Ryzen X370 Build Memory Help

[Liclac]

Hi there,

Greetings,

Please, I need your suggestion about my upcoming build next week.
Since Phenom X era, I always prefer AMD for desktop to Intel. Main purposes are for 1080p gaming (medium-high gaming, not extreme), graphic works, multimedia, and multi-tasking.
And I won't be upgrading my PC yearly as I'm planning to keep it for at least 7 years or more.
My upcoming build spec is as below:

AMD Ryzen R7 1700X (already bought for US$ 388)
AsRock X370 Taichi
Sapphire RX480 Nitro 8GB
Be Quiet! Shadow Rock Slim (waiting AM4 Bracket from Be Quiet!)
Crucial MX300 525GB
Seagate Barracuda 2TB
Seasonic X650 or XFX XTR650W (Identical price), or EVGA 750 GQ (cheaper)
Evolv ATX TG for the case

+Deepcool RGB strip, and bitfenix alchemy ATX and 8 pin custom cable, it cost USD 1700 in total.

I don't live in US, so prices might not be the standard one, and yes it is expensive.
I do understand that 7700K is much much better for gaming compared to newly-born 1700X. But in my country both prices are the same (388 for 1700X and 390 for 7700K). I will overclock the 1700X a little to 3.8GHz.
Besides, X370 boards are cheaper compared to Z270 boards. and I believe 1700X is more future proof as 8C/16T will be mainstream for gaming from now on. Ryzen chips have significantly higher raw power compared to 7700K, I guess it's only matter of time until games can utilize all threads.
I prefer get a powerful CPU (not LGA2011) so I can keep it for years and upgrade the graphic card only. And RX480 suffices my gaming need.

Memory is missing from the list, and I need your expertise to help me choosing memory. I watched and read a lot of Ryzen reviews. All of them are saying that memory compatibility might be an issue with AM4 platform. Can someone provide me an easier explanation? Does it mean that currently existing DDR4 sticks are not all compatible with AM4? Do I need a very specific ram speed or brand or type for AM4?
I found a user guide and memory compatibility from AsRock for Taichi,
http://www.asrock.com/mb/AMD/X370%20Taichi/index.asp#Specification
But I don't understand the compatibility guide on Specification -> Memory section. Also, there is QVL for memory, and I couldn't find any of them being sold here.

My RAM choices are below (all 2x8GB):
1. Klevv Cras PC17000 KM4C8GX2N-3000-1 (cheap, prefered)
2. Geil Super Luce PC19200 GLW416GB2400C16DC (cheap, prefered)
3. Corsair Vengeance LPX CMK16GX4M2A2666C16 B (less prefered, expensive, 2666 MHz compatibility concerns me)
4. Crucial Ballistix Sport LT 16GB KIT PC19200 (cheapest, prefered, based on Crucial website it says compatible with X370 Taichi, but not in QVL).

And AM4 does not support XMP, does that mean all RAM with XMP will not work on AM4 platform? This whole RAM thing is confusing for me. I won't overclock or tweak the ram, I'll run it in stock.

I hope you can help me with this matter. I understand AM4 is still very new, regardless I really want to build a stable system. And if you have any suggestion on the remaining parts, you are very welcome.

Btw I am upgrading from i7 720QM 1.6GHz, 8GB DDR3, Ati Radeon HD 5870M 1GB.

Thank you in advance

 

[Dark Lord of Tech]

Give this a watch and listen to the info on memory.
[video="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wJQEHNYE7M"][/video]​

 

[Liclac]

Thanks for your reply. I have watched that video, I must have missed the RAM part.
So it means, that any DDR4 stick below 2667 MHz will work just fine?

 

[TeamT]

Unfortunately ASROCK Tachi does not have a QVL yet. A Qualified Vendor List will list all the RAM that is tested and shown to work with the motherboard. Here is the link to ASROCK QVL lists for all their boards. Note the AM4 boards do not link to a true QVL they simply dump you back to the product page. But, it may be worth watching to see if ti is updated.
http://www.asrock.com/support/SupportList.asp?cat=Memory

So what can we figure out?
1) As pointed out in the video, Linus says Ryzen needs low latency memory.

2) ASROCK on their product page specifies that it should be unbuffered RAM, So look for UDIMM. Educate yourself on this here https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Registered_memory

2) Asus has posted a QVL for their Crosshair VI mother board and we can see that all the Latency timings are fairly low and all RAM listed is PC4 25600. http://dlcdnet.asus.com/pub/ASUS/mb/SocketAM4/CROSSHAIR-VI-HERO/CROSSHAIR-VI-HERO_DRAM_QVL_forAMDRyzenProcessors.pdf?_ga=1.5860403.1481706442.1473423776

3) Reviewers are mixed. Some can get 3200mhz RAM to run some can not get anything to run faster than 2666mhz. Anything above 2666mhz will be OC and you should use the DOCP setting in the BIOS to activate the 32000mhz OC setting. (DOCP is AMDs version of Intels XMP) [Holy abbreviations] Here is a great video on Ryzen and he talks about the ASUS Crosshair board but goes over a lot on Ryzen RAM set ups starting at 17 minutes into the video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Yk-izRf2Ro&list=PL6Iwkjri7rI2nEYJy1T4TX-GjL-A6VfOC&index=1

4) Go with dual channel 2x8GB as Ryzen does not support 3200mhz OC in Quad channel and 16GB is plenty unless you plan on doing heavy rendering than buy 64GB of slower, but supported, 2666mhz or 2100mhz RAM.

5) Almost all reviewers are in agreement that if you can't get to 3200mhz on DOCP today, you will within a few BIOS updates. The BIOS just is not up to snuff yet. SO ALWAYS UPDATE THE BIOS before you build or as soon as possible.

With all the above in mind and the fact this one is listed on the ASUS QVL; I think the best RAM for Ryzen on the ASUS Crosshair or ASROCK Tachi (as they can OC to 3200mhz) is the G.SKILL TridentZ Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) 288-Pin DDR4 SDRAM DDR4 3200 (PC4 25600). Model F4-3200C14D-16GTZSK.

Of course I want to go with RGB so I am gambling on the Trident Z RGB (model F4-3200C16D-16GTZR) and hoping that even if I start out down clocked to 2666mhz the BIOS will eventually come up to a point where I can run in OC mode at 32000mhz. Which I believe is very likely as it fits all the rest of the above criteria it just isn't on the ASUS Crosshair VI QVL. My motherboard on order is an ASUS Crosshair VI. Here is a link to a build using the Trident RGB and he is having to run it at 2666mhz.
http://www.overclockers.com/forums/showthread.php/780296-BUILD-LOG-Unnamed-Project/page2

That is just about everything I have learned so far.

DISCLAIMERS - Ryzen is a new platform so vendors and users are only just figuring this out as we go. It is early adopter, trial an error environment. Educate yourself and make your best guess. Its late, I'm tired and I did not spell check this Hope it made sense.

One thing is for certain though. Even with an immature BIOS, RAM issues and the entire gaming industry optimized for a different architecture (Intel) Ryzen is still posting some amazing results. Ryzen is a damn powerful CPU and I agree with you, once developers and the BIOS gets brought up to speed it is the future of gaming.

Cheers
TeamT

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

UPDATE 5/12/17

I am running the Trident Z RGB 3200mhz 2x8GB CL14. Model F43200C14D-16GTZR I have been running this at 3200mhz since day 1. Key things for Ryzen memory are Samsung b-die, CL14 and 2x8gb. Some guys can get 4x8gb running at 3200mhz and after the May BIOS update from AMD we are expecting even better results and more ability to get 4 channel RAM running fast. Something to remember with Ryzen is that the speed of the infinity fabric (south bridge) is set to the speed of the RAM. So the faster the better. If I had to do it again I would have purchased this exact model of RAM at the 3600mhz speed. Only change I'd make.

To get your memory running at 3200mhz on the Crosshair VI Hero you will need to go into the bios advance mode and set the RAM speed to 3200mhz and the voltage from auto to 1.35v as it states on the RAM. Also you will need to go into the boot section of the bios and change the boot RAM voltage from auto to 1.35v. If this does not work try setting the boot voltage to 1.4v and leave the RAM voltage after boot at 1.35v. The first time you change this it should boot repeatedly a few times as it learns the RAM and then come up at 3200mhz. Check the home screen of the bios (advance mode) to ensure you are running at 3200mhz.

One other piece of advice is that the Asus Aura software at this specific date (5/12/17) is causing issues with the RGB memory sticks, especially if you have two RGB software controllers loaded (i.e. G.Skills and Aura). Some have reported fried sticks. So I am waiting until the all clear before installing Aura and changing my RGB color from the default rainbow effect.

 

[Liclac]

Unfortunately ASROCK Tachi does not have a QVL yet. A Qualified Vendor List will list all the RAM that is tested and shown to work with the motherboard. Here is the link to ASROCK QVL lists for all their boards. Note the AM4 boards do not link to a true QVL they simply dump you back to the product page. But, it may be worth watching to see if ti is updated.
http://www.asrock.com/support/SupportList.asp?cat=Memory

So what can we figure out?
1) As pointed out in the video, Linus says Ryzen needs low latency memory.

2) ASROCK on their product page specifies that it should be unbuffered RAM, So look for UDIMM. Educate yourself on this here https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Registered_memory

2) Asus has posted a QVL for their Crosshair VI mother board and we can see that all the Latency timings are fairly low and all RAM listed is PC4 25600. http://dlcdnet.asus.com/pub/ASUS/mb/SocketAM4/CROSSHAIR-VI-HERO/CROSSHAIR-VI-HERO_DRAM_QVL_forAMDRyzenProcessors.pdf?_ga=1.5860403.1481706442.1473423776

3) Reviewers are mixed. Some can get 3200mhz RAM to run some can not get anything to run faster than 2666mhz. Anything above 2666mhz will be OC and you should use the DOCP setting in the BIOS to activate the 32000mhz OC setting. (DOCP is AMDs version of Intels XMP) [Holy abbreviations] Here is a great video on Ryzen and he talks about the ASUS Crosshair board but goes over a lot on Ryzen RAM set ups starting at 17 minutes into the video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Yk-izRf2Ro&list=PL6Iwkjri7rI2nEYJy1T4TX-GjL-A6VfOC&index=1

4) Go with dual channel 2x8GB as Ryzen does not support 3200mhz OC in Quad channel and 16GB is plenty unless you plan on doing heavy rendering than buy 64GB of slower, but supported, 2666mhz or 2100mhz RAM.

5) Almost all reviewers are in agreement that if you can't get to 3200mhz on DOCP today, you will within a few BIOS updates. The BIOS just is not up to snuff yet. SO ALWAYS UPDATE THE BIOS before you build or as soon as possible.

With all the above in mind and the fact this one is listed on the ASUS QVL; I think the best RAM for Ryzen on the ASUS Crosshair or ASROCK Tachi (as they can OC to 3200mhz) is the G.SKILL TridentZ Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) 288-Pin DDR4 SDRAM DDR4 3200 (PC4 25600). Model F4-3200C14D-16GTZSK.

Of course I want to go with RGB so I am gambling on the Trident Z RGB (model F4-3200C16D-16GTZR) and hoping that even if I start out down clocked to 2666mhz the BIOS will eventually come up to a point where I can run in OC mode at 32000mhz. Which I believe is very likely as it fits all the rest of the above criteria it just isn't on the ASUS Crosshair VI QVL. My motherboard on order is an ASUS Crosshair VI. Here is a link to a build using the Trident RGB and he is having to run it at 2666mhz.
http://www.overclockers.com/forums/showthread.php/780296-BUILD-LOG-Unnamed-Project/page2

That is just about everything I have learned so far.

DISCLAIMERS - Ryzen is a new platform so vendors and users are only just figuring this out as we go. It is early adopter, trial an error environment. Educate yourself and make your best guess. Its late, I'm tired and I did not spell check this Hope it made sense.

One thing is for certain though. Even with an immature BIOS, RAM issues and the entire gaming industry optimized for a different architecture (Intel) Ryzen is still posting some amazing results. Ryzen is a damn powerful CPU and I agree with you, once developers and the BIOS gets brought up to speed it is the future of gaming.

Cheers
TeamT

Hi TeamT,

Thank you very much for your reply.
It's very informative.

Sorry for late reply, I was busy reading review and forum about memory compatibility.

Asrock has published QVL for X370 Taichi.
Check this out: http://www.asrock.com/mb/AMD/X370%20Taichi/index.asp#Memory

It was recently updated today, and I found some RAM that are being sold in my country like Avexir Core.

I'm pretty sure AMD and Asrock will publish BIOS update soon, X370 Taichi even has 4 BIOS update since release, the weird thing is they don't mention memory compatibility fix like Asus. Only support CPU Multiplier Feature.

Hey I just checked that RAM today, the exact same model F4-3200C16D-16GTZR. I changed RAM choice to that.
Actually, I think that particular memory is listed in X370 Taichi QVL. Well, not the exact same one, but very similar, check this one F4-3200C16-8GTZR

I don't know the difference since I cannot find in Google the serial number Asrock provided. But, I guess it's the same? I have emailed GSkill regarding this matter, hope they'll answer.

Thank you for the link, I'll definitely check those out.

Maybe I will hold my build until April to see if AMD able to fix the memory issues before then. So I can choose any RAM stick without any fear or worry.

Just a newbie question, is it difficult to change the RAM timing or adjust it to the current AM4 compatibility requirement? Or is it as simple as choosing any RAM speed I want in UEFI?

Thank you

 

[TeamT]

Asrock has published QVL for X370 Taichi.
Check this out: http://www.asrock.com/mb/AMD/X370%20Taichi/index.asp#Memory

It was recently updated today, and I found some RAM that are being sold in my country like Avexir Core.

I'm pretty sure AMD and Asrock will publish BIOS update soon, X370 Taichi even has 4 BIOS update since release, the weird thing is they don't mention memory compatibility fix like Asus. Only support CPU Multiplier Feature.

Hey I just checked that RAM today, the exact same model F4-3200C16D-16GTZR. I changed RAM choice to that.
Actually, I think that particular memory is listed in X370 Taichi QVL. Well, not the exact same one, but very similar, check this one F4-3200C16-8GTZR

I don't know the difference since I cannot find in Google the serial number Asrock provided. But, I guess it's the same? I have emailed GSkill regarding this matter, hope they'll answer.

Thank you for the link, I'll definitely check those out.

Maybe I will hold my build until April to see if AMD able to fix the memory issues before then. So I can choose any RAM stick without any fear or worry.

Just a newbie question, is it difficult to change the RAM timing or adjust it to the current AM4 compatibility requirement? Or is it as simple as choosing any RAM speed I want in UEFI?

Thank you

Thanks for the link on the ASROCK QVL. As I said the Trident Z RGB RAM is something I want bad enough that I am willing to risk it not working at first. If you want something guaranteed to work than I'd stick to the QVL list of your board.

If you here back from ASROCK about that odd model number let me know. That may be a typo in the QVL as I could not locate that RAM model number either. However, don't bet on it. If you want it to work stick to the QVL.

As for adjusting the RAM ..... The simple answer is yes you can do this in the bios wiht a simple selection. There is a chance that won't work and you will have to adjust things. how complicated is that adjustment? It is usualy fairly easy but you need to know what you are doing. Or have access to forum help.

There are pages and pages of memory forums on Tom's, Overclocker and Overclock.net dedicated to this subject for a good reason. But I will try to give you a very generalized idea of what your up against and the best way to do this is with an analogy.

For starters there are some things you can not get around and if you violate this the RAM will not even post. So lets assume you are in the general ballpark (my points above should get you there) and have to adjust the RAM downward or are trying to speed it up. You do this by adjusting the timing, the speed or both for the RAM.

The timing relates to how many cycles certain aspects for the RAM function take such as fetch, write and moving across the "rows" in the memory storage. The speed of the RAM is how fast it can be overall. Adjusting RAM has to do with these two different ways to measure your speed and making sure the voltage to the RAM is enough to support the changes.

So is tighter timing (lower latency) or Faster RAM better? Now the analogy.

You have two guys working a construction job. One is a young man in his prime the other is an old guy that is near retirement. Who gets the job done first. The young guy has overall psychical speed and energy on his side. Kind of like RAM speed. The old guy has experience and the ability to efficiently and quickly do the individual tasks of the job, kinda like Latency timings. So you see where this is going. If the young guy is way faster and his ability to do the individual tasks is at least ok he is gonna win. [Fastest RAM with lowest timings usually wins and usually is the most expensive] However if the old guy moves 3x slower but can do each individual task 4x faster because of his experience and shortcuts than the old guy will win. [Slower RAM with insanely fast timings]

When you adjust RAM you make trade offs between decreasing the speed of the RAM from say 3200mhz to 2133mhz but can tighten up the timing (decreased time of tasks from say 17 to 14 latency) so the individual actions are faster. Or the RAM can be OC'd and sped up to 3200mhz or 3600mhz but the timings may have to be loosened up (increased from 17 to 20 latency) to allow for the increased speed.

Yes their are equations for this, yes it can get complicated and yes it is unique to each motherboard, cpu and RAM combination. Hence the art of overclocking.

However, AMDs DOCP and Intels XMP let you do this based on presets for the RAM and motherboard. A little help from the memory forums and it is actually easy to do. I have overclocked RAM several times and by no means consider myself an expert.

Hope that helps answer a difficult question. I meant to say its not that bad, you can do it with BIOS presets and forum help, but it is a very deep subject.

As for holding off on the build, I think they will have this all sorted out by end of May if you want to wait. If you don't want to wait and don't want problems simply stick with what's on the QVL for your build and get building.

Cheers
TeamT

 

[Liclac]

I've been reading so many forums and website about overclocking guide and RAM tweaking. But your explanation is the easiest one ever. Thank you for explaining me about timing and speed in an easy way with analogy. I understand now how speed and timing work.

I will come back and update this thread as soon as I get answer from Asrock and G.Skill.

The situation is the same for me, I want that RAM so bad because of the RGB 😀 that I want to risk it. In the other hand, I want to be able to use my computer soon. I might gamble it, and following your advice, to use help from forum like Toms.

The end of May is when they releases the R5 variant. I don't think they're going to make us wait that long. Well they have the RX480 PCIE power draw issue sorted out in less than 2 weeks, so let's hope they are taking this matter as top priority right now.

Additional:
Go check this thread about the best GSkill memory for Ryzen
http://www.tomshardware.com/answers/id-3336492/skill-ddr4-memory-ryzen-cpu.html

Scroll down to LVmostSiCkEst post, he's running a pair of Trident Z RGB 3200 at 2667 on Biostar X370 GT7 board right now. It seems like he ran into some hassle to make it work (what I'm afraid of most). I want to ask him about the story.
Someone also said to me, just changing the RAM speed to 2400 or 2133 will do.

I can wait for the build until April, since I don't have the cooler for 1700X yet. Be Quiet's support is very good that they sent me an upgrade kit even though knowing I haven't bought their cooler yet. And now the cooler I want is out of stock. So yeah I have to wait both the cooler to be in stock and the bracket.

I hope Ryzen's worth the wait. Before Ryzen out, I was going for 6700K or 7700K. I can't go back because I already bought the 1700X.

Regards
Liclac

EDIT:
I just found out that the particular RAM we're talking about is indeed in QVL.
We're talking about F4-3200C16D-16GTZR.
The one in X370 Taichi QVL is F4-3200C16-8GTZR

According to this:
http://www.gskill.us/forum/showthread.php?t=10564

the missing "D" letter means Dual channel, and Asrock did mention that this kit is 8GB each, 2 pcs dual channel.
16 and 8 GB variant should be identical with 8 GB each stick.
So, those gorgeus RGB ram should work just fine with X370 Taichi. or I hope I'm right about this.

 

[Liclac]

Got response from G.Skill tech support:
I'll just copy paste here
-----------------------------------
Due to the Ryzen platform being a new and different architecture, please consider our Flare X series and FORTIS series memory for best memory compatibility on your Ryzen platform. We recommend DDR4-2400MHz in total kit capacities of 16GB or 32GB. If you are considering 64GB (16GBx4) for the kit capacity, then we recommend running DDR4-2133MHz.

If you wish to use 3200MHz, the max supported capacity that we have tested on Ryzen platform is 16GB(8GBx2). Please see model numbers that are compatible with your system below:
1. [Trident Z] F4-3200C14D-16GTZ
2. [Trident Z RGB] F4-3200C14D-16GTZR
3. [Flare X] F4-3200C14D-16GFX

Other memory series or models that are not listed above may not provide the same level of compatibility.

--------------------------------------
From G.Skill tech support

Again, my configuration is 1700X and X370 Taichi. None of the models above are listed in QVL.
I'll just wait till April to see how it goes.

Regards

EDIT: added words from Asrock Tech Support

From Asrock:
-------------------------------------------------
About the high frequency memory support, X370 Taichi supports up to DDR4-3200+(OC)/2933(OC) high freqeuncy memory modules.
ASRock has already tested several DDR4-3200 and DDR4-3000 memory modules on X370 Taichi, and confirm it's working properly after load XMP profile.
And you also can refer to our memory support list to see the memory module name.

To use high frequency DRAM on AM4 platform, we strongly recommend you to refer our support list to have the suitable DRAM.
ASRock also keep tracking the latest AGESA code with AMD, and will keep updating our BIOS to our webiste.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

[Daplinksta]

Hi there,
Asus and gigabyte boards both support xmp on an amd platform on asus boards it's called docp. Offhand I don't know gb's. Unaware of whether or not asrock has their own version. I would say if you want zero issues keep it at 2666 or less and stick to the qvl. Tip for making your install smooth if you're using windows as soon as possible change your power plan to performance. I'm saving for my 1700x (already have my board ram and m.2).

Greetings,

Please, I need your suggestion about my upcoming build next week.
Since Phenom X era, I always prefer AMD for desktop to Intel. Main purposes are for 1080p gaming (medium-high gaming, not extreme), graphic works, multimedia, and multi-tasking.
And I won't be upgrading my PC yearly as I'm planning to keep it for at least 7 years or more.
My upcoming build spec is as below:

AMD Ryzen R7 1700X (already bought for US$ 388)
AsRock X370 Taichi
Sapphire RX480 Nitro 8GB
Be Quiet! Shadow Rock Slim (waiting AM4 Bracket from Be Quiet!)
Crucial MX300 525GB
Seagate Barracuda 2TB
Seasonic X650 or XFX XTR650W (Identical price), or EVGA 750 GQ (cheaper)
Evolv ATX TG for the case

+Deepcool RGB strip, and bitfenix alchemy ATX and 8 pin custom cable, it cost USD 1700 in total.

I don't live in US, so prices might not be the standard one, and yes it is expensive.
I do understand that 7700K is much much better for gaming compared to newly-born 1700X. But in my country both prices are the same (388 for 1700X and 390 for 7700K). I will overclock the 1700X a little to 3.8GHz.
Besides, X370 boards are cheaper compared to Z270 boards. and I believe 1700X is more future proof as 8C/16T will be mainstream for gaming from now on. Ryzen chips have significantly higher raw power compared to 7700K, I guess it's only matter of time until games can utilize all threads.
I prefer get a powerful CPU (not LGA2011) so I can keep it for years and upgrade the graphic card only. And RX480 suffices my gaming need.

Memory is missing from the list, and I need your expertise to help me choosing memory. I watched and read a lot of Ryzen reviews. All of them are saying that memory compatibility might be an issue with AM4 platform. Can someone provide me an easier explanation? Does it mean that currently existing DDR4 sticks are not all compatible with AM4? Do I need a very specific ram speed or brand or type for AM4?
I found a user guide and memory compatibility from AsRock for Taichi,
http://www.asrock.com/mb/AMD/X370%20Taichi/index.asp#Specification
But I don't understand the compatibility guide on Specification -> Memory section. Also, there is QVL for memory, and I couldn't find any of them being sold here.

My RAM choices are below (all 2x8GB):
1. Klevv Cras PC17000 KM4C8GX2N-3000-1 (cheap, prefered)
2. Geil Super Luce PC19200 GLW416GB2400C16DC (cheap, prefered)
3. Corsair Vengeance LPX CMK16GX4M2A2666C16 B (less prefered, expensive, 2666 MHz compatibility concerns me)
4. Crucial Ballistix Sport LT 16GB KIT PC19200 (cheapest, prefered, based on Crucial website it says compatible with X370 Taichi, but not in QVL).

And AM4 does not support XMP, does that mean all RAM with XMP will not work on AM4 platform? This whole RAM thing is confusing for me. I won't overclock or tweak the ram, I'll run it in stock.

I hope you can help me with this matter. I understand AM4 is still very new, regardless I really want to build a stable system. And if you have any suggestion on the remaining parts, you are very welcome.

Btw I am upgrading from i7 720QM 1.6GHz, 8GB DDR3, Ati Radeon HD 5870M 1GB.

Thank you in advance

 

[GameJonez]

Hi there,

Greetings,

Please, I need your suggestion about my upcoming build next week.
Since Phenom X era, I always prefer AMD for desktop to Intel. Main purposes are for 1080p gaming (medium-high gaming, not extreme), graphic works, multimedia, and multi-tasking.
And I won't be upgrading my PC yearly as I'm planning to keep it for at least 7 years or more.
My upcoming build spec is as below:

I actually chose to go with the Vengeance LPX after reading a review because they specifically used that 2666 RAM in the review, and had no issues with all three Ryzen chips across the board.

AMD Ryzen R7 1700X (already bought for US$ 388)
AsRock X370 Taichi
Sapphire RX480 Nitro 8GB
Be Quiet! Shadow Rock Slim (waiting AM4 Bracket from Be Quiet!)
Crucial MX300 525GB
Seagate Barracuda 2TB
Seasonic X650 or XFX XTR650W (Identical price), or EVGA 750 GQ (cheaper)
Evolv ATX TG for the case

+Deepcool RGB strip, and bitfenix alchemy ATX and 8 pin custom cable, it cost USD 1700 in total.

I don't live in US, so prices might not be the standard one, and yes it is expensive.
I do understand that 7700K is much much better for gaming compared to newly-born 1700X. But in my country both prices are the same (388 for 1700X and 390 for 7700K). I will overclock the 1700X a little to 3.8GHz.
Besides, X370 boards are cheaper compared to Z270 boards. and I believe 1700X is more future proof as 8C/16T will be mainstream for gaming from now on. Ryzen chips have significantly higher raw power compared to 7700K, I guess it's only matter of time until games can utilize all threads.
I prefer get a powerful CPU (not LGA2011) so I can keep it for years and upgrade the graphic card only. And RX480 suffices my gaming need.

Memory is missing from the list, and I need your expertise to help me choosing memory. I watched and read a lot of Ryzen reviews. All of them are saying that memory compatibility might be an issue with AM4 platform. Can someone provide me an easier explanation? Does it mean that currently existing DDR4 sticks are not all compatible with AM4? Do I need a very specific ram speed or brand or type for AM4?
I found a user guide and memory compatibility from AsRock for Taichi,
http://www.asrock.com/mb/AMD/X370%20Taichi/index.asp#Specification
But I don't understand the compatibility guide on Specification -> Memory section. Also, there is QVL for memory, and I couldn't find any of them being sold here.

My RAM choices are below (all 2x8GB):
1. Klevv Cras PC17000 KM4C8GX2N-3000-1 (cheap, prefered)
2. Geil Super Luce PC19200 GLW416GB2400C16DC (cheap, prefered)
3. Corsair Vengeance LPX CMK16GX4M2A2666C16 B (less prefered, expensive, 2666 MHz compatibility concerns me)
4. Crucial Ballistix Sport LT 16GB KIT PC19200 (cheapest, prefered, based on Crucial website it says compatible with X370 Taichi, but not in QVL).

And AM4 does not support XMP, does that mean all RAM with XMP will not work on AM4 platform? This whole RAM thing is confusing for me. I won't overclock or tweak the ram, I'll run it in stock.

I hope you can help me with this matter. I understand AM4 is still very new, regardless I really want to build a stable system. And if you have any suggestion on the remaining parts, you are very welcome.

Btw I am upgrading from i7 720QM 1.6GHz, 8GB DDR3, Ati Radeon HD 5870M 1GB.

Thank you in advance

 

[GameJonez]

First of all, here's a very good video explaining why the Ryzen 7 1700X is a MUCH better purchase for gaming today than a 7700. http://Ryzen - The Tech Press Loses The Plot

That guy knows what he's talking about, and I couldn't agree more!

Ok, so to your question. All RAM sticks are not compatible with ALL motherboards across ALL platforms, that's always been the case, and WILL always be the case. So, to an extent, there is always a CHANCE the ram you buy may not work with your choice of motherboard, and you may have to return it and try another brand, speed, or timing. With that being said...

My setup (which won't arrive for a couple more days) is very similar to what your choosing...

1700X
Asus Strix ROG RX480 8GB (LOVE IT! - just got it today!)
Biostar X370GT7 (pretty beastly MOBO after comparing features and build quality against the best available, even from Asus and MSI)

I ended up choosing the Corsair Vengeance LPX 2666 for the following reasons...

1) According to everything I've researched...2666 is the fastest speed that Ryzen is (PRESENTLY) guaranteed to support NATIVELY, meaning right out of the box with no tweaking. This will likely change down the road as Motherboard makers update their BIOS's.

2) Two reputable Benchmarkers that I follow used it in their review of the 1700X, and had no issues with it....VERY GOOD SIGN!

3) And three, Corsair in general is known for being HIGHLY reliable and HIGHLY compatible across many platforms with very little trouble. It's not always the best for overclocking for this same reason, not in this case though.

4) Both of those reviewers I mentioned were able to get the LPX ram to stable 3200 (oc) on the X370GT7 with no trouble with the 1700X at 3.97Mhz. And that's HUGE, because the key to unlocking Ryzen's full potential in gaming is the SPEED of the ram your using more so than the amount of ram you're using according to what benchmarks have been run thus far. Don't get me wrong, MORE is better than LESS, but the speed is still more important than the quantity by quite a large factor.

Hope this helps.

 

[GameJonez]

Unfortunately ASROCK Tachi does not have a QVL yet. A Qualified Vendor List will list all the RAM that is tested and shown to work with the motherboard. Here is the link to ASROCK QVL lists for all their boards. Note the AM4 boards do not link to a true QVL they simply dump you back to the product page. But, it may be worth watching to see if ti is updated.
http://www.asrock.com/support/SupportList.asp?cat=Memory

I went with the..."...GTZY" 2x16 it's the same as yours but not RGB. It was on sale for $229... Too good a deal to pass up. Like you I trust that it will end up being able to hit its full 3200 in time, possibly more. Never seen ram with a better feeling build quality.

So what can we figure out?
1) As pointed out in the video, Linus says Ryzen needs low latency memory.

2) ASROCK on their product page specifies that it should be unbuffered RAM, So look for UDIMM. Educate yourself on this here https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Registered_memory

2) Asus has posted a QVL for their Crosshair VI mother board and we can see that all the Latency timings are fairly low and all RAM listed is PC4 25600. http://dlcdnet.asus.com/pub/ASUS/mb/SocketAM4/CROSSHAIR-VI-HERO/CROSSHAIR-VI-HERO_DRAM_QVL_forAMDRyzenProcessors.pdf?_ga=1.5860403.1481706442.1473423776

3) Reviewers are mixed. Some can get 3200mhz RAM to run some can not get anything to run faster than 2666mhz. Anything above 2666mhz will be OC and you should use the DOCP setting in the BIOS to activate the 32000mhz OC setting. (DOCP is AMDs version of Intels XMP) [Holy abbreviations] Here is a great video on Ryzen and he talks about the ASUS Crosshair board but goes over a lot on Ryzen RAM set ups starting at 17 minutes into the video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Yk-izRf2Ro&list=PL6Iwkjri7rI2nEYJy1T4TX-GjL-A6VfOC&index=1

4) Go with dual channel 2x8GB as Ryzen does not support 3200mhz OC in Quad channel and 16GB is plenty unless you plan on doing heavy rendering than buy 64GB of slower, but supported, 2666mhz or 2100mhz RAM.

5) Almost all reviewers are in agreement that if you can't get to 3200mhz on DOCP today, you will within a few BIOS updates. The BIOS just is not up to snuff yet. SO ALWAYS UPDATE THE BIOS before you build or as soon as possible.

With all the above in mind and the fact this one is listed on the ASUS QVL; I think the best RAM for Ryzen on the ASUS Crosshair or ASROCK Tachi (as they can OC to 3200mhz) is the G.SKILL TridentZ Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) 288-Pin DDR4 SDRAM DDR4 3200 (PC4 25600). Model F4-3200C14D-16GTZSK.

Of course I want to go with RGB so I am gambling on the Trident Z RGB (model F4-3200C16D-16GTZR) and hoping that even if I start out down clocked to 2666mhz the BIOS will eventually come up to a point where I can run in OC mode at 32000mhz. Which I believe is very likely as it fits all the rest of the above criteria it just isn't on the ASUS Crosshair VI QVL. My motherboard on order is an ASUS Crosshair VI. Here is a link to a build using the Trident RGB and he is having to run it at 2666mhz.
http://www.overclockers.com/forums/showthread.php/780296-BUILD-LOG-Unnamed-Project/page2

That is just about everything I have learned so far.

DISCLAIMERS - Ryzen is a new platform so vendors and users are only just figuring this out as we go. It is early adopter, trial an error environment. Educate yourself and make your best guess. Its late, I'm tired and I did not spell check this Hope it made sense.

One thing is for certain though. Even with an immature BIOS, RAM issues and the entire gaming industry optimized for a different architecture (Intel) Ryzen is still posting some amazing results. Ryzen is a damn powerful CPU and I agree with you, once developers and the BIOS gets brought up to speed it is the future of gaming.

Cheers
TeamT

 

[aBulletTooth]

1. Don't use Ryzen MASTER to O.C. It will mess up your Dual Channel memory. On the ASRock Memory QVL http:// from left to right after part number- single slot use or dual slot (refer to owners manual for details) . single channel that will be empty. then it has dual channel next but its out of place that is how many sticks are in the set. THE MOST IMPORTANT IS THE LAST BLOCK if it don't have a v it's not been verified to work and you probably will have trouble to RMA the motherboard or RAM if you have issues." My opinion from what I've seen" You need to run at least 2666mhz if you OC to 3.8Mhz. My benchmark test Results in a >3% performance boost between 2133 and 2400 and >4% between 2400 and 2666 but <2% boost from 2666 and 2997 I've not had any memory that will stay stable at 3200 but I'm not in the market for memory now and I've only used preowned memory sets I have sitting around. I have seen that Ryzen loves 3200Mhz but the only set I've heard of doing it is the Flare I'd personally would go Cheap for now and wait until AMD approved and ASRock verified 4000Mhz Memory Set Hits the market. Your gonna be hit or miss with RAM over 2400 I don't care what anyone else tells you. You have to switch to XMP on the Taichi to change your Speeds you can change your timings but not your speed. After that you can change your clock speed and timings and Dram voltage from that And your gonna need a pen and some paper too get it fine tuned. Good Luck
PS I've not had a DDR4 stick that Didn't work at 2133 and I've tested more then 50 on my bench and nobody at our store has had one not to work.