I'm looking at two RAM options for my 7600x setup, and I'm trying to make a decision. I've found a pair of 7000MHz CL34 sticks and a pair of 5600MHz CL46 sticks, but neither has the ideal specs I'd want. Honestly, I'm leaning towards the 7000MHz ones since they look cooler with RGB lighting, plus they have a better CL rating. The motherboard I have is a B650 MSI Tomahawk, so I think it should handle the faster RAM, but I'm a bit uncertain. Is it even realistic to run the 7000MHz RAM with my CPU? Also, I'd like to avoid spending a fortune on something like 6000MHz CL30 RAM since it's way overpriced right now. Could you help me decide?
3 Answers
Quick follow-up: Are there any differences in how well the different 7000 series CPUs handle high RAM speeds? I’ve heard about internal memory controllers possibly being limiting factors, but I thought the motherboard had more to do with it.
This might not help you now, but future AMD CPUs are expected to handle DDR5-7000+ RAM quite nicely. So if you get the 7000MHz RAM, you’ll be set for upgrades down the line!
I'd recommend going for the 7000MHz kit. Lower latency is always a plus, and it should outperform the 5600MHz option in most scenarios.
You can actually downclock the 7000MHz RAM to something like 6000MHz with a decent CL rating, which is easier than trying to overclock the 5600MHz CL46 RAM to get better performance. So I'd definitely go with the 7000MHz kit!
Not really, the memory controller is pretty much the same across all 7000 and 9000 series CPUs. So if your RAM works well with one, it should perform similarly with the others. You might have to drop the speed down to around 6000 or maybe 6400MHz, but the quality of the RAM can make a big difference. Aim for good quality RAM and you should be fine.