I currently have 2×8GB Corsair Vengeance LPX DDR4-3000, and I'm wondering whether to add another 16GB or replace the kit with faster RAM. My system uses a Ryzen 5 5600 and a 7080 XT. Memory usage sits around 50% at idle and can reach nearly 100% while playing newer games, such as the Assassin's Creed Black Flag remake at 1080p on medium settings. Would 32GB be the better upgrade, or would faster memory improve performance more?
4 Answers
A new 2×16GB DDR4-3600 kit could offer somewhat better performance, especially around CL16 or CL18, but it would cost more and require replacing your current memory. With a Ryzen 5 5600, that improvement is unlikely to matter as much as having enough RAM, so adding another matching 16GB is the better value unless you are also planning a broader platform upgrade.
Before buying anything, check what is using so much memory at idle. Around 50% can be normal depending on how much RAM you have and how Windows is caching data, but background applications could also be consuming it. Still, since your usage reaches about 100% during gaming, moving to 32GB is a reasonable first step.
Add another matching 2×8GB kit. DDR4-3000 is perfectly usable on a Ryzen 5000 system, while mixing in faster memory usually means every stick runs at the slower kit’s speed. Reaching close to 100% RAM usage in games is a stronger sign that capacity is the problem, so 32GB should help more than higher frequency.
More memory is generally the safer upgrade here. Slow RAM may reduce performance slightly, but running out of RAM can cause stuttering and paging, which is much more noticeable in games. Four DDR4 sticks usually work fine, though you may need to lower the memory speed or adjust settings if the system becomes unstable.
That makes sense. The sticks are fairly old, but I’ll try adding another matching kit rather than replacing them just for speed.