Gaming PC Build Compatibility

[aleksavel]

I'm going to be building a gaming rig and had a question about the compatibility between my mobo cpu and ram. Specs are: Asus Maximus IX Hero motherboard, Corsair Vengeance LPX 2x8gb c15 3000mhz ram, Intel i7-7700k cpu with Corsair Hydro Series H80i V2 liquid cpu cooler. I'm wondering wether the cpu will support the 3000mhz speed of the ram. Asus' website says that the mobo supports 4300+ speeds and more with overclock so I know that will work, but I dont know about the cpu. If I need to overclock it to support the speed could you please give a brief explanation as I'm not big in overclocking but I know that Asus has simple and easy to use BIOS settings. Also if there is anything else about compatibility between the cpu and mobo that i should know please let me know, also does it matter if I get the c15 or c16 version of the lpx 2x8gb ram?

Thanks.

 

[raisonjohn]

I'm going to be building a gaming rig and had a question about the compatibility between my mobo cpu and ram. Specs are: Asus Maximus IX Hero motherboard, Corsair Vengeance LPX 2x8gb c15 3000mhz ram, Intel i7-7700k cpu with Corsair Hydro Series H80i V2 liquid cpu cooler. I'm wondering wether the cpu will support the 3000mhz speed of the ram. Asus' website says that the mobo supports 4300+ speeds and more with overclock so I know that will work, but I dont know about the cpu. If I need to overclock it to support the speed could you please give a brief explanation as I'm not big in overclocking but I know that Asus has simple and easy to use BIOS settings. Also if there is anything else about compatibility between the cpu and mobo that i should know please let me know, also does it matter if I get the c15 or c16 version of the lpx 2x8gb ram?

Thanks.

Yes the Corsair Vengeance LPX 2x8GB C15 3000MHz RAM (product code CMK16GX4M2B3000C15) is supported and tested to work on the Asus Maximus IX Hero motherboard based on Asus' Qualified Vendors List (QVL) dated 24 Feb 2017 (see Page 10, 2nd row from the bottom) here: http://dlcdnet.asus.com/pub/ASUS/mb/LGA1151/MAXIMUS_IX_EXTREME/Z270_ROG_QVL.pdf?_ga=2.165465087.1340860506.1503073242-643997671.1502818833
Source: https://www.asus.com/us/Motherboards/ROG-MAXIMUS-IX-HERO/HelpDesk_QVL/

Other C15 3000MHz models include different color heat spreaders:
CMK16GX4M2B3000C15 (Default model, Black Color)
CMK16GX4M2B3000C15R (Red Color)
CMK16GX4M2B3000C15B (Blue Color)
CMK16GX4M2B3000C15W (White Color)
Source: http://www.corsair.com/en-eu/memory/vengeance-lpx-series?memorysize=16GB%20Kit%20(2%20x%208GB)|&speedrating=PC4-24000%20(3000MHz)|

As far as the above Corsair website is concerned, there is no C16 version on the 3000MHz model (there might have been but it is not listed in the current lineup). The C16 version is available on the faster 3200MHz model of the Corsair Vengeance LPX 2x8GB. C15 is available on both the 3000MHz and the 3200MHz models.

These are the 3200MHz speed models available:
CMK16GX4M2B3200C16 (Default model, Black Color)
CMK16GX4M2B3200C16R (Red Color)
CMK16GX4M2B3200C16W (White Color)
CMK16GX4M2D3200C16 (Black Color, C16, different timings)
CMK16GX4M2Z3200C16 (Black Color, C16, different timings)
CMK16GX4M2C3200C16S (Silver Color, C16)
CMK16GX4M2B3200C15 (Black Color, C15 lower latency model)
CMK16GX4M2B3200C14R (Red Color, C14 lower latency model)
Source: http://www.corsair.com/en-eu/memory/vengeance-lpx-series?memorysize=16GB%20Kit%20(2%20x%208GB)|&speedrating=PC4-25600%20(3200MHz)|

The Corsair Vengeance LPX 2x8GB C15 3000MHz RAM (product code CMK16GX4M2B3200C16) is also supported on your motherboard (see Page 9, 1st row from the top in the above QVL link). The other models are not listed (not tested to work) on that motherboard.

These aforementioned "C15", "C16", or "C14" in the Corsair RAM product codes are the CAS (Column Acces Strobe) Latency. This is the duration/time it takes for the memory controller to communicate with the RAM module to access a particular memory column on the RAM, which can be calculated in nanoseconds to get the actual true latency.

Source: http://www.anandtech.com/show/9483/intel-skylake-review-6700k-6600k-ddr4-ddr3-ipc-6th-generation/7

For simplification, the lower the CAS number on a same given speed, the better its performance. For example,

DDR4-3200MHz at CL16 = 3200/16 = 200 (performance index value)
DDR4-3200MHz at CL15 = 3200/15 = 213.33 (performance index value) ---> slightly faster due to lower latency

But if you compare default latency of different speeds, the resulting time performance would be the same. For example,

DDR4-3000MHz at CL15 = 3000/15 = 200 (performance index value)
DDR4-3200MHz at CL16 = 3200/16 = 200 (performance index value) ---> same latency as 3000MHz at CL15

Hence, generally, as memory speeds increase, the CAS Latency number also increases to keep the frequency stable, resulting in the same true latency when expressed in nanoseconds (or performance index value).

 

[sizzling]

On Monday Intel are doing an announcement about there new CPU's which include 6 core i5's & i7's and rumours are they will need a new motherboard chipset. Wait and see what get announced before designing your build.

 

[aleksavel]

I'm going to be building a gaming rig and had a question about the compatibility between my mobo cpu and ram. Specs are: Asus Maximus IX Hero motherboard, Corsair Vengeance LPX 2x8gb c15 3000mhz ram, Intel i7-7700k cpu with Corsair Hydro Series H80i V2 liquid cpu cooler. I'm wondering wether the cpu will support the 3000mhz speed of the ram. Asus' website says that the mobo supports 4300+ speeds and more with overclock so I know that will work, but I dont know about the cpu. If I need to overclock it to support the speed could you please give a brief explanation as I'm not big in overclocking but I know that Asus has simple and easy to use BIOS settings. Also if there is anything else about compatibility between the cpu and mobo that i should know please let me know, also does it matter if I get the c15 or c16 version of the lpx 2x8gb ram?

Thanks.

Yes the Corsair Vengeance LPX 2x8GB C15 3000MHz RAM (product code CMK16GX4M2B3000C15) is supported and tested to work on the Asus Maximus IX Hero motherboard based on Asus' Qualified Vendors List (QVL) dated 24 Feb 2017 (see Page 10, 2nd row from the bottom) here: http://dlcdnet.asus.com/pub/ASUS/mb/LGA1151/MAXIMUS_IX_EXTREME/Z270_ROG_QVL.pdf?_ga=2.165465087.1340860506.1503073242-643997671.1502818833
Source: https://www.asus.com/us/Motherboards/ROG-MAXIMUS-IX-HERO/HelpDesk_QVL/

Other C15 3000MHz models include different color heat spreaders:
CMK16GX4M2B3000C15 (Default model, Black Color)
CMK16GX4M2B3000C15R (Red Color)
CMK16GX4M2B3000C15B (Blue Color)
CMK16GX4M2B3000C15W (White Color)
Source: http://www.corsair.com/en-eu/memory/vengeance-lpx-series?memorysize=16GB%20Kit%20(2%20x%208GB)|&speedrating=PC4-24000%20(3000MHz)|

As far as the above Corsair website is concerned, there is no C16 version on the 3000MHz model (there might have been but it is not listed in the current lineup). The C16 version is available on the faster 3200MHz model of the Corsair Vengeance LPX 2x8GB. C15 is available on both the 3000MHz and the 3200MHz models.

These are the 3200MHz speed models available:
CMK16GX4M2B3200C16 (Default model, Black Color)
CMK16GX4M2B3200C16R (Red Color)
CMK16GX4M2B3200C16W (White Color)
CMK16GX4M2D3200C16 (Black Color, C16, different timings)
CMK16GX4M2Z3200C16 (Black Color, C16, different timings)
CMK16GX4M2C3200C16S (Silver Color, C16)
CMK16GX4M2B3200C15 (Black Color, C15 lower latency model)
CMK16GX4M2B3200C14R (Red Color, C14 lower latency model)
Source: http://www.corsair.com/en-eu/memory/vengeance-lpx-series?memorysize=16GB%20Kit%20(2%20x%208GB)|&speedrating=PC4-25600%20(3200MHz)|

The Corsair Vengeance LPX 2x8GB C15 3000MHz RAM (product code CMK16GX4M2B3200C16) is also supported on your motherboard (see Page 9, 1st row from the top in the above QVL link). The other models are not listed (not tested to work) on that motherboard.

These aforementioned "C15", "C16", or "C14" in the Corsair RAM product codes are the CAS (Column Acces Strobe) Latency. This is the duration/time it takes for the memory controller to communicate with the RAM module to access a particular memory column on the RAM, which can be calculated in nanoseconds to get the actual true latency.

Source: http://www.anandtech.com/show/9483/intel-skylake-review-6700k-6600k-ddr4-ddr3-ipc-6th-generation/7

For simplification, the lower the CAS number on a same given speed, the better its performance. For example,

DDR4-3200MHz at CL16 = 3200/16 = 200 (performance index value)
DDR4-3200MHz at CL15 = 3200/15 = 213.33 (performance index value) ---> slightly faster due to lower latency

But if you compare default latency of different speeds, the resulting time performance would be the same. For example,

DDR4-3000MHz at CL15 = 3000/15 = 200 (performance index value)
DDR4-3200MHz at CL16 = 3200/16 = 200 (performance index value) ---> same latency as 3000MHz at CL15

Hence, generally, as memory speeds increase, the CAS Latency number also increases to keep the frequency stable, resulting in the same true latency when expressed in nanoseconds (or performance index value).

Thanks for the info about the C16 and C15 versions. I knew that they have different speeds and that's what i was referring to when I asked, but the further explanations were good to know and I will most likely be going with the C15. However you didn't mention anything about the ram working with the cpu and if it needs to be overclocked. If you could answer this it would be great as it is my main concern.

 

[aleksavel]

On Monday Intel are doing an announcement about there new CPU's which include 6 core i5's & i7's and rumours are they will need a new motherboard chipset. Wait and see what get announced before designing your build.

The Intel i7-7700k that interests me is a 4 core processor and it works with the chipset on the mentioned mobo. Thanks for your feedback though.

 

[raisonjohn]

The RAM will work with the i7-7700K. At first plug in, such higher speed RAM might only work on its default DDR4 speed (2133MHz). You may just need to enable XMP in BIOS for the RAM to work at its rated 3000MHz speed (overclocked automatically).

 

[sizzling]

The 7700k is being replaced by 6 core cpu. If waiting gets you 50% more cores for similar money its a no brainer.

 

[aleksavel]

The 7700k is being replaced by 6 core cpu. If waiting gets you 50% more cores for similar money its a no brainer.

Sure it's being announced Monday, but it's probably going to release late 2017, and I would also have to wait for an x300 motherboard. The (let's say "small") jump in power from the 7th gen combined with the waiting time isn't worth it for me, but again thanks for the info.

 

[sizzling]

Yes we will need to see when its released but I'm hoping not too long, Ryzen must have dented sales and my guess is Intel want this to market asap as apart from the 7700k the rest of Intels home CPU's are beaten by Ryzen.

 

[aleksavel]

Yes we will need to see when its released but I'm hoping not too long, Ryzen must have dented sales and my guess is Intel want this to market asap as apart from the 7700k the rest of Intels home CPU's are beaten by Ryzen.

Yea i hope that AMD dropped Intel's prices too so that we can get Intel's new tech for a little less. Only thing that sucks is that we're forced onto a whole new chipset again, but that's how this stuff works i guess.

 

[sizzling]

Yes we will need to see when its released but I'm hoping not too long, Ryzen must have dented sales and my guess is Intel want this to market asap as apart from the 7700k the rest of Intels home CPU's are beaten by Ryzen.

Yea i hope that AMD dropped Intel's prices too so that we can get Intel's new tech for a little less. Only thing that sucks is that we're forced onto a whole new chipset again, but that's how this stuff works i guess.

The new chipset isn't confirmed and I believe has only come from one source saying this but I expect its true. Intel change chipsets every 2 generations in recent years so it sticks to that pattern.