Question Memory Frequency/ Latency for Ryzen 3000

[CaueV]

Hello good people,

I'm getting close to finishing my build. The last parts should arrive by next week and the only missing piece is RAM.
I wanted to get a pair of Trident Z RGB (Neo, maybe?! If it ever comes out) 16GB.

Problem is, I'm not very knowledgeable on how RAM works, and I wanted help for choosing the right kit.

Do I go for 3200MHz cl16? 3200MHz cl14? 3600MHz cl18? There are a lot of options and price varies a lot.
I don't want to spend money on something that won't make any real world difference or isn't worth the price.

I should mention that the sole purpose for this build is gaming. I don't use things like blender, photoshop, or any of that.

Here's the rest of the build:
mobo: x570 Aorus Elite
CPU: Ryzen 5 3600
Cooler: kraken x62
GPU: Aorus 2070 super 8G
PSU: corsair TX 650M
Monitor: 1440p 144Hz

 

[Aeacus]

In layman's terms; the lower the CL (CAS Latency), the faster the RAM responds. E.g CL14 RAM has faster response time than CL16 RAM. And Mhz is the speed of the RAM.
So, 3000/3200 Mhz CL14 RAM would be best to go for in terms of speed and latency. Sure, your PC can support faster speed RAM as well (3600+ Mhz) but it isn't cost effective.

Few simple videos as well;
1st sweetspot of RAM speed explained:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D_Yt4vSZKVk


2nd RAM timings explained:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yed-a9vqTYc

 

[CaueV]

It seems like going above 3200MHz won't make any noticeable difference. What's bothering me is "Will spending extra $60-$80 on a CL 14 kit be worth it or not?". The extra money totally fits on my budget, I just wanted to confirm if it actually makes a difference.

 

[Aeacus]

Is there a difference between CL14 and CL16? Yes.
Is it noticeable? Not so much.

3200 Mhz CL16 RAM has latency of 10 ns (nanoseconds) while 3200 Mhz CL14 RAM has latency of 8.75 ns.
The speed difference here is so small that unless you're taxing your RAM at it's max, it doesn't come into play and even then, you may not notice any difference.

With extra $60-$80 you can e.g upgrade your PSU to a better one, where you can get better efficiency (from 80+ Gold to 80+ Platinum/Titanium) and longer warranty (from 7 years to 12 years),
pcpp: https://pcpartpicker.com/products/compare/PVzZxr,7fndnQ,fnjJ7P/

Or buy more storage space,
pcpp: https://pcpartpicker.com/products/compare/mvJwrH,ft8j4D,BDYLrH/

 

[713alan]

It seems like going above 3200MHz won't make any noticeable difference. What's bothering me is "Will spending extra $60-$80 on a CL 14 kit be worth it or not?". The extra money totally fits on my budget, I just wanted to confirm if it actually makes a difference.

You will see more benefit in your gaming (the purpose of your build) by saving the money on RAM and trading your graphics card from RTX 2070 Super to RTX 2080.