Question DDR4-2400 vs DDR4-2666 for Ryzen 5 Pro 2400GE

[CrisR82]

I recently got a used HP EliteDesk 705 G4, the model with the Ryzen 5 Pro 2400GE CPU and while it has 32GB RAM in dual-channel and with dual-rank sticks (2Rx8), I noticed that one of the sticks is a HP-OEM one is @2666 while the other one is a Samsung @2400 one (both are dual-rank).

I've been looking at prices and they are not really disposable-priced so I'm wondering if it's worthwhile to buy a second @2666 stick. Given that this PC only has the iGPU and I'm only using it for old games and emulators, should I expect any difference in performance?

 

[triplex1]

I recently got a used HP EliteDesk 705 G4, the model with the Ryzen 5 Pro 2400GE CPU and while it has 32GB RAM in dual-channel and with dual-rank sticks (2Rx8), I noticed that one of the sticks is a HP-OEM one is @2666 while the other one is a Samsung @2400 one (both are dual-rank).

I've been looking at prices and they are not really disposable-priced so I'm wondering if it's worthwhile to buy a second @2666 stick. Given that this PC only has the iGPU and I'm only using it for old games and emulators, should I expect any difference in performance?

Your cpu supported memory speed is 2933 MT/s,
Yes you can buy one stick but must be same with the old one

 

[Lutfij]

You should look at a dual channel DDR4-3200Mhz ram kit to get the most out of your platform. Have a read here.

 

[CrisR82]

You should look at a dual channel DDR4-3200Mhz ram kit to get the most out of your platform. Have a read here.

Interesting, the service manual only listed @2666 RAM, I thought it was locked to that as a maximum (especially seeing how there's no frequency options in the BIOS).

Getting a bit confused with the replies there - am I understanding it right that inserting a @3200 RAM will still actually run it at 2666 but lower CL than one that is @2666?

 

[Roland Of Gilead]

Yes you can buy one stick but must be same with the old one

Not great advise. Should always buy in a kit of 2 x , and then sell the old stick. If you mix ram, even the same make and model, they can have issues. The reason is, that same make and model could have been made months apart in different batches, which may not work.

Of course, it 'could' work, but that will be by chance. Not sound purchasing.

 

[triplex1]

Interesting, the service manual only listed @2666 RAM, I thought it was locked to that as a maximum (especially seeing how there's no frequency options in the BIOS).

Getting a bit confused with the replies there - am I understanding it right that inserting a @3200 RAM will still actually run it at 2666 but lower CL than one that is @2666?

only the same and if you buy 2 sticks , remember max speed is 2933 MT/s and not 3200

 

[triplex1]

Not great advise. Should always buy in a kit of 2 x , and then sell the old stick. If you mix ram, even the same make and model, they can have issues. The reason is, that same make and model could have been made months apart in different batches, which may not work.

If course, it 'could' work, but that will be by chance. Not sound purchasing.

i said 'same' with old one

 

[Roland Of Gilead]

i said 'same' with old one

I know what you mean, but if they are sold/bought months apart, they are not made on the same silicon. This is why they can have problems even with something the same make and model as the 'older' one. It's known as the silicon lottery!

 

[Lutfij]

I would also advise that you make sure your BIOS is on the latest version before you decide to go on your ram upgrade path.

 

[Bob.B]

I recently got a used HP EliteDesk 705 G4, the model with the Ryzen 5 Pro 2400GE CPU and while it has 32GB RAM in dual-channel and with dual-rank sticks (2Rx8), I noticed that one of the sticks is a HP-OEM one is @2666 while the other one is a Samsung @2400 one (both are dual-rank).

I've been looking at prices and they are not really disposable-priced so I'm wondering if it's worthwhile to buy a second @2666 stick. Given that this PC only has the iGPU and I'm only using it for old games and emulators, should I expect any difference in performance?

What speed is the ram running at now?

How fat is your wallet?

 

[CrisR82]

So to make sure I get things correctly - even though the HP service manual for this PC model lists 2666 as the compatible RAM, I should expect a 3200 kit to work at 2933, which would be a worthwhile performance increase?

Looking at local listings, I was able to find a 16GB (8x2) kit of @3200 single-rank (1Rx8) for $20'ish.

Just to make sure details are easy to view, what I currently have is a 32GB (16x2) kit of @2400 dual-rank (2Rx8).

I should also add that this is not my actual PC, I'm using this one for emulation (Baticera Linux) and the occasional Steam in-house streaming from my main desktop...and the rare old game running locally (old/simple not-demanding games).

 

[triplex1]

something like this https://www.corsair.com/us/en/p/mem...qU-ANKnLhrWOgm7sDaZT3jRWbK1YaaH75hzJLqQG_5KDp

If you want to get 3200, the person who suggested them will be waiting for you to help you get your computer started.

 

[palladin9479]

First and foremost, inside your HP OEM BIOS what does it list for RAM speeds? Does it let you select EXPO or manually set the rate? OEM BIOS's are notorious for limiting upgrade paths for customers, getting 3200 memory might not matter if the BIOS refuses to go any higher.

Yes memory kits should be purchased in pairs, this means they came from the same batch of DRAM and have the same electrical characteristics. The same model memory from different batches could have different electrical characteristics causing them to require different settings to be stable.

 

[CrisR82]

First and foremost, inside your HP OEM BIOS what does it list for RAM speeds? Does it let you select EXPO or manually set the rate? OEM BIOS's are notorious for limiting upgrade paths for customers, getting 3200 memory might not matter if the BIOS refuses to go any higher.

Yes memory kits should be purchased in pairs, this means they came from the same batch of DRAM and have the same electrical characteristics. The same model memory from different batches could have different electrical characteristics causing them to require different settings to be stable.

There are no RAM-related settings at all, that's why my original question was "would there be any worthwhile difference between 2400 and 2600", those two are the only ones listed in the service manual for the PC and I have already x1 of the 2666 sticks, so buying a second one won't be a huge issue.

2933 sticks don't seem to be available here where I am and I see very conflicting information on 3200 ones, so having doubts if it's worth the risk (I mean, spending even $1 on something that won't work or make a difference is a bad deal in my eyes).

 

[bill001g]

So to your main question could you actually tell the difference between 2400 and 2600. This is extremely unlikely. The only way you can really tell is to run benchmarking software. In real life use so many other factors are much more important that tiny difference in the memory speed will be hidden.

Although using the IGPU might make more difference than people who have a dedicated video it is hard to say how much difference the speeds really make. IGPU in general is rather poor platform for games.

Most people who ask this are adding a stick. In your cases someone already did what is not recommended and even worse they used different memory speeds. I suspect if you check the memory is running at 2400....unless it is very strange and the 2400 stick can actually run at 2600.

I would just leave it alone.

Go and watch youtube video from factory tours on memory manufacturing. The machines test every single chip and the group the chip that go onto each stick. They then test groups of stick to be sure they function together. It very much appears as there is lot of variation even on chips cut from the same wafers.
Of course there is the greed factor where they will test and take the very best memory and sell it for more money. The stuff that has the lowest rating likely will not run much faster because if it tested faster they likely attempt to sell it for more.

 

[CrisR82]

So to your main question could you actually tell the difference between 2400 and 2600. This is extremely unlikely. The only way you can really tell is to run benchmarking software. In real life use so many other factors are much more important that tiny difference in the memory speed will be hidden.

Although using the IGPU might make more difference than people who have a dedicated video it is hard to say how much difference the speeds really make. IGPU in general is rather poor platform for games.

Most people who ask this are adding a stick. In your cases someone already did what is not recommended and even worse they used different memory speeds. I suspect if you check the memory is running at 2400....unless it is very strange and the 2400 stick can actually run at 2600.

I would just leave it alone.

Go and watch youtube video from factory tours on memory manufacturing. The machines test every single chip and the group the chip that go onto each stick. They then test groups of stick to be sure they function together. It very much appears as there is lot of variation even on chips cut from the same wafers.
Of course there is the greed factor where they will test and take the very best memory and sell it for more money. The stuff that has the lowest rating likely will not run much faster because if it tested faster they likely attempt to sell it for more.

According to Task Manager, both modules are running at 2400 right now, which is what I expected but the iGPU performance is exactly what I was interesting in benefitting.

The iGPU itself is pretty good for what I'm doing with this PC as it is, but if it can be better for a low price, I wouldn't mind it. For context, I spent $100 on the whole PC as it is, getting 50-60fps on Forza Horizon 4 with my current setup, if matching the 2 sticks at 2666 or if 2933/3200 sticks (assuming they even work in this PC) would stabilize it to 60, I wouldn't mind spending a little on that...but obviously, spending $50 on RAM is far out of the question, the stuff I'm looking at is $20-$30 at most.

NOTE: putting Forza Horizon 4 only as an example of something I tried to see how far this CPU can go, I don't plan to actually play games like it on this device.

 

[triplex1]

with XMP or not max 2933

 

[--SID--]

The HP motherboard doesn not support XMP. You have to find RAM with a JEDEC 2933 profile. All 2933, 3000 and 3200 JEDEC RAM kits have a 2933 profile and many other profiles lower than that.

 

[CrisR82]

The HP motherboard doesn not support XMP. You have to find RAM with a JEDEC 2933 profile. All 2933, 3000 and 3200 JEDEC RAM kits have a 2933 profile and many other profiles lower than that.

Don't all RAM kits have JEDEC profiles on them? I was under the impression that all kits have all JEDEC profiles available up to their rated speed.

 

[--SID--]

Don't all RAM kits have JEDEC profiles on them? I was under the impression that all kits have all JEDEC profiles available up to their rated speed.

Yes they have but most DDR4 XMP sticks have a 2133 or 2400 JEDEC profile as fastest. For example https://www.corsair.com/us/en/p/mem...d-ryzen-memory-kit-a-black-cmw32gx4m2z2933c16 has a 2133 JEDEC profile.

 

[Bob.B]

So to make sure I get things correctly - even though the HP service manual for this PC model lists 2666 as the compatible RAM, I should expect a 3200 kit to work at 2933, which would be a worthwhile performance increase?

Looking at local listings, I was able to find a 16GB (8x2) kit of @3200 single-rank (1Rx8) for $20'ish.

Just to make sure details are easy to view, what I currently have is a 32GB (16x2) kit of @2400 dual-rank (2Rx8).

I should also add that this is not my actual PC, I'm using this one for emulation (Baticera Linux) and the occasional Steam in-house streaming from my main desktop...and the rare old game running locally (old/simple not-demanding games).

I don't think going from 2400 to 2666 would show much of a diff in perf.

Going from 2400 to 2933/3200 if the pc allows it to go that high would show a perf diff but it will cost bucks.

 

[stuff and nonesense]

I recently got a used HP EliteDesk 705 G4, the model with the Ryzen 5 Pro 2400GE CPU and while it has 32GB RAM in dual-channel and with dual-rank sticks (2Rx8), I noticed that one of the sticks is a HP-OEM one is @2666 while the other one is a Samsung @2400 one (both are dual-rank).

I've been looking at prices and they are not really disposable-priced so I'm wondering if it's worthwhile to buy a second @2666 stick. Given that this PC only has the iGPU and I'm only using it for old games and emulators, should I expect any difference in performance?

Going to your original question, is the computer running stably at 2400 memory speed? If so for the extra, 2400 to 2600 it isn’t worth the cost.

If your computer allowed you to get a XMP/EXPO profile loaded maybe 2900 memory could be worthwhile but as it seems from your replies that option isn’t there I’d keep my money and buy a few coffees.

 

[CrisR82]

Going to your original question, is the computer running stably at 2400 memory speed? If so for the extra, 2400 to 2600 it isn’t worth the cost.

If your computer allowed you to get a XMP/EXPO profile loaded maybe 2900 memory could be worthwhile but as it seems from your replies that option isn’t there I’d keep my money and buy a few coffees.

Seems to be running stable on 2400 with the 2 sticks and after reading a bunch more on this, I think I'll just keep it as it is, 3200 seems too risky for the price and another 2666 won't matter much, waiting for a huge stick dump on the used market and then picking something up for next to nothing sounds like a better plan.

Thanks for all the replies to everyone here! ^-^

 

[palladin9479]

Seems to be running stable on 2400 with the 2 sticks and after reading a bunch more on this, I think I'll just keep it as it is, 3200 seems too risky for the price and another 2666 won't matter much, waiting for a huge stick dump on the used market and then picking something up for next to nothing sounds like a better plan.

Thanks for all the replies to everyone here! ^-^

What you can do is boot it with one stick of 2400, make sure HWINFO / CPU-Z shows it at 2400. Then switch it out for just the 2666 one and see if HWINFO / CPU-Z show 2666 or still 2400. That'll let you know how your MB is treating the memory.

Everyone else, remember OEM BIOS's like HP / Dell / Etc tend to be terribad at letting you upgrade memory / CPU.

 

[CrisR82]

What you can do is boot it with one stick of 2400, make sure HWINFO / CPU-Z shows it at 2400. Then switch it out for just the 2666 one and see if HWINFO / CPU-Z show 2666 or still 2400. That'll let you know how your MB is treating the memory.

Everyone else, remember OEM BIOS's like HP / Dell / Etc tend to be terribad at letting you upgrade memory / CPU.

Oh, I should've probably mentioned it - the PC did come with a single 16GB stick that runs at 2666 and it does show as such if I remove the other one, I just happen to have a spare 16GB stick from an old PC, just a slower one. Dual-channel at a slower clock speed is still better than single-channel at lightly higher one from my past experience so leaving it like this for now.