F5F Stay Refreshed Power Users Overclocking Would I observe any change in gaming performance by increasing the frequency from 2133mhz to 2400mhz?

Would I observe any change in gaming performance by increasing the frequency from 2133mhz to 2400mhz?

Would I observe any change in gaming performance by increasing the frequency from 2133mhz to 2400mhz?

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Creeperman3
Senior Member
454
09-04-2025, 01:29 PM
#1
Current configuration...
I prefer not to experiment with overclocking since I'm not familiar with it; I just want to find out if changing the RAM will help gaming performance.
I’m fine playing games overall, but I’ve noticed that most i7 7700k systems run at around 2400MHz.
Also, XMP is turned on in the BIOS, yet Task Manager only displays RAM at 2133MHz. I thought it should be 2666MHz when XMP is active...?
Intel i7-7700K @ 4.5 GHz (turbo boost)
ASUS ROG STRIX Z270H
16GB HyperX Fury DDR4 @ 2133 MHz
Samsung 860 EVO 500 GB x2
EVGA GeForce GTX 1070 SC Gaming ACX 3.0 Black Edition
BenQ Zowie XL2411P 1920 x 1080 @ 144Hz
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Creeperman3
09-04-2025, 01:29 PM #1

Current configuration...
I prefer not to experiment with overclocking since I'm not familiar with it; I just want to find out if changing the RAM will help gaming performance.
I’m fine playing games overall, but I’ve noticed that most i7 7700k systems run at around 2400MHz.
Also, XMP is turned on in the BIOS, yet Task Manager only displays RAM at 2133MHz. I thought it should be 2666MHz when XMP is active...?
Intel i7-7700K @ 4.5 GHz (turbo boost)
ASUS ROG STRIX Z270H
16GB HyperX Fury DDR4 @ 2133 MHz
Samsung 860 EVO 500 GB x2
EVGA GeForce GTX 1070 SC Gaming ACX 3.0 Black Edition
BenQ Zowie XL2411P 1920 x 1080 @ 144Hz

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sherbert10
Junior Member
9
09-04-2025, 01:29 PM
#2
There won't be a significant improvement in performance from increasing from 2133 to 2400. The extra expense wouldn't justify it. For an AMD CPU, upgrading to faster RAM would be beneficial, but for Intel CPUs, the impact on gaming is minimal.
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sherbert10
09-04-2025, 01:29 PM #2

There won't be a significant improvement in performance from increasing from 2133 to 2400. The extra expense wouldn't justify it. For an AMD CPU, upgrading to faster RAM would be beneficial, but for Intel CPUs, the impact on gaming is minimal.

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Mr_Floobiful
Posting Freak
890
09-04-2025, 01:29 PM
#3
Thank you for your quick response. I’m wondering if there’s a reason why XMP profile #1 still shows 2133 MHz in my BIOS. I thought it should boost it to 2666 MHz. I didn’t include the ASUS ROG STRIX Z270H motherboard, but if upgrading RAM doesn’t help much, adding another 16GB of the same speed could improve future gaming performance. Would XMP allow 32GB RAM to run faster than 2133 MHz?
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Mr_Floobiful
09-04-2025, 01:29 PM #3

Thank you for your quick response. I’m wondering if there’s a reason why XMP profile #1 still shows 2133 MHz in my BIOS. I thought it should boost it to 2666 MHz. I didn’t include the ASUS ROG STRIX Z270H motherboard, but if upgrading RAM doesn’t help much, adding another 16GB of the same speed could improve future gaming performance. Would XMP allow 32GB RAM to run faster than 2133 MHz?

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Spaceface16518
Senior Member
564
09-04-2025, 01:30 PM
#4
Completely opposed to that idea. There wouldn't be much change from 2133 to 2400, but moving from 2133 to 3200 or even 3600 would provide a significant improvement in certain scenarios. Not every game engine adapts equally to increased RAM speed, yet Fallout 4 and Arma 3 are clear examples of those that benefit.
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Spaceface16518
09-04-2025, 01:30 PM #4

Completely opposed to that idea. There wouldn't be much change from 2133 to 2400, but moving from 2133 to 3200 or even 3600 would provide a significant improvement in certain scenarios. Not every game engine adapts equally to increased RAM speed, yet Fallout 4 and Arma 3 are clear examples of those that benefit.

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holycow147
Member
103
09-04-2025, 01:30 PM
#5
What is the type of RAM you have? What performance level does it support? Refer to CPU-Z for details. Visit the website to view the information. The Memory section displays the DRAM frequency; double that value to determine your RAM's speed. For example, a reading of 2666 corresponds to 1333, and 3200 shows as 1600.
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holycow147
09-04-2025, 01:30 PM #5

What is the type of RAM you have? What performance level does it support? Refer to CPU-Z for details. Visit the website to view the information. The Memory section displays the DRAM frequency; double that value to determine your RAM's speed. For example, a reading of 2666 corresponds to 1333, and 3200 shows as 1600.

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ripa5000
Posting Freak
884
09-04-2025, 01:30 PM
#6
Here is a selection focusing on two games.
The comparison from techpowerup mentions the 8700k model with matching memory controller to the 7700k. For gaming performance, there was a 4% variation when increasing from 2133 to 3000mhz. When moving from 2133mhz to 4000mhz, the difference rose to 5%.
Regarding RAM speed on Sky/Kaby/Coffee lake CPUs, it has minimal effect on gaming performance.
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ripa5000
09-04-2025, 01:30 PM #6

Here is a selection focusing on two games.
The comparison from techpowerup mentions the 8700k model with matching memory controller to the 7700k. For gaming performance, there was a 4% variation when increasing from 2133 to 3000mhz. When moving from 2133mhz to 4000mhz, the difference rose to 5%.
Regarding RAM speed on Sky/Kaby/Coffee lake CPUs, it has minimal effect on gaming performance.

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filcio1234
Member
211
09-04-2025, 01:30 PM
#7
If the RAM is rated for 2133mhz, then that is what it will display when XMP is enabled. As Titan mentioned, you can use CPUz to find out the exact details about your RAM.

Regarding adding more RAM, there isn't a game that requires more than 16gb of RAM. Any unused space will remain idle. I don't suggest going for 32gb on a gaming rig.

If you really need additional RAM, consider upgrading with a faster setup and selling the old one. However, you won't notice a significant difference in most games except for a slight improvement in benchmark scores. Your investment would be better used for other components like your GPU.
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filcio1234
09-04-2025, 01:30 PM #7

If the RAM is rated for 2133mhz, then that is what it will display when XMP is enabled. As Titan mentioned, you can use CPUz to find out the exact details about your RAM.

Regarding adding more RAM, there isn't a game that requires more than 16gb of RAM. Any unused space will remain idle. I don't suggest going for 32gb on a gaming rig.

If you really need additional RAM, consider upgrading with a faster setup and selling the old one. However, you won't notice a significant difference in most games except for a slight improvement in benchmark scores. Your investment would be better used for other components like your GPU.

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zlip88
Member
198
09-04-2025, 01:30 PM
#8
Thank you all for the input, my DRAM speed is currently at 1064.4mhz. I'll postpone the RAM upgrade and focus on getting a new graphics card.
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zlip88
09-04-2025, 01:30 PM #8

Thank you all for the input, my DRAM speed is currently at 1064.4mhz. I'll postpone the RAM upgrade and focus on getting a new graphics card.