I'm thinking about upgrading to an AM5 setup, but I'm really concerned about RAM prices. I've read that CL30 is the ideal target for DDR5 RAM, but with the recent price hikes, I'm wondering if the difference between CL30 and CL32 (or even CL36) is noticeable enough to justify the cost. Does anyone have insights or experience with this?
2 Answers
It really depends on what you're coming from. Are you upgrading for performance? My Core i9-12900k on DDR4 still handles all my needs fine, so I'm hesitant to rush into AM5 with these RAM prices. Besides, the AI boom isn't going away instantly; it might be worth waiting till RAM prices stabilize.
Honestly, I wouldn't stress too much about CL30 right now. The performance difference between CL30 and CL36 is usually just a few percentage points, and given the high prices, it's tough to justify the upgrade. It was a better deal when the prices were similar, but it's pretty hefty now.
I'm actually moving from a Ryzen 7 5800X to a Ryzen 7 7800X3D. Had a great deal on that CPU, but I'm still on the hunt for a motherboard and RAM.