I've heard that going for CAS latency (CL) 30 is optimal for an AM5 setup, while CL36 and above are considered slower DDR5. I'm feeling a bit confused about this. How does CL affect performance? Will it noticeably impact tasks like browsing websites, using office applications, or gaming? Is it worth spending over $50 to upgrade from a cheaper CL38 to a better RAM configuration?
5 Answers
People really overemphasize how crucial CAS latency is, especially on X3D chips where it doesn't make much of a difference. There's a video by Actually Hard Overclocking that explains this well. Given the current market situation with RAM prices, focus on what fits your budget; don't stress too much about hitting the lowest CL.
When you buy lower CL RAM, the other timings tend to improve too. For example, hardware unboxed showed that a good 6000MHz CL30 setup outperformed a CL40 by about 12% in Watch Dogs Legion but only 4% in Horizon Zero Dawn. It’s worth checking out their tests!
It really depends on your CPU. For x3d CPUs, RAM latency isn't a big deal, but for non-x3d processors, you might see a performance hit anywhere from 2% to 10% depending on the game.
You’re dealing with nanoseconds here—like billionths of a second! So, it really isn’t the end of the world if you’re not on the lowest CL; most won't even notice in day-to-day tasks.
Honestly, the difference in performance isn't that significant. Some folks believe if they don't squeeze every bit of performance out of their hardware, they're missing out. If that's your vibe, go for the higher specs; otherwise, save your cash. As long as you're enjoying your games, there's really no need to chase that extra boost—it's like running on a treadmill trying to catch a moving target.
Exactly! At 6000MHz, the difference between CL30 and CL36 is pretty much unnoticeable for gaming. You might spot a tiny difference in benchmarks, but in real-world use, it's minimal.