[SOLVED] RAM Upgrade for Gaming/3D CAD Modelling

[tremblay379]

I need some help upgrading/selecting the best memory/RAM for gaming/CAD modeling. My desktop build is:

• Intel i9-7920X CPU @ 2.90 GHz (EKWB Liquid Cooled)
• ASUS Rampage VI Extreme motherboard
• EVGA Supernova 1200w P2 80+ Platinum power supply Fully Modular (EKWB Liquid Cooled)
• ASUS ROG Strix GeForce RTX 2080TI Overclocked 11G GDDR6
• Samsung 980 Pro M.2 NVMe 1TB SSD (As my main C:/ Drive and have multiple others)
• G.SKILL TridentZ RGB Series 64GB (4 x 16GB) 288-Pin DDR4 3000 SDRAM (PC4 24000) – LOOKING TO UPGRADE

I think I have provided all the relevant information needed for recommending a RAM selection. This is a custom computer I built but I am finding that due to my new work (CAD modelling) and all the extra things I like to do that my RAM is no longer sufficient. My motherboard has x8 RAM slots and I am looking to fill them all with 16GB - 32GB RAM cards. There is no price limit, although I want to make sure that the price-to-performance ratio is evenly matched. Any help or recommendations you could provide me would be very much appreciated as I am having trouble making up my mind basically between the:

Corsair Dominator Platinum cards ( https://www.newegg.ca/corsair-64gb-288-pin-ddr4-sdram/p/N82E16820236528?Item=9SIAGWTE3V2062&Description=corsair dominator&cm_re=corsair_dominator--9SIAGWTE3V2062--Product )

OR

G-Skill TridentZ Neo Series cards ( https://www.newegg.ca/g-skill-16gb-288-pin-ddr4-sdram/p/N82E16820232933 )

But I am open to other suggestions!

Thank you!

 

[logainofhades]

It's best that you buy a complete kit, so an 8x16gbkit. Your board supports 128gb max.

https://rog.asus.com/us/motherboards/rog-rampage/rog-rampage-vi-extreme-model/spec

 

[tremblay379]

It's best that you buy a complete kit, so an 8x16gbkit. Your board supports 128gb max.

https://rog.asus.com/us/motherboards/rog-rampage/rog-rampage-vi-extreme-model/spec

Right and I've also noticed that the 16GB cards are better/faster than the 32GB cards (for timings at least). Is there a set of RAM cards you would recommend based on my spec's and needs?

 

[logainofhades]

I think this would do the trick. Intel isn't as affected by timings as AMD is, so 3200 CL16 is plenty.

PCPartPicker Part List

Memory: G.Skill Trident Z Royal 128 GB (8 x 16 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory ($799.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $799.99
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2021-07-15 15:15 EDT-0400

 

[tremblay379]

I think this would do the trick. Intel isn't as affected by timings as AMD is, so 3200 CL16 is plenty.

PCPartPicker Part List

Memory: G.Skill Trident Z Royal 128 GB (8 x 16 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory ($799.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $799.99
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2021-07-15 15:15 EDT-0400

Ok. Just wondering, is having low timings more important than the MHz? Or the PC4 #? Just because the ones you provided have a DDR4 3200 and my motherboard supports up to DDR4 4000. Just wondering if you could explain this a little bit to me as RAM is the component I know the least about so I really don't know much about the Tech Spec's but want to make sure that I'm getting the best performance possible.

Also, are you suggesting that it's better to buy a bundle of x6-x8 RAM cards instead of buying x2 cards of the same kind 4 times?

 

[tremblay379]

Whats your thoughts on this one vs the one you recommended?

https://www.newegg.ca/g-skill-128gb-288-pin-ddr4-sdram/p/N82E16820232838?Item=N82E16820232838

 

[logainofhades]

Ok. Just wondering, is having low timings more important than the MHz? Or the PC4 #? Just because the ones you provided have a DDR4 3200 and my motherboard supports up to DDR4 4000. Just wondering if you could explain this a little bit to me as RAM is the component I know the least about so I really don't know much about the Tech Spec's but want to make sure that I'm getting the best performance possible.

Also, are you suggesting that it's better to buy a bundle of x6-x8 RAM cards instead of buying x2 cards of the same kind 4 times?

Yes buying a full 8x16GB kit is better. They are guaranteed/have been tested, to work together. Buying separate kits, even for the same exact model, will not guarantee stable operation. As far as speed goes, Intel generally doesn't benefit much from ram faster than 3200. I am sure there are some special cases out there, but you would probably need to search for some benchmarks, for the software you are using. Timings do not matter as much, with Intel either.

 

[tremblay379]

Yes buying a full 8x16GB kit is better. They are guaranteed/have been tested, to work together. Buying separate kits, even for the same exact model, will not guarantee stable operation. As far as speed goes, Intel generally doesn't benefit much from ram faster than 3200. I am sure there are some special cases out there, but you would probably need to search for some benchmarks, for the software you are using. Timings do not matter as much, with Intel either.

OK! Thanks so much for the help. Just one last question...

Is the set of cards that I found ( https://www.newegg.ca/g-skill-128gb-288-pin-ddr4-sdram/p/N82E16820232838?Item=N82E16820232838 ) better/worth the extra $700 over the set you recommended?

(this is the same set of cards but from the Canadian Newegg site: https://www.newegg.ca/g-skill-128gb...n DDR4 SDRAM DDR4 3200-_-20-232-842-_-Product )