RAM Speed and CPU Compatibility

[liamhoyle1211]

Okay, so I understand RAM speeds and how they need to be compatible with the CPU and motherboard. However, I am planning on doing a build soon with the i7 8700k, and I want to use TridentZ RGB RAM. The only ram speed that the 8700k supports is DDR4 2666. The TridentZ ram only comes in DDR4 2400, 3000, 3200, and 3600. Could I buy a 3000 mz and assume that it will underclock to 2666? Or will that not work? I appreciate the help.

 

[Jwpanz]

The stock speed the 8700k supports is what it will run out of the box. If you use that memory with that CPU you can use an XMP profile in the BIOS to run the memory at whatever speed the memory supports (3000, 3200, etc). If you overclock your CPU (which I assume you will) then you can adjust the memory speed accordingly in the BIOS. There are plenty of videos on YouTube explaining how to do this.