I'm in the process of building a gaming PC with a 5090 GPU, Ryzen 9 9950X3D CPU, and ProArt X870E motherboard, aiming for 4K gaming and some light streaming (no complex VTuber models). I want to know what RAM speeds would be best for my setup—specifically, how much difference there is between 5200MHz, 6000MHz, and 6400MHz. I plan to start with 32GB of RAM, and I'm wondering if I should buy one 32GB stick or two 16GB sticks. Regarding storage, I'm looking at either a 4TB Samsung 9100 Pro or a 4TB Samsung 990 Pro SSD. I don't need a lot of storage, so I think one 4TB drive is sufficient, but would a faster SSD mean quicker load times? Should I allocate 500-1000MB for core processes on the 9100 and use the rest for games, or should I go with the 9100 for games and opt for a smaller 990 for core processes?
2 Answers
You might be overdoing it a bit for your needs. The 9950X3D is more than you need for gaming; the 9800X3D is likely a better fit for most games, plus the 9850X3D just launched and it's considered the best gaming CPU available right now.
As for the RAM, DDR5-6000 is generally the sweet spot for AM5 boards. Going with 32GB is fine; just make sure you get two 16GB sticks instead of one 32GB stick. Using two sticks will give you better performance since most platforms are optimized for dual-channel memory.
When it comes to SSDs, a PCIe 4.0 drive will offer great performance without needing to go for the pricier models unless you really need that extra speed. If you're looking for efficiency, you could go with a 2TB 9100 for games and then buy a smaller 990 for core processes instead of getting the larger one. Remember, speed can enhance load times, but the real-world difference may not always be drastic depending on your usage style.
Should I consider one big 8TB SSD or stick with two 4TB ones? I’m just trying to balance it all out.
So if I grab the 9850X3D, will it handle all games on max settings? Also, I'm mainly buying this for future-proofing since I won't upgrade for 5-8 years, and it's within my budget.