How much does RAM affect gaming performance?

[JuanD]

I've been wondering the answer to this question for a while and have never found a solid answer.

The question is approximately how much would performance change if both memory speed and latency were better? Obviously if both speed and latency were higher, the change in performance would be negligible, but I feel this is a different situation.

In this particular case I am comparing a 2400MHz 17 CL vs 2800MHz 15 CL, where the slower memory is slightly cheaper. This would be for a gaming PC.

 

[MnMWizard]

You're right that unless you're running workloads that are extremely dependent on RAM, the latency/Mhz speed doesn't really matter. On the new Ryzen CPUs however, the RAM speed is tied to the inter-core communication fabric, so higher RAM Mhz (not necessarily latency speeds) affect game FPS "significantly", see this article: http://www.guru3d.com/articles_pages/amd_ryzen_7_memory_and_tweaking_analysis_review,10.html

Both new and old Intel CPUs don't benefit near as much as Ryzen does, so I'd say that if you're going Intel, you should pick your RAM based on your budget.

 

[JuanD]

You're right that unless you're running workloads that are extremely dependent on RAM, the latency/Mhz speed doesn't really matter. On the new Ryzen CPUs however, the RAM speed is tied to the inter-core communication fabric, so higher RAM Mhz (not necessarily latency speeds) affect game FPS "significantly", see this article: http://www.guru3d.com/articles_pages/amd_ryzen_7_memory_and_tweaking_analysis_review,10.html

Both new and old Intel CPUs don't benefit near as much as Ryzen does, so I'd say that if you're going Intel, you should pick your RAM based on your budget.

Thanks very much MnM. As I am buying an Intel processor, I will be going with the cheaper memory stick.