I recently decided to upgrade to AM5 and thought I'd get ahead of the game by buying DDR5 RAM before prices shot up. So, back in late November, I purchased a new kit of Team Group T-Create Expert CL30 DDR5 2x16 6000MHz RAM for about $300 (after taxes and shipping) on eBay. Fast forward 10 days, and I received the same RAM, but it turns out to be CL38 instead. I reached out to the seller, but they didn't respond, so I escalated the situation to eBay. After another long wait, the seller finally replied, saying it was a mistake and they no longer have the CL30 RAM available. They offered either a refund return or a $25 partial refund for the price difference.
Now I'm stuck. Returning the RAM seems like a bad idea because the prices have skyrocketed since my purchase, and I specifically chose the CL30 for a reason and paid extra for it. What should I do? Is the performance difference between CL30 and CL38 significant enough to impact my planned build with a 9800X3D? Any advice is appreciated!
5 Answers
Since you’re going for an X3D processor, I wouldn’t worry about CL ratings too much. I have CL36 RAM and it runs perfectly. You can probably tweak it to CL34 or something stable if you want. Just keep what you have!
For the current prices, $25 isn't a great deal compared to what you originally spent, but it'll be tough to find a better deal out there now. I'd keep the CL38 RAM and accept the partial refund since the performance gap isn't really noticeable. You're still getting solid RAM that will serve you well.
I'd recommend keeping the RAM instead of going through the hassle of returning it. $25 is a decent offer in this market, and honestly, you'll probably not notice much difference between CL30 and CL38 in real-world use. Just take the cash and move on!
If it were me, I'd seriously consider returning it. Check out local stores; sometimes they have bundles that might even include the CPU you're after. However, the X3D is pretty forgiving about RAM timing, so it’s not the end of the world if you keep it. Just weigh your options carefully!
Honestly, if you're pairing it with a 9800X3D, you really don't need to sweat the lower timings. The added cache in that chip helps mitigate memory latency significantly. Just keep the RAM and take the money, you’ll be fine!
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