I'm putting together a new PC and am deciding between two Corsair memory kits running at 6000 MT/s: one rated at CL28 and the other at CL30. They cost about the same. The system will mainly be used for gaming, with some Blender work as well. The rest of the build is an MSI MAG X870E TOMAHAWK WIFI motherboard, a Ryzen 7 9800X3D processor, and a Sapphire Pulse Radeon RX 9070 XT with 16GB of VRAM. Is the CL28 kit worth choosing, or would CL30 be just as good?
4 Answers
Check whether the exact memory kit appears on the motherboard's qualified memory list. If both are supported, CL28 is the better pick at the same price. If neither is listed, a 6000 MT/s kit with around CL36 that is on the compatibility list may be the safer option.
If the two kits cost about the same, choose the CL28 kit since it has slightly tighter timings. The difference will show up more in benchmarks than in real-world gaming, though. The 9800X3D is not especially dependent on extremely tight memory timings, so a cheaper 6000 MT/s kit with looser timings could also be a sensible choice.
It may be worth comparing other brands too, since memory kits with similar 6000 MT/s specifications can cost significantly less. Paying extra for Corsair can still make sense if you value its warranty and support, but the brand itself won't make the system faster.
The CL28 kit is the obvious choice if it is actually cheaper or the same price. Just don't expect a noticeable performance improvement over CL30 in normal gaming, especially with an X3D processor.
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