I'm building a system with a Ryzen 9 9900x on a Gigabyte X870 Aorus motherboard and planning to future-proof it with 64GB of RAM. When I told the sales assistant at the store this, she recommended 2 sticks of 32GB Corsair Vengeance DDR5 6000 CL30. I questioned why not just go with 4 sticks of 16GB or this faster 6400 CL38 Crucial RAM since it was cheaper. However, she insisted that the 2x32GB configuration would be a better match for the system. I ended up buying the more expensive 32GB sticks, but now I'm wondering if I made the right choice or if I should return them for the 4x16GB option. After some consideration, I've learned a lot and it's clear that I was misinformed about the benefits of her recommendation!
4 Answers
2x32GB with 6000 CL30 is a strong choice. The performance difference from the other options isn’t worth it given the higher latency you’d be facing. She helped you make a great decision!
No problem! Always happy to help clarify things.
You definitely made the right choice with the 2x32GB setup! For AMD's AM5 platform, having 2 sticks is preferable because it allows for faster access to the memory. Using 4 sticks can actually slow down your system.
But isn't 6400MHz faster than 6000MHz?
Not always! The CL30 latency of 6000MHz RAM is better than 6400MHz with CL38. Lower CL means better performance, especially in your setup.
For this build, 2x32GB is definitely better than going with 4x16GB. The system can operate more efficiently with fewer RAM sticks, and higher speeds like 6400MHz aren't worth it if the latency is higher than 30. You got solid advice!
I feel bad for being short with the salesgirl now. She actually knew what she was talking about!
It's always good to thank people who help us out! You learned something important today.
If you reconsider, you might want to get a pair of 32GB sticks instead of the 4x16GB to keep things running smoothly. The lower latency is really what matters here, not just speed!
Good to know! I'll stick with what I have.
Sounds like a plan! You're all set now.
Thanks for the clarification! I was really confused about all the specs.