I recently bought a 2x24GB XPG LANCER DDR5 CUDIMM RAM kit with a speed rating of 8400MTs and a CL40 latency, and I'm now trying to figure out which CPU platform to go with: Intel or AMD. I was initially leaning toward getting a Ryzen 9 9700X, but now I'm unsure if this RAM kit will even work well with AMD. My main uses for the PC will be gaming, possibly streaming, some programming, and handling data processing tasks for work. While I initially considered 6000MHz CL30/32 DDR5 RAM as the ideal option for AMD, I couldn't find anything suitable that wasn't overpriced. I'm not really planning on overclocking much, and I'm okay with not utilizing the full 8400MTs as long as I get decent performance. Any advice on which platform I should choose?
4 Answers
The RAM speed shouldn't be your biggest concern—if you're gaming at higher resolutions (like 1440p or 4k), the CPU choice is less critical. You'll likely want to go with an AMD X3D CPU at 1080p, but overall, Intel might be your better choice here for maximizing RAM performance.
Here's something crucial to note: CUDIMMs only support Intel Core Ultra CPUs! If you try using this RAM with an AMD or an older Intel motherboard, it'll only run at 3200 MT/s, which means you'll lose a ton of performance. That’s likely why this RAM was cheaper! So, if you choose this RAM kit, make sure to go for an Intel 265k.
Purchasing the RAM before deciding on the CPU seems a bit off. Speed and timings might not be as vital as you think, especially for stability. I suggest leaning towards something like 5600MHz RAM instead, which could save you some hassle with tuning later—pick the CPU based on your workload needs instead.
Honestly, worrying too much about which team to support is unnecessary—they're just companies. If you're hoping to run your 8400MHz RAM at full speed, an Intel chip is likely your best bet. AMD generally struggles to achieve those speeds with CUDIMMs. Otherwise, if you're fine clocking it down to 6000MHz, it could work but maybe not as smoothly as you'd want for your processing tasks. That's something to consider.

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