I was given a free G.Skill 2x8GB DDR4-3000 kit and currently have 2x8GB Corsair DDR4-3600 installed. For my Ryzen 5 5600G gaming system, would it be better to stay at 16GB and keep the faster memory speed, or install all four sticks for 32GB and run them at a lower speed? I play a mix of older and newer games and regularly keep more than 15 browser tabs open. My other hardware includes an RTX 2070 Super and an MSI B550 Tomahawk motherboard running Windows 11.
4 Answers
I’d try the 32GB first. The difference between 3000 and 3600MHz usually isn’t huge in normal gaming, while running out of memory can cause stuttering and slowdowns. The extra capacity should also help with a browser full of tabs. Just make sure the system is stable after installing the second kit.
A good compromise would be to run all four sticks manually at around 3200MHz, assuming the memory can handle it. Mixed kits don’t always run at their advertised profiles, so test with a memory-stability tool and lower the speed or loosen timings if you get crashes.
You can attempt to enable the faster profile and then manually settle on something like 3200–3400MHz, but don’t assume four modules will reach 3600MHz. The Ryzen 5 5600G can benefit from faster RAM, though the RTX 2070 Super and your games are unlikely to make the capacity-versus-speed tradeoff dramatic.
The best choice depends on the timings as well as the rated speed. If the 3000MHz kit has unusually tight timings and the 3600MHz kit is slower-timed, the real-world difference may be tiny. For your use case, 32GB is still the more practical upgrade.
Would it be worth overclocking the G.Skill sticks, or should I just use a conservative speed for reliability?