Confused About RAM

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Limp Gawd
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Dec 26, 2009
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I have been out of the loop for a while, I am bout to pickup a Intel Core i9-7900X and I'm a bit confused as to which would be the proper RAM to get.

So I believe DDR4-2666 would be the proper type of RAM to get.

But what I am confused about is on Newegg it appears that ram goes all the way up to DDR4-4600.

Does anyone know which RAM I should get for fastest speed? I plan to run this system stock and not overclock it.

Thanks for the help.
 
ddr4-2666 is the stock ram choice for 7900x

faster ram has slightly better performance but anything faster that 2666 is considered overclocking
 
If your spending the money for i9 you shouldnt even be considering anything lower then 3200
 
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Go for Crucial Ballistic or Corsair series they are durable and get you higher clock speeds.
 
ahs89 said:
Go for Crucial Ballistic or Corsair series they are durable and get you higher clock speeds.
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There are only 3 or 4 makers of RAM ICC's. Micron/Crucial, Samsung, Hynix are the only ones that come to mind. All of the RAM companies use these chips. Crucial/Corsair are no better or worse than any other.
 
......going from 2666 to 3200 is about a 25% increase in price: for a debatable value, if performance is the only vector. Since this is the [H] it may have an intrinsic value because you know that everything installed is maxed out, performance wise. If budget isnt a concern then you know what to do.

Here is food for thought:



There are different opinions on this matter. You have a lil while to decide and not forgetting that your motherboard's purchase is 'very' important when considering what RAM to buy. Maybe even more than than CPU because if the motherboard doesn't like it/support it, it wont matter how fast the ram you buy is. Decide on your MB then check what ram it supports and see if the numbers check out by checking reviews like here. manuf may be exaggerating their numbers and the ram posted on the box actually doesn't work as described.

Nice CPU choice, BTW.
 
First, you have to shop around for memory. You can find fast RAM at prices as low as the "slow" RAM, but you have to be patient. I got 16GB of G.Skill FlareX 3200Mhz RAM for $175 not too long ago because I waited. If you need to have it right now, then you're going to get stuck paying more for "slow" RAM. Will 2666Mhz vs. 3200Mhz make a difference on an Intel system? Probably not. Definitely not noticeable. But if you shop around and get 3200Mhz RAM at 2666Mhz pricing, then why not? I have never had an issue with XMP on Intel systems. It's pretty much set it and forget it.

Second, with Intel systems, it doesn't really matter what MB you buy. It's not a guessing game like it is with current Ryzen systems. You buy whatever memory you want. You set the XMP. You don't have RAM issues. I have never once looked at the QVL for DDR4 memory on any Intel system. They all just work. I'm running 4x8GB of FlareX "AMD" memory in my X299 board. I set the XMP and I run all 4 sticks at 3200Mhz/Cas 14 just like the XMP settings say. I have yet to have an issue. I had no issues with my 6400/6600k/6700k/7700k/5930k/5820k/5960X systems either while running Crucial/Patriot/G.Skill or whatever DDR4 memory I had lying around.
 
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kirbyrj said:
Second, with Intel systems, it doesn't really matter what MB you buy
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....only for folks like the op who plans on running his system at virtually stock. Just for shits and giggles a quick check of reviews checking max bandwidth of ram o'ck ability of DDR4-2133:

MSI X299 Xpower = 72.5 GB sec
Asrock Fatality X299 pro = 59.0 GB sec
Asrock X299 Taichi = 64.8 GB sec

MB has always mattered, played a part in the stability of the overall system. Its why reviews of MB's check's for these values. I have seen reviews of MB's and top shelf memory didn't post. Had to roll back some speed in order to get he MB to boot. Other MB's, ran memory 'above' posted max speed!

Sorry, but lets try to give the questioner the info that he needs - even if he decides on going stock.:cool:
 
Well, that's the point. I don't agree. Any decent mid range board and RAM generally has no issues. Especially after 1 or 2 bios updates. I certainly think sifting through a QVL written off a first release bios and then looking for the exact RAM that has since been replaced (and not updated on the QVL) a waste of time.

If you're buying 2133 RAM to play around and overclock that's one thing. If you just buy 3000 RAM and use XMP, you don't need anything fancy. And you get 3000 RAM on sale for the price of 2133/2400 if you look around.
 
kirbyrj said:
Well, that's the point. I don't agree. Any decent mid range board and RAM generally has no issues.
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..interesting :cool:

Kinda on the same side of the issue but in a slight disagreement. I like giving a person both sides of an issue. You seem to want to direct only the one more than likely to work. I think I like having the choice to go large or midrange. I believe you are more satisfied with midrange.

Ok. I cant say you are wrong, I stand by my assessment that there are plateau's that may be available to someone that is about to spend a grand on a CPU.

The reviews that I posted shows that there are discernible differences as to how different MB's treat the memory that is installed in them. I just like choosing with both set of facts in hand.

nop :cool:
 
kirbyrj said:
Second, with Intel systems, it doesn't really matter what MB you buy. It's not a guessing game like it is with current Ryzen systems. You buy whatever memory you want. You set the XMP. You don't have RAM issues. I have never once looked at the QVL for DDR4 memory on any Intel system. They all just work. I'm running 4x8GB of FlareX "AMD" memory in my X299 board. I set the XMP and I run all 4 sticks at 3200Mhz/Cas 14 just like the XMP settings say. I have yet to have an issue. I had no issues with my 6400/6600k/6700k/7700k/5930k/5820k/5960X systems either while running Crucial/Patriot/G.Skill or whatever DDR4 memory I had lying around.
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This is not necessarily true. Ever since the X99 days, XMP has been a crap shoot and compatibility is all over the place. I test and review a lot of motherboards. I've seen very few, Intel or otherwise that you just throw the RAM in and get it to work. Many times, the DRAM voltage won't set automatically. Another common problem is the motherboard trying to use JEDEC timings for the higher clock speeds. That almost never works. Not every motherboard has these issues, but these are common problems I've seen for more than three years now. Things are certainly worse on the AMD side with socket AM4 being the absolute worst platform to deal with regarding memory compatibility. However, things are improving on that front all the time.

Khahhblaab said:
....only for folks like the op who plans on running his system at virtually stock. Just for shits and giggles a quick check of reviews checking max bandwidth of ram o'ck ability of DDR4-2133:

MSI X299 Xpower = 72.5 GB sec
Asrock Fatality X299 pro = 59.0 GB sec
Asrock X299 Taichi = 64.8 GB sec

MB has always mattered, played a part in the stability of the overall system. Its why reviews of MB's check's for these values. I have seen reviews of MB's and top shelf memory didn't post. Had to roll back some speed in order to get he MB to boot. Other MB's, ran memory 'above' posted max speed!

Sorry, but lets try to give the questioner the info that he needs - even if he decides on going stock.:cool:
Click to expand...

I've had to go through as many as 11 memory kits to find one set that would work properly on one motherboard. With AM4, I frequently have to try two or three kits to get one that works. Even "AM4" RAM isn't always guaranteed to work.

kirbyrj said:
Well, that's the point. I don't agree. Any decent mid range board and RAM generally has no issues. Especially after 1 or 2 bios updates. I certainly think sifting through a QVL written off a first release bios and then looking for the exact RAM that has since been replaced (and not updated on the QVL) a waste of time.

If you're buying 2133 RAM to play around and overclock that's one thing. If you just buy 3000 RAM and use XMP, you don't need anything fancy. And you get 3000 RAM on sale for the price of 2133/2400 if you look around.
Click to expand...

Except, this isn't true and hasn't been true for over three years now. There is a reason why some motherboard manufacturers have sent us RAM with their motherboards for review purposes. Four years ago, this only ever happened with the D5400XS as it used FB-DIMMs. I can't recall ever seeing RAM being sent with motherboards before that. Today, it's not all that unusual. XMP has been a total clusterfuck and a joke for years. It's so bad that I'm actually surprised when it works properly. More often than not, it doesn't. The only thing I can agree with in your post is that the QVL becomes worthless after several BIOS updates and after the memory manufacturer changes the parts down the line with new part numbers and specs for a given clock speed.
 
Thank you for the first-hand insight into the current state of memory. I haven't had to buy new memory modules since the days of FPM and EDO (yes, eons ago), and it wasn't easy back then either as far as getting things to work. Disappointing to see time really hasn't changed that, although my experience with DDR and DDR2 has been pretty much plug and play (although I'm not sure what type of timings are being automatically set--I suspect some faster ram is actually operating slower for compatibility).
 
although I'm not sure what type of timings are being automatically set--I suspect some faster ram is actually operating slower for compatibility
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The motherboard normally sets the default ram frequency so that it does not overclock the ram controller on the CPU. The user normally has to enable the ram overclock to support the overclocked ram frequency of the module.
 
Speedeu4ia said:
ddr4-2666 is the stock ram choice for 7900x

faster ram has slightly better performance but anything faster that 2666 is considered overclocking
Click to expand...

Actually, anything beyond current JEDEC specs at a given time is considered overclocking. Anything using XMP timings instead of recognized JEDEC timings for a given clock speed is overclocking.
 
Dan_D said:
Actually, anything beyond current JEDEC specs at a given time is considered overclocking. Anything using XMP timings instead of recognized JEDEC timings for a given clock speed is overclocking.
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well tell that to intel then
 
Dan_D said:
This is not necessarily true. Ever since the X99 days, XMP has been a crap shoot and compatibility is all over the place. I test and review a lot of motherboards. I've seen very few, Intel or otherwise that you just throw the RAM in and get it to work. Many times, the DRAM voltage won't set automatically. Another common problem is the motherboard trying to use JEDEC timings for the higher clock speeds. That almost never works. Not every motherboard has these issues, but these are common problems I've seen for more than three years now. Things are certainly worse on the AMD side with socket AM4 being the absolute worst platform to deal with regarding memory compatibility. However, things are improving on that front all the time.



I've had to go through as many as 11 memory kits to find one set that would work properly on one motherboard. With AM4, I frequently have to try two or three kits to get one that works. Even "AM4" RAM isn't always guaranteed to work.



Except, this isn't true and hasn't been true for over three years now. There is a reason why some motherboard manufacturers have sent us RAM with their motherboards for review purposes. Four years ago, this only ever happened with the D5400XS as it used FB-DIMMs. I can't recall ever seeing RAM being sent with motherboards before that. Today, it's not all that unusual. XMP has been a total clusterfuck and a joke for years. It's so bad that I'm actually surprised when it works properly. More often than not, it doesn't. The only thing I can agree with in your post is that the QVL becomes worthless after several BIOS updates and after the memory manufacturer changes the parts down the line with new part numbers and specs for a given clock speed.
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I don't know what to tell you. I've rarely had issues with it in probably 15-20 builds over the past 3 years with pretty much everything DDR3/DDR4 based from X58/Z68/Z77/X99/Z170/Z270/X299 (never had a P67/X79/Z370 board). AMD? Totally different like you said, but I had a much better time with the Asus B350-F Strix board than I did with the Asus B350 Prime on an early bios.

I would argue that the fact that you're testing and evaluating brand new boards on early release bioses is probably why you're having that much incompatibility. I generally wait a couple months for the dust to settle and the kinks to be worked out with new platforms and almost always after a second bios with a generic "memory compatibility" noted in the release notes, and I don't even try to run XMP until I have the latest bios installed. I guess you're proving that I'm making a good decision doing that as I've never thought twice about RAM, nor have had issues. I certainly have never had to go through 11 kits to find one that worked.
 
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kirbyrj said:
I don't know what to tell you. I've rarely had issues with it in probably 15-20 builds over the past 3 years with pretty much everything DDR3/DDR4 based from X58/Z68/Z77/X99/Z170/Z270/X299 (never had a P67/X79/Z370 board). AMD? Totally different like you said, but I had a much better time with the Asus B350-F Strix board than I did with the Asus B350 Prime on an early bios. I would argue that the fact that you're testing and evaluating brand new boards on early release bioses is why you're having that much incompatibility. I rarely get bleeding edge boards as I generally wait a couple months for the dust to settle and the kinks to be worked out with new platforms and almost always after a second bios with the "memory compatibility" addressed. I guess you're proving that I'm making a good decision doing that as I've never thought twice about RAM, nor have had issues. I certainly have never had to go through 11 kits to find one that worked.
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Well, I test a lot of boards. I've got a couple on the bench at any time and a stack of them in the corner. Your right, I do tend to get these early on with early BIOS revisions. That said, I do still encounter issues with friends machines. Not quite as often as I do on my test bench of course.
 
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