Upgrading CPU and MOBO, DDR3 or DDR4 RAM in 2018?

[Motakuji]

CPU: Intel Core i7 2600 @ 3.40GHz Sandy Bridge 32nm Technology (Cooler: Hyper 212 Evo )
RAM: Corsair 8.00GB DDR3 1600Mhz ( 2 x 4 GB)
MotherBoard: P8Z77-V LX (LGA1155)
GPU: ASUS R9 290 (Cooler: Accelero Xtreme IV)
PSU: EVGA SUPERNOVA 750 G2

Recently I bought a game (COD:BLACK OPS 4) and before even starting a match I got the error that I had low on system memory. Sometimes the game loads up fine and I'm able to play for a while, but the error still randomly pops up and freezes my whole PC.

I was wondering of changing my RAM to 16 GB, but the question is should I even buy DDR3 RAM on a old MOBO if I can buy a new MOBO that supports DDR4 and pay almost the same price for the new RAM, because in near future I'm planning on upgrading and I will have to change DDR3 to DDR4 sooner or later.

Talking about CPU, I still like my i7 2600 and it serves me quite well, but the RYZEN 5 2600 caught my eye with its price and the MOBO that I'm looking at for AMD CPU is MSI B450 TOMAHAWK.

Or I should just buy DDR3 RAM now and upgrade later. I never had AMD CPU before and I'm not sure how reliable it is and how good are the six cores. I know that nowadays 4 cores are enough for gaming. Other variant is buying INTEL CORE CPU, but it will be more expensive and I don't want to overpay. I'm looking for a small upgrade that will be reliable in the future.

Any advice and suggestions will be greatly appreciated!

 

[SkyNetRising]

Just upgrade your ram. i7-2600 is still very capable cpu.

 

[DSzymborski]

If you were planning on an upgrade in the near-future anyway, I'd just jump right to the AM4 platform and DDR4 RAM and not bother with more DDR3 RAM. The old Sandy Bridge/Ivy Bridge i7s are still solid CPUs, but not so good that you won't get a significant boost these days from a Ryzen or a Coffee Lake.

I also might also just reinstall Windows 10 first. Some weird problems sometimes resolve with a reinstall if the OS installation is fairly old. 8 GB really shouldn't have you crashing in most cases, so if this was an OS you installed years ago, you may have a lot of digital crud build up.

You can also still get $60-$70 for a used 2600 (the 2600K still retains a $25-$40 edge), which will also help defray some of the cost, if that's important to you.

 

[Miyconst]

Here are a few things to consider:

- The AMD CPUs are as reliable as Intel.
- The AMD Ryzen 2600 is probably the best value for the money right now.
- Ryzen 2600 has significantly better performance than i7-2600, but with the R9 290 GPU you most likely won't see any difference.
- The DDR4 memory is currently more expensive than DDR3.
- The Ryzen CPUs require low latency DDR4-3000 or higher RAM for optimal performance, and those sticks are currently overpriced.

All of that being said, I would agree with SkyNetRising and just get two extra DDR3 4gb sticks.

 

[Motakuji]

Here are a few things to consider:

- The AMD CPUs are as reliable as Intel.
- The AMD Ryzen 2600 is probably the best value for the money right now.
- Ryzen 2600 has significantly better performance than i7-2600, but with the R9 290 GPU you most likely won't see any difference.
- The DDR4 memory is currently more expensive than DDR3.
- The Ryzen CPUs require low latency DDR4-3000 or higher RAM for optimal performance, and those sticks are currently overpriced.

All of that being said, I would agree with SkyNetRising and just get two extra DDR3 4gb sticks.

I thought that I could just add 2133 or 2400 DDR4 RAM and get the RYZEN, but you are saying that ryzen requires low latency DDR4-3000 or higher RAM for optimal performance. Can you explain a bit more?

 

[Miyconst]

I thought that I could just add 2133 or 2400 DDR4 RAM and get the RYZEN, but you are saying that ryzen requires low latency DDR4-3000 or higher RAM for optimal performance. Can you explain a bit more?

You can definitely do that, but you won't receive the 100% performance of the CPU. For better understanding of what is going on, I recommend to watch this video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m6RWEnUsLSY

In short, Ryzen CPUs perform (in games) significantly better with DDR4-3000/3200 memory compared to DDR4-2133/2400.

 

[King_V]

Here are a few things to consider:

- The AMD CPUs are as reliable as Intel.
- The AMD Ryzen 2600 is probably the best value for the money right now.
- Ryzen 2600 has significantly better performance than i7-2600, but with the R9 290 GPU you most likely won't see any difference.
- The DDR4 memory is currently more expensive than DDR3.
- The Ryzen CPUs require low latency DDR4-3000 or higher RAM for optimal performance, and those sticks are currently overpriced.

All of that being said, I would agree with SkyNetRising and just get two extra DDR3 4gb sticks.

I thought that I could just add 2133 or 2400 DDR4 RAM and get the RYZEN, but you are saying that ryzen requires low latency DDR4-3000 or higher RAM for optimal performance. Can you explain a bit more?

Ryzen will require DDR4 RAM (generally the faster, the better), and a new motherboard.

(just trying to clarify: from your wording, it seemed like you were implying putting a Ryzen CPU and DDR4 RAM on your existing motherboard)

 

[Motakuji]

Just upgrade your ram. i7-2600 is still very capable cpu.

My RAM is Corsair XMS3 8GB DDR3 CL9 KIT OF 2 CMX8GX3M2A1600C9.

If I will buy the exact same RAM and add to existing 2 free slots will there be no problems with booting or freezing? Some time ago, I had freezing issues and when I swapped the place of RAM sticks the problem was gone. At the moment, I swapped RAM sticks back to what it was when I had the freezing issues, but it seems that my PC booted without any problems. I'm worried, if I will buy 2 more ram sticks I might run in to this problem again!

 

[Motakuji]

Here are a few things to consider:

- The AMD CPUs are as reliable as Intel.
- The AMD Ryzen 2600 is probably the best value for the money right now.
- Ryzen 2600 has significantly better performance than i7-2600, but with the R9 290 GPU you most likely won't see any difference.
- The DDR4 memory is currently more expensive than DDR3.
- The Ryzen CPUs require low latency DDR4-3000 or higher RAM for optimal performance, and those sticks are currently overpriced.

All of that being said, I would agree with SkyNetRising and just get two extra DDR3 4gb sticks.

I thought that I could just add 2133 or 2400 DDR4 RAM and get the RYZEN, but you are saying that ryzen requires low latency DDR4-3000 or higher RAM for optimal performance. Can you explain a bit more?

Ryzen will require DDR4 RAM (generally the faster, the better), and a new motherboard.

(just trying to clarify: from your wording, it seemed like you were implying putting a Ryzen CPU and DDR4 RAM on your existing motherboard)

Not existing but to a new one, I mentioned the MOBO - MSI B450 TOMAHAWK.

 

[Motakuji]

I thought that I could just add 2133 or 2400 DDR4 RAM and get the RYZEN, but you are saying that ryzen requires low latency DDR4-3000 or higher RAM for optimal performance. Can you explain a bit more?

You can definitely do that, but you won't receive the 100% performance of the CPU. For better understanding of what is going on, I recommend to watch this video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m6RWEnUsLSY

In short, Ryzen CPUs perform (in games) significantly better with DDR4-3000/3200 memory compared to DDR4-2133/2400.

Okay, then I will be considering DDR4-3000 for the upgrade! Thanks

 

[King_V]

Here are a few things to consider:

- The AMD CPUs are as reliable as Intel.
- The AMD Ryzen 2600 is probably the best value for the money right now.
- Ryzen 2600 has significantly better performance than i7-2600, but with the R9 290 GPU you most likely won't see any difference.
- The DDR4 memory is currently more expensive than DDR3.
- The Ryzen CPUs require low latency DDR4-3000 or higher RAM for optimal performance, and those sticks are currently overpriced.

All of that being said, I would agree with SkyNetRising and just get two extra DDR3 4gb sticks.

I thought that I could just add 2133 or 2400 DDR4 RAM and get the RYZEN, but you are saying that ryzen requires low latency DDR4-3000 or higher RAM for optimal performance. Can you explain a bit more?

Ryzen will require DDR4 RAM (generally the faster, the better), and a new motherboard.

(just trying to clarify: from your wording, it seemed like you were implying putting a Ryzen CPU and DDR4 RAM on your existing motherboard)

Not existing but to a new one, I mentioned the MOBO - MSI B450 TOMAHAWK.

And that's what I get for reading through it WAY too quickly... :lol: