Need Memory Speed Advice

[cpercival]

I need some help choosing memory for a new build. I need something pretty low profile so I'm leaning heavily toward Corsair's Vengeance LPX series. 16GB seems like it should be plenty. Now it's just down to speed and configuration. This will be primarily for gaming, but the rig will also serve as a HTPC and will need to transcode video for Plex server and to convert files via Handbrake. Stability is my priority, but I definitely do not want to hamstring my system with slow memory. I will likely do some light overclocking, but nothing crazy. So, my question is what is the sweet spot? Following are the other components in the build:

CPU
Intel Core i7-6700K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor

Motherboard
Gigabyte GA-Z170X-Gaming 7 ATX LGA1151 Motherboard

Storage
Samsung 850 EVO-Series 500GB 2.5" Solid State Drive

Video Card
Asus GeForce GTX 1070 8GB Video Card

Any help would be greatly appreciated as the more I try to understand speed, latency, and stability, the more confused I seem to get.

 

[notlim981]

If you're planning to make some mild OC, the sweet spot would be DDR4-2400, the Vengeance LPX is 3000 so you should be good to go. Regarding your issue trying to understanding timings, please take some time to read the following article as it's reach in details with regards to RAM settings: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/ram-overclocking-guide,4693.html

 

[why_wolf]

It really doesn't make a difference, maybe 10fps at most in some games (more often less) and practically zero difference for transcoding video files. Corsair is a fine brand.

 

[Samaratin]

Some of my favorite articles on memory timings as well as comparisons using integrated or external graphics and dual vs single channel can be found here: http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/category/memory/. There will be differences, but.. .they are going to be slight.

 

[cpercival]

The LPX series can be found in 2400, 2666, 2800, 3000, and more. So the 2400 would be my best choice? Also does the configuration matter? That is, what would be better - 2 sticks of 8Gb or 4 sticks of 4Gb?

 

[notlim981]

The LPX series can be found in 2400, 2666, 2800, 3000, and more. So the 2400 would be my best choice? Also does the configuration matter? That is, what would be better - 2 sticks of 8Gb or 4 sticks of 4Gb?

Any of the speeds you choose will perform just fine. Regarding the amount of sticks, the recommended is 2 sticks of 8 GB as it's cheaper and will leave two slots reserved for a future upgrade.

 

[cpercival]

Ok, so I went with the Corsair LPX 16GB (2 x 8GB) 3200. I don't know how I missed this before, but I just read that the i7-6700k supports up to 2133. Am I going to be ok with these if I set XMP to profile 1? I almost have everything I need to get building and I want to make sure I have it all right.