Motherboard and RAM compatibility in general

[aris.spyros]

So i heard in "Tech Deals" in "What RAM Should You Buy for Intel & AMD Ryzen CPUs?" that as far are intel is concerned any RAM at 2400MHz is compatible... because it is not overcloked. Is that true? i.e for the MSI Z370-A Pro Z370 the Corsair Vengeance LPX 4GB DDR4-2400MHz (CMK4GX4M1A2400C14) will be fine? CPU 1151 i5-8400 Coffee Lake

 

[DRagor]

For i5-8400 native (not-overclocked) RAM speed is 2666, so you can use that 2400 without problem, or you can get similar one with 2666 MHz. Either would be fine.

 

[aris.spyros]

For i5-8400 native (not-overclocked) RAM speed is 2666, so you can use that 2400 without problem, or you can get similar one with 2666 MHz. Either would be fine.

Got me covered there friend! Thank you so much! Just out of curiosity. Does this cpu autooverclocke when needed? In that case is it bottle-necked by the Ram frequency? In real time gaming experience for example. Sorry if this is a stupid question... I'm just a 30 year old biology PhD student getting back in the PC world. Thanks again for your time

 

[zoltan.boese]

For i5-8400 native (not-overclocked) RAM speed is 2666, so you can use that 2400 without problem, or you can get similar one with 2666 MHz. Either would be fine.

Got me covered there friend! Thank you so much! Just out of curiosity. Does this cpu autooverclocke when needed? In that case is it bottle-necked by the Ram frequency? In real time gaming experience for example. Sorry if this is a stupid question... I'm just a 30 year old biology PhD student getting back in the PC world. Thanks again for your time

AMD's Precision Boost and Extended Frequency Range (XFR) auto overclock processor clock and RAM frequency.
Intel chips have to be tuned manually in BIOS.

 

[DRagor]

Yes, 8400 will change its speed based on load - the more load you put on it, the faster it runs (up to certain limit of course). Will RAM speed limit your performance in games? That depends on game. Some will show on difference at all, others will get faster if you use faster RAM (F1 series for example). But the difference between 2400 and 2666 will not be big, I would say not noticeable. Difference between 2400 and say 3200 would be. And before you ask, yes, Z370 boards can (usually) run RAM at 3200 or higher speeds.