Hi, I have what I conside to be quite a well spec'd machin, the only slow part being the RAM. I got the RAM a number of years ago and I was going for size in GB rathern than speed. I ended up getting 32Gb of RAM running at (according to CPU-z) 664Mhz. I now that this is quite a low speed and so am considering getting the maximum RAM configuration my board will take - 32Gb at 2133Mhz. I have quite a large CPU heatsink and one of the fans on it overhangs one of the RAM slots. Taking this RAM chip out may invlove removing the whole motherboard as the CPU fan is sequred to it via a large metal backplate that needs to be accessed to remove the heatsink. I don't really want to do this if the speed increase will not really be noticable everyday. Would I really see any real benefit either gaming or in general computer use? Thanks for your advice.
I think you may be reading CPU-Z incorrectly. I use to know how to derive the speed and how various clocks are linked, but I forget at this stage. I've never switched RAM out for faster RAM on any same system. But I doubt you'll notice a difference in performance. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dWgzA2C61z4
isnt the speed in Cpu-Z shown at half speed ( due to it being Double transfer ? ) so the 664 likely means a speed of about 1333~ mhz
This is correct, CPU-Z displays the RAM as single speed and not double speed, can't remember, I'm not at the PC ATM but does CPU-Z display the RAM is running in dual / triple / quad channel?.. Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk
tbh you likely wont notice a lot of difference - whilst the FX range would be matched with 1866 ram , the 1333 ram you have isn't noticeably far behind http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/bulldozer-ddr3-overclocking,3209.html
I remember back in the day faster RAM was used so that overclocking the CPU worked in conjunction with RAM speed for 1:1 ratio, I guess nowadays this isn't all that important... Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk
Your RAM will most likely do 1600 easily. Just up the voltage a little and you're good. Also, faster RAM won't get you any extra performance in games and such. The only real (here comes the hate) upgrade would be a switch to an Intel config.
At a guess the current RAM is probably DDR3 so you would multiply the figure you get from CPU-Z by 3, giving you 1992Mhz, it should tell you what type the RAM is on the memory tab of CPU-Z. If it's DDR3 running at 1992Mhz you could probably OC it, along with the CPU by upping the CPU/MB frequency.
It's still DDR - Double Data Rate - which means CPU-Z reads half of the "real" value. It's currently running at ~1333 MHz.
it shows the real rate, but you get double the real rate, so if its running @533 you get the equivalent of running @ 1066 your ram is running @664 x2, so 1328
LOL... this gave me a little chuckle!.. Except for those that already have that knowledge... IIRC higher clocked RAM only really helps with integrated GPUs on systems without a proper graphics cards and those enthusiasts that want to squeeze out every little bit of performance they can muster out of every component just for sake of overclocking, for the daily normal usage high clocked RAM is just wasted IMO!..
Yeah me also, but that's never always the case with me that is!.. @BadHead - Any ways, unless the actual cooler overhangs that RAM slot and is a bugger to take off, isn't it possible to just remove the fan off the cooler and gain access to that particular RAM slot?.. There aren't that many HSF where the cooler itself is massive, obstructs, and not allow you access to that RAM slot!.. Time for savings and buy a AIO water cooler... LOL...
Fast expensive RAM usually gives the marginal-est of marginal gains. If you can spend money somewhere else on the system that improves performance instead you probably should.
Thanks for all your replies and they have helped me make up my mind. I'll keep the RAM I currently have and put the money saved by not buying a faster set toward a better monitor than the 5 year old one I have now. Thanks.
Generally, more RAM trumps faster RAM. In "general computer use" definitely not. In gaming? Highly unlikely unless you had two absolutely identical computers side by side - but even then I doubt it. I suspect the only place you would "see" any difference is on paper - that is, in simulated benchmark tests and hardware monitoring programs.
