I'm in the process of building my first gaming PC and recently got my hands on a Ryzen 7800X3D CPU. Unfortunately, I've hit a snag with the current RAM shortage and the surge in prices. I've read that pairing the 7800X3D with around 6000MHz 32GB DDR5 RAM is generally recommended, but I'm struggling to find a good option at a reasonable price. Here are three options I'm considering:
1. 2x16GB DDR5, 6400MHz C38
2. 2x16GB DDR5, 6400MHz CL32 (this option is $40 more and sold internationally)
3. Corsair Vengeance RGB DDR5 32GB (2x16GB) 6000MHz (the latency is unknown but it's the same price as option #1 and available locally from Facebook Marketplace).
I have a few questions:
- Which of these three options would be the best fit for my CPU? Or should I consider something else entirely?
- Is the difference between CL32 and CL38 significant enough that I should avoid CL38?
- When deciding between speed and latency, which should I prioritize for gaming?
I'm leaning towards option #1 but I'm worried that a CL38 rating might be too low for my setup, especially since I'll be playing games like CoD, Assassins Creed, and Baldur's Gate 3.
4 Answers
Any of those RAM options should work fine for your build. Just a heads up, if you go for the 6400 MT/s kit, you might want to manually adjust the speed to 6000 for the best performance. As for the CAS latency rating, it likely won’t have a significant impact on your overall performance, so you should be fine going with CL38.
For the Ryzen 7800X3D, RAM speed and latency don't matter quite as much compared to other CPUs, so don't stress too much about it. If you find option 3 with the 6000MHz is at a reasonable price and it's CL30, that's a solid choice. In the current market, if you're pinching pennies, option #1 might be the way to go since it’s affordable and won't drastically hurt your performance.
To be honest, just get whatever's cheapest right now. The RAM prices are crazy high, and 6400 MT/s can be iffy depending on your motherboard. Generally, 6000 CL30 is considered the "sweet spot," but if you can score some 6400 at a decent price, you can always downclock it to 6000 if needed. In your case, focusing on cost might be the best route.
Honestly, with current prices being what they are, just grab whichever option is the cheapest. The difference between CL32 and CL38 won’t be noticeable in everyday tasks. Just make sure to stick with around 6000 MHz; anything faster wouldn't give you a substantial benefit for gaming.
Yeah, I totally agree! RAM pricing is all over the place right now, so balancing cost with specs is the priority.