Question ddr3 or ddr4??

[Cubixty]

Hi guys ,

So iwas wondering if I should buy DDR3 ram or DDR4 . I know that DDR4's better but Im on a budget and is it really worth the extra £30? Thanks

 

[DSzymborski]

The choice is dictated by your motherboard, not preference. The only motherboards that can use either DDR3 or DDR4 memory are a handful of Skylake motherboards that allow DDR3L memory or DDR4 memory, but in this case, it's still not recommended to use DDR3L because of the unknown long-term effect on the memory controller.

In other words, your DDR3 vs. DDR4 decision isn't based on what is better or more budget-friendly, but what platform you're on.

 

[PC Tailor]

This completely depends on what motherboard/CPU you are using. What is your motherboard?
You can't choose between them, you have to choose the one that your motherboard is made for.
in other words, you can't put DDR4 on a DDR3 motherboard, nor can you put DDR3 on a DDR4 motherboard.

 

[Cubixty]

This completely depends on what motherboard/CPU you are using. What is your motherboard?
You can't choose between them, you have to choose the one that your motherboard is made for.
in other words, you can't put DDR4 on a DDR3 motherboard, nor can you put DDR3 on a DDR4 motherboard.

Im getting the MSI B450M motherboard . Is it compatible?

 

[USAFRet]

Im getting the MSI B450M motherboard . Is it compatible?

https://www.msi.com/Motherboard/B450M-GAMING-PLUS/Specification
"2 x DDR4 memory slots "

 

[kanewolf]

A B450 will only use DDR4.

 

[Nicholas.keh]

https://www.msi.com/Motherboard/B450M-GAMING-PLUS/Specification

You will need DDR4, you can not put DDR3 onto a DDR4 motherboard. On MSI's website they list the all types of ram your board supports.

Does you PC have any memory right now, or are you still building it?

 

[Cubixty]

https://www.msi.com/Motherboard/B450M-GAMING-PLUS/Specification

You will need DDR4, you can not put DDR3 onto a DDR4 motherboard. On MSI's website they list the all types of ram your board supports.

Does you PC have any memory right now, or are you still building it?

Im was just in the middl of building it , luckily I havnt bought the ram yet BUT now I have to spend and extra £30 which is kinda annoying

 

[Nicholas.keh]

Well it's a good thing you have not bought it, or else you would have spent money on something you couldn't use, which would have been unfortunate.

On MSI's website (in my other reply) they list all of the types of RAM your board works with. You can't go buy any random DDR4 for your board.

Hope this helps
Nicholas

 

[DSzymborski]

Im was just in the middl of building it , luckily I havnt bought the ram yet BUT now I have to spend and extra £30 which is kinda annoying

I should note that pretty much everything released in the last four years requires DDR4 memory. So you never weren't going to spend that extra £30 when building a new PC in 2019. DDR3 is only that cheaper price because it's mostly phased out and there's more of it still floating around than needed.

 

[USAFRet]

Im was just in the middl of building it , luckily I havnt bought the ram yet BUT now I have to spend and extra £30 which is kinda annoying

Since you're in the middle of parts selection...

What are the rest of the parts for this? And the overall budget?

 

[Cubixty]

Since you're in the middle of parts selection...

What are the rest of the parts for this? And the overall budget?

Well currently Im going to buy ,

CPU : Ryzen 3 1200
GPU : GTX 970 Twin Frozr V OC
HDD : Western Digital 1TB
Motherboard : MSI B450M
SSD : probably kingston
RAM : just 8gb of DDR4 ram
Case : a cheap one off amazon

My budget is around £220-£250 (excluding the GPU which I traded in for an old phone and like £20)

 

[Nicholas.keh]

Not to start a different discussion, but your board has a M.2 SSD slot, which is MUCH better and faster than a standard SSD. They don't cost much more for a incredibly higher speed! Kingston makes a decent one for a low price, check it out:

https://www.amazon.com/Kingston-A40...ronics&sprefix=120+gb+,electronics,126&sr=1-1

(Sorry for changing the subject)

 

[Cubixty]

Not to start a different discussion, but your board has a M.2 SSD slot, which is MUCH better and faster than a standard SSD. They don't cost much more for a incredibly higher speed! Kingston makes a decent one for a low price, check it out:

https://www.amazon.com/Kingston-A400-120G-SATA-Internal/dp/B07P22T3VD/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1G16CYLZ3YG6Y&keywords=120gb+m.2&qid=1561305870&s=electronics&sprefix=120+gb+,electronics,126&sr=1-1

(Sorry for changing the subject)

Thank you! Ive taken a look and Im going to buy it . 1 question though? Where exactly do I put it in?

 

[PC Tailor]

Not to start a different discussion, but your board has a M.2 SSD slot, which is MUCH better and faster than a standard SSD.

Thank you! Ive taken a look and Im going to buy it . 1 question though? Where exactly do I put it in?

Just be cautious around the speeds of M2 - Whilst it may be on benchmarks, in real life application, it is not. For example (for the most common usage) in gaming, you will see less than 1 second difference in loading of any game. (if that). Especially if the M.2 uses a SATA interface, then there is quite literally no difference between that and a standard 2.5 SSD as you're still limited by a SATA bus.

If it NVMe / PCIe, in benchmarks the M.2 is significantly faster, but you still need the application to actually use this resource, and most do not. So frankly, the only clear real world benefit of M.2 at the moment is the space reduction and no need for cables. However I would just opt for the cheapest SSD that meets your budget.

RAM : just 8gb of DDR4 ram

Also if you can, you would likely want to opt for 2 sticks of RAM (from the same pack) to utilise Dual Channel - this is why it may be best going for 2x8GB (16GB) if you plan on using it for gaming, and potentially upgrading in the future.

 

[Nicholas.keh]

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NCIqZjo34rw


Shows you where the slot to install it looks like

Your motherboards manual should also have instructions on how to do it.

If you have any questions, let me know,
Nicholas

 

[AllanGH]

Right by the MSI logo on the motherboard:

https://imgur.com/a/mtUc5oA

View: https://imgur.com/a/mtUc5oA

 

[PC Tailor]

Thank you! Ive taken a look and Im going to buy it . 1 question though? Where exactly do I put it in?

If a standard 2.5 SSD is cheaper or the same price for more storage - do not buy the SSD linked because it is SATA interface, so you basically get no benefit using this M2 over a standard 2.5. If it is the same price, then nothing to lose, but you'll probably find a 2.5 SATA is cheaper (if it's anything like where I am).
Your board takes NVMe, so you'd always be best opting for this if you are going to use M2.

 

[Nicholas.keh]

Kingston makes a 120 GB 2.5" for $20, this M.2 is also $20, for the same price, your getting better speeds. There is no reason not to buy the M.2.

Without data having to be transferred by cables, you are getting better speeds for sure!

 

[PC Tailor]

Without data having to be transferred by cables, you are getting better speeds for sure!

Sorry but this is not correct. You are not getting better speeds because they are both using the sama data bus - the SATA bus, so they both peak at 550/600 MB/s.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying DON'T get the M2, I'm saying if there is a 2.5 SSD that is larger storage for the same price, you're best opting for that one because it will operate the same as the M2.

There is no benefit between SATA M2 and 2.5 SSD outside of it not taking as much space (or again any difference is negligible). In real world application, you'lll also find the difference between a 2.5 SSD and a NVMe is negligible.

In real world application, you should just opt for whichever format is cheapest. Again, not saying don't at all buy the SATA M.2, just saying opt for whichever SSD is the cheapest for the most space from a good SSD line (Like the Samsung EVOs). Apologies, I'm not trying to detract from your recommendation, but adding the caution that it doesn't really give you any real world speed benefit, just something that needs to be considered.

If you're doing expected applications that is, so in gaming rigs, it's not worth it.
in Visual Studio or large data processing, this may be different, that's where a NVMe could shine.

 

[USAFRet]

Unless it were "free", a 120GB SSD is a bad choice. No matter the make or type.
You'll be back before too long, wondering what to do with zero free space.

 

[Nicholas.keh]

Yea, that's true, I'd recommend just getting a mechanical secondary HDD, the're cheap, and can get the job done for storing files and games:

https://www.amazon.com/Seagate-Barr...d=1561308745&s=electronics&sr=1-1-spons&psc=1
However if you were to buy a secondary HDD, you would need to make sure it is a 7200 RPM drive with 64mb cache. (like the one I liked above)

 

[Satan-IR]

I agree with PC Tailor in principle and USAFRet said it.

If I can get a 500GB regular SATA SSD for the same price as a 120GB M.2 which is going to use the same interface, namely SATA, I'd definitely go with the larger drive. Specially if the smaller one is a Kingston. I'd get an older model Samsung or a Crucial MX over the Kingston any day of the week!

120GB is too small for a system drive (where Windows lives). You install Windows, some applications and one or two games and in no time run out of free space.

 

[Nicholas.keh]

But the thing is you can't find any 500gb 2.5" SSD for less than the M.2 I liked above. And 120 GB is just what I linked, you would obviously need more than that.

 

[USAFRet]

Just to be clear with this drive situation...

M.2 is simply the form factor. How it plugs in.
It has nothing to do with "speed".

A SATA III M.2 drive (such as that Kingston) is exactly the same speed as a 2.5" SATA III drive.
Cables or no cables.
Samsung 860 EVO, 500GB

2.5" - $80 (currently on sale)
https://www.newegg.com/samsung-860-evo-series-500gb/p/N82E16820147674

M.2 - $98
https://www.newegg.com/samsung-860-evo-series-500gb/p/N82E16820147677

Exact same performance.

You don't get the speed increase until you look at NVMe drives. Like a Samsung 970 EVO, or Intel 660p.
In the NVMe world, the 660p is a slow drive. But still faster than a typical SATA III drive.

I just bought a 1TB 660p, simply because it was on sale for $88.