like 4000 cl14 or 3600 cl13. The voltage scaling offers plenty of room for adjustment, so the performance gain is limited. I think this setup only makes sense if you push it beyond 1.6V, since it's already quite costly. Don’t throw money at it just to get extra speed unless you’re really pushing the limits. That’s just me stressing the hardware too hard for a little boost—you’ll still get what you paid for, especially with a good RAM upgrade. If you can handle 4400+ cl17 in a 4x8 or 4x16 setup with a higher rev rate or boost, it could work well and be much cheaper. It might even run better given the low power consumption, though I’m not sure about rev b. Also, dual-rank memory gives you more headroom, so an 8x8 configuration could support 64GB while keeping things light on the IC, which is something single-rank can’t do without too much voltage.
I don’t care about anything but B-Die. That’s all I understand. The numbers you mentioned won’t be regular speeds—likely not even peak performance. Particularly with Threadripper. You probably don’t realize it because you haven’t touched any of that equipment yourself.