Trying to identify suitable RAM is confusing me.

[Sammalammadingdong]

Hi

I am in the process of building a new computer which should be fairly high end.

My components so far are;

Ryzen 5900x
Asus Dark Hero
RTX 3090


I am looking for 32GB, in 2x16 to give me an easier path towards upgrade in the future if required.

From what I have read, 3600Mhz CL16 is the sweet spot but I cannot see anywhere they are currently available. I have seen cheaper CL18 sticks but upon delving into the spec sheets I have found that they are single rank. (Crucial or Kingston)

Corsair sticks seem to carry their own premium even at CL18.

I am contemplating getting 4x8 sticks HyperX Fury instead to reap any benefits of dual rank but this constricts future upgrades.

My intended uses for the PC will be fairly broad, including gaming (both normal and VR), a lot of Lightroom/Photoshop, learning and attempting to utilise Unreal Engine and also possibly some neural network related work.

I don't care so much about playing about with memory in order to squeeze every last ounce out of them for the sake of higher numbers, but I don't mind some minor tinkering if significant performance increase can be obtained.

Aesthetics are also important to me. I really like the look of the HyperX Fury sticks and if their 2x16GB was dual rank then they would be near the top of my list. Right now the list is pretty much empty.

The discussion between different dies and revisions adds to my confusion. None of the sticks on the b-die finder show up in UK stores for prices I would consider reasonable.

Is it a bad time to buy RAM due to chip shortages/Brexit/covid?

In my situation would there be any particular sets of memory you would recommend?

 

[Craig_d1]

Hi

I am in the process of building a new computer which should be fairly high end.

My components so far are;

Ryzen 5900x
Asus Dark Hero
RTX 3090


I am looking for 32GB, in 2x16 to give me an easier path towards upgrade in the future if required.

From what I have read, 3600Mhz CL16 is the sweet spot but I cannot see anywhere they are currently available. I have seen cheaper CL18 sticks but upon delving into the spec sheets I have found that they are single rank. (Crucial or Kingston)

Corsair sticks seem to carry their own premium even at CL18.

I am contemplating getting 4x8 sticks instead (https://www.box.co.uk/HyperX-Fury-RGB-32GB-(4x-8GB)-3600MHz-DD_2876302.html) to reap any benefits of dual rank but this constricts future upgrades.

My intended uses for the PC will be fairly broad, including gaming (both normal and VR), a lot of Lightroom/Photoshop, learning and attempting to utilise Unreal Engine and also possibly some neural network related work.

I don't care so much about playing about with memory in order to squeeze every last ounce out of them for the sake of higher numbers, but I don't mind some minor tinkering if significant performance increase can be obtained.

Aesthetics are also important to me. I really like the look of the HyperX Fury sticks and if their 2x16GB was dual rank then they would be near the top of my list. Right now the list is pretty much empty.

The discussion between different dies and revisions adds to my confusion. None of the sticks on the b-die finder show up in UK stores for prices I would consider reasonable.

Is it a bad time to buy RAM due to chip shortages/Brexit/covid?

In my situation would there be any particular sets of memory you would recommend?

My basket at Overclockers UK:

• 1 x Crucial Ballistix RGB 32GB (2x16GB) DDR4 PC4-28800C16 3600MHz Dual Channel Kit= £188.99

Total: £197.69 (includes shipping: £8.70)


Crucial back in stock if that helps​

 

[Sammalammadingdong]

My basket at Overclockers UK:

• 1 x Crucial Ballistix RGB 32GB (2x16GB) DDR4 PC4-28800C16 3600MHz Dual Channel Kit= £188.99

Total: £197.69 (includes shipping: £8.70)


Crucial back in stock if that helps​

Hi Craig, thanks for your reply.

I have seen the Crucial sticks. I have read some discussions around the internet including some of the threads on this forum, which have said that they are single rank.

 

[Craig_d1]

Hi Craig, thanks for your reply.

I have seen the Crucial sticks. I have read some discussions around the internet including some of the threads on this forum, which have said that they are single rank.

But having 2 sticks of 2*16 single rank is the same as having a single stick of 32gb dual rank RAM, if i understand it correctly. The dual rank single stick can only be access 1 rank at a time, but by having 2 single rank sticks, the mobo can read them both at the same time?, or am I completely off track...the fact that you have 4 memory slots on your mobo...do you really need to dual rank memory? Sorry for my ignorance, just trying to learn and understand(just been reading up on single/dual where they said single rank in most instances is faster than dual rank)
https://www.oempcworld.com/support/singlevsdualram.html

 

[GregI]

Getting 2 x 16gb dual rank bdie in UK is basically not happening. Not any kits that should be paired with the stuff you already have anyway. It's import only. Btw it's against forum rules to link or mention competitors but below are 3 kits I would look for that currently have stock for importing with good returns if they end up being faulty.

F4-3600C16D-32GTZR - currently 8 in stock.... sacre bleu!
TF13D432G3200HC14BDC01... land of the free.
TF10D432G3600HC14CDC01 (just checked uk store has 1 left at not a completely unreasonable price)

OcUK sister site caseking has TF10D432G3600HC14CDC01 in stock (also on the Dark Hero QVL) but since brexit they no longer ship to UK.

 

[Sammalammadingdong]

But having 2 sticks of 2*16 single rank is the same as having a single stick of 32gb dual rank RAM, if i understand it correctly. The dual rank single stick can only be access 1 rank at a time, but by having 2 single rank sticks, the mobo can read them both at the same time?, or am I completely off track...the fact that you have 4 memory slots on your mobo...do you really need to dual rank memory? Sorry for my ignorance, just trying to learn and understand(just been reading up on single/dual where they said single rank in most instances is faster than dual rank)
https://www.oempcworld.com/support/singlevsdualram.html

Yes you are right in your assumptions regarding single rank vs dual rank, as far as I know. However I'm not looking for a single stick of 32gb, but 2x16gb. This way I have 2 free slots in case I want to upgrade in the future. That's why I am after dual rank memory ideally.

Getting 2 x 16gb dual rank bdie in UK is basically not happening. Not any kits that should be paired with the stuff you already have anyway. It's import only. Btw it's against forum rules to link or mention competitors but below are 3 kits I would look for that currently have stock for importing with good returns if they end up being faulty.

F4-3600C16D-32GTZR - currently 8 in stock.... sacre bleu!
TF13D432G3200HC14BDC01... land of the free.
TF10D432G3600HC14CDC01 (just checked uk store has 1 left at not a completely unreasonable price)

OcUK sister site caseking has TF10D432G3600HC14CDC01 in stock (also on the Dark Hero QVL) but since brexit they no longer ship to UK.

Hi mate, i have edited my initial post to conform to the forum rules. Thanks for all the advice. I found your second two links but was unable to locate the first.

I found a similar G Skill F4-3600C16D-32GTZNC set which is hynix d-die apparently. Is that any good? Timings are at 16-19-19-39

 

[Danny75]

I went with two kits of 2x8GB Ballistix 3600. Figured they'd be single rank now (they were) so with all four DIMMS populated it's the same as two dual rank sticks. Also helpful in avoiding downtime due to RMA as you can't just one send one stick back, you have to send the kit back. Only thing is if you have any intention to add even more RAM it's problematic. I knew I wouldn't need more than 32GB.

 

[Sammalammadingdong]

I went with two kits of 2x8GB Ballistix 3600. Figured they'd be single rank now (they were) so with all four DIMMS populated it's the same as two dual rank sticks. Also helpful in avoiding downtime due to RMA as you can't just one send one stick back, you have to send the kit back. Only thing is if you have any intention to add even more RAM it's problematic. I knew I wouldn't need more than 32GB.

I am considering this option, as I could buy something significantly cheaper like the Crucial.

 

[wunkley]

If gaming only, you really don’t need and won’t for a long time more than 32gb, so going for 4 sticks of single rank crucial ballistix 3600 cl16 is what I ended up doing via a circular ram journey.

In my tests making sure you get a dual rank config whether 2 or 4 sticks is worth the effort.

just a heads up but if you’re ok with looser cl18 timings at 3600 and want 2 sticks of guaranteed dual rank at a very good price (though they’ve gone up recently), look up the Klevv bolt 32gb kits!

 

[Craig_d1]

I am considering this option, as I could buy something significantly cheaper like the Crucial.

TEAM GROUP EDITION 32GB (2X16GB) DDR4 PC4-28800C16 3600MHZ DUAL CHANNEL KIT
£299 in OCuk Samsung B die if you're still looking
https://www.overclockers.co.uk/team...00c16-3600mhz-dual-channel-kit-my-002-8p.html

 

[Sammalammadingdong]

If gaming only, you really don’t need and won’t for a long time more than 32gb, so going for 4 sticks of single rank crucial ballistix 3600 cl16 is what I ended up doing via a circular ram journey.

In my tests making sure you get a dual rank config whether 2 or 4 sticks is worth the effort.

just a heads up but if you’re ok with looser cl18 timings at 3600 and want 2 sticks of guaranteed dual rank at a very good price (though they’ve gone up recently), look up the Klevv bolt 32gb kits!

TEAM GROUP EDITION 32GB (2X16GB) DDR4 PC4-28800C16 3600MHZ DUAL CHANNEL KIT
£299 in OCuk Samsung B die if you're still looking
https://www.overclockers.co.uk/team...00c16-3600mhz-dual-channel-kit-my-002-8p.html

thanks for that

I ended up ordering a set of b-die from gskill. Marginally more expensive than the team group stuff you linked above. However I might call them tomorrow if I can cancel that order and get this instead

 

[Psycho Sonny]

Can't believe people are paying £300+ because they think 32GB isn't enough and they may require 64GB in future so £600+ on ram.

4x8GB can be had which offers same performance for £170 or thereabouts.

Surely at those price points if you really do need more ram in future you are best just getting all 64GB now or getting the 4x8 and then upgrading to ddr5 when you need 64GB

 

[VersionMonkey]

Can't believe people are paying £300+ because they think 32GB isn't enough and they may require 64GB in future so £600+ on ram.

4x8GB can be had which offers same performance for £170 or thereabouts.

Surely at those price points if you really do need more ram in future you are best just getting all 64GB now or getting the 4x8 and then upgrading to ddr5 when you need 64GB

Just so I understand properly: when you say "upgrading to ddr5 when you need 64GB"; you actually mean "replace CPU, motherboard and memory when you need 64GB"?

If (big if, granted) someone has a concern that their usage may become memory bound in the future but not necessarily CPU bound that seems a little over the top to me.

I have in the past added memory to systems when it became apparent that it was needed, so personally avoid fully populating all memory slots from the outset if possible. But that's just my
preference and it's not necessarily applicable to all users. And like they say past performance is no guarantee of future returns - so just because I've had to do it in the past doesn't mean I'll
need to do it again; but I like to give myself that option.

The bigger problem I found when trying to add memory to a system later is finding compatible modules. Which is a factor that needs to be taken into account and could reasonably lead to the
conclusion that it's better to buy the maximum possible/affordable up front.

 

[Psycho Sonny]

Just so I understand properly: when you say "upgrading to ddr5 when you need 64GB"; you actually mean "replace CPU, motherboard and memory when you need 64GB"?

If (big if, granted) someone has a concern that their usage may become memory bound in the future but not necessarily CPU bound that seems a little over the top to me.

I have in the past added memory to systems when it became apparent that it was needed, so personally avoid fully populating all memory slots from the outset if possible. But that's just my
preference and it's not necessarily applicable to all users. And like they say past performance is no guarantee of future returns - so just because I've had to do it in the past doesn't mean I'll
need to do it again; but I like to give myself that option.

The bigger problem I found when trying to add memory to a system later is finding compatible modules. Which is a factor that needs to be taken into account and could reasonably lead to the
conclusion that it's better to buy the maximum possible/affordable up front.

Yeah either buy 4x8 or 4x16 and be done.

32gb will be more than enough for most

 

[Psycho Sonny]

Just so I understand properly: when you say "upgrading to ddr5 when you need 64GB"; you actually mean "replace CPU, motherboard and memory when you need 64GB"?

If (big if, granted) someone has a concern that their usage may become memory bound in the future but not necessarily CPU bound that seems a little over the top to me.

I have in the past added memory to systems when it became apparent that it was needed, so personally avoid fully populating all memory slots from the outset if possible. But that's just my
preference and it's not necessarily applicable to all users. And like they say past performance is no guarantee of future returns - so just because I've had to do it in the past doesn't mean I'll
need to do it again; but I like to give myself that option.

The bigger problem I found when trying to add memory to a system later is finding compatible modules. Which is a factor that needs to be taken into account and could reasonably lead to the
conclusion that it's better to buy the maximum possible/affordable up front.

Yeah either buy 4x8 or 4x16 and be done.

32gb will be more than enough for most

 

[Sammalammadingdong]

Can't believe people are paying £300+ because they think 32GB isn't enough and they may require 64GB in future so £600+ on ram.

4x8GB can be had which offers same performance for £170 or thereabouts.

Surely at those price points if you really do need more ram in future you are best just getting all 64GB now or getting the 4x8 and then upgrading to ddr5 when you need 64GB

DDR5 argument is bad because that would require an entirely new platform, so CPU and motherboard

Re: getting 4x8GB for cheaper now, i saw good 2x8 sets for around 115, so would cost £230 for 32GB.

Then would need the entire £600 set to upgrade plus whatever money I lose through the 4x8 set being sold at less than it cost new.

Whereas £300 now and £300 later works out cheaper in the long run. Yes I'm paying a £70 premium for that option now but I'm happy with that.

 

[Psycho Sonny]

DDR5 argument is bad because that would require an entirely new platform, so CPU and motherboard

Re: getting 4x8GB for cheaper now, i saw good 2x8 sets for around 115, so would cost £230 for 32GB.

Then would need the entire £600 set to upgrade plus whatever money I lose through the 4x8 set being sold at less than it cost new.

Whereas £300 now and £300 later works out cheaper in the long run. Yes I'm paying a £70 premium for that option now but I'm happy with that.

2 times 8 is nowhere near around that price. I literally just bought 4x8 for around £170 and it was RGB if I went for non RGB it would have been around £150-160.

3600mhz cl16.

Maybe you are looking at cl14 fair enough but that's stupid money for the very little difference.

 

[Sammalammadingdong]

2 times 8 is nowhere near around that price. I literally just bought 4x8 for around £170 and it was RGB if I went for non RGB it would have been around £150-160.

3600mhz cl16.

Maybe you are looking at cl14 fair enough but that's stupid money for the very little difference.

By that same token, you can get 2x16 dual rank 3600mhz cl16 kits for less than £300 too. Not b-die but still good GSkill stuff.

Your argument is sound, I am happy with the premium I paid for my use case.

Out of interest what kit did you get? Before I opted for what I did I was looking at 4x8 HyperXFury

 

[Psycho Sonny]

By that same token, you can get 2x16 dual rank 3600mhz cl16 kits for less than £300 too. Not b-die but still good GSkill stuff.

Your argument is sound, I am happy with the premium I paid for my use case.

Out of interest what kit did you get? Before I opted for what I did I was looking at 4x8 HyperXFury

It's on HotUKDeals. It's crucial ballistix the RGB version.

I got 32gb for less than £168

You cannot beat that price. Especially RGB non RGB was below £150 for 32GB.

We are talking cl16 3600mhz out the box no overclocking bar using xmp.

What's the best price for 32GB dual rank 16gb sticks? If it's above £200 absolutely throwing money away for no real reason. When 4 times 8 is £150.

 

[Sammalammadingdong]

Nah it’s not throwing money away. It’s paying a premium to allow ease in the future.