I'm currently building my first PC and was initially set on getting the Ryzen 9 9900X. I've already picked up an MSI B850 Tomahawk motherboard, a 32GB kit of G.Skill Flare X5 6000 MHz RAM, and a Gigabyte Windforce 5070 Ti GPU. However, I found a deal on the Ryzen 9 7900X, which is $70 cheaper and has a minimal performance difference. But, I've seen some reports of stability issues with RAM speeds on this processor. If I choose the 7900X, can I use the same RAM by reducing the speed to 5200 MHz to improve stability? Or should I invest more in the 9900X for better future-proofing and stability? Thanks for any insights!
1 Answer
Both the Ryzen 9 9900X and 7900X are great processors, especially for budget-friendly workstations. If your main focus is gaming, though, consider an 8-core or even a 6-core CPU for better GPU investment. Concerning your RAM, stability issues with higher speeds aren't tied to the CPU specifically; either CPU should handle your 6000 MHz RAM by enabling EXPO. Your RAM kit should be fine since it's EXPO specific, and there are cheaper 6000 MHz kits on the market if you need alternatives.
I should’ve mentioned, this build is also for productivity. Does that mean the motherboard affects RAM speed as well? AMD's site says the maximum supported speed is 5200 MHz.