What DDR4 RAM should i get? About MHz.

[johnsevastidis88]

Hello guys, I recently bought a MSI Z370-a pro and i am about to buy an i7 8700 or 8700k. The third step is buying a 16 gb DDR4 (1 module). My motherboard supports up to 4000 MHz but i can't actually understand what's the deal with cpu + ram combination. Do 8700/8700k support 4000 MHz or it would be just a waste of money?

 

[vapour]

usually mb decides ram speed, but need to be compatible with cpu. Intel is not picky, unlike Ryzen. It supports, however for 3000+, no obvious perf diff. All up to you. Only some very special rendering functionality will need 4000+, for gaming 3000 or 3200 should be good enough.

 

[mgsliquidsnakemgs]

Then what is the meaning of this:


"Intel 8700k - Memory Specifications

Max Memory Size (dependent on memory type) 64 GB
Memory Types DDR4-2666
Max # of Memory Channels 2
ECC Memory Supported ‡ No"

Memory types DDR4-2666?

 

[Kasper Jorgensen]

Then what is the meaning of this:


"Intel 8700k - Memory Specifications

Max Memory Size (dependent on memory type) 64 GB
Memory Types DDR4-2666
Max # of Memory Channels 2
ECC Memory Supported ‡ No"

Memory types DDR4-2666?

It means that the memory controller are running at 2666MHz at stock. Anything above is basically a RAM overclock. So if you buy 3000MHz RAM and run them at that speed, you are overclocking the RAM.

 

[johnsevastidis88]

So, if i dont mind about the price i should, obviously, pick the 3000/3200 mhz ram and not the 2666mhz, right?

 

[vapour]

Get 3200 if you can, then 3000, then 2666