What is best for gaming? 1600MHz, 1866MHz or 2400MHz?

[eddieg918]

Hello,
After doing some research for the last couple days I am still unsure about what memory sticks to go with. I have decided to go with G.Skill and I want to go with 16gb that is for sure. The only problem is that I see different series like the X, and Z. I will be recording games in 1080p, rendering videos with Sony Vegas. I will also be streaming on Twitch so I want the best performance from my memory. I have read that memory doesn't effect your games much maybe by a couple frames but I am not sure if it is true or not. I have a i7 4790k processor that I will be overclocking soon. I am also using the corsair H100i cooler I have the G1 Gtx 970 windforce edition. I have 4tb seagate barracuda hard drive and a 250gb Samsung 840 evo series SSD. For the motherboard I went with the MSI ATX DDR3 2600 LGA 1150 Motherboards Z97 GAMING 5. And for the powersupply i went with 850watts EVGA SuperNOVA 850G2 80PLUS Gold Certified. Reason i went with 850watts is because i plan on overclocking the 970 and doing SLI in a couple months. I will also Overclock the i7 4790k.

Now that you guys know my specs i want to know what will be the best possible memory for my setup. I play a couple games a lot like ArmA III which runs off your CPU's graphics and not your actual GPU. I have seen people saying that you will see a difference with a high MHZ's if you actually use the graphics in your CPU? I'm not sure what will give me the best performance. If a certain memory setup will give me a couple more frames for a few more dollars i really don't mind paying the difference... thank you all for your time and any answers will be greatly appreciated!

if you guys have any suggestions please feel free to comment. How does my rig look so far? anything you guys would do different? any constructive ctricism is appreciated! Maybe you think Corsair or Kingston will give me better performance than g.skill? Thanks for reading!

 

[Darkbreeze]

1866 is much cheaper than 2400mhz, and the performance difference when both are run in dual channel is relatively small. System memory has little to do with gaming performance. If you don't have enough, like less than 4GB, you'll certainly have issues, but having more, like more than 8GB, rarely if at all shows any performance gains. At least on current titles. What's coming down the pipe remains to be seen, but you can always upgrade RAM.

 

[eddieg918]

PC PARTS:

CASE
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00K6S1B3Q/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

PSU
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00IKDETOC/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

CPU
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00KPRWAX8/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

GPU
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00NH5T1MS/ref=ox_sc_act_title_3?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

HDD
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00B99JU4S/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

SSD
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00E3W1726/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Motherboard
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00K23BZVI/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Liquid Cooling
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009ZN2NH6/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Mouse
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00IRHE892/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Keyboard
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00IYJD5CY/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
(soon to be Razer Blackwidow Chroma)

Memory still undecided but want to go with 16gb.

 

[Brighttail]

You aren't going to see much of a difference in any of them really that you can visually notice. That being said a 1866 that has a CL rating of 8 or 9 is going to be better than a 2133 with a CL rating of 10. SO with this i'd kinda see what RAM you can find that is on sale with either 1866 to 2133 with a good CL rating.

 

[eddieg918]

this is the memory i ordered before doing the research
http://www.amazon.com/G-SKILL-Ripjaws-240-Pin-Desktop-F3-12800CL10D-16GBXL/dp/B006T0CHLA/ref=sr_1_2?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1415048583&sr=1-2&keywords=g.skill+2400+16

should be here in a couple days along with my case and then i can start building my rig.

 

[Brighttail]

I'd see if you can return it .. CL 10 at 1600mhz is not a great buy unless you got a super deal on it. You can do better like i said with seeing what RAM you can find that is on sale with either 1866 to 2133 with a good CL 8 or 9 rating.

 

[Darkbreeze]

That's DDR3 1600, not 1866. I'd return it and get the 1866 like this:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($159.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $159.99
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-11-03 16:45 EST-0500

 

[eddieg918]

awesome thank you both for your answers! i unfortunately ordered those sticks a couple days ago but i can still cancel it and get the 1866MHZ GSkill. My motherboard can hold memory up to 2600MHz according to amazon. Does that matter any? I see some 16gb 2400MHz sticks are around the same price. Would they give me any extra frames? I think I am going to order this
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231615&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-na-_-na-_-na&cm_sp=&AID=10446076&PID=3938566&SID=

 

[eddieg918]

one last thing. What is the difference between the CL rating? i see 8, 9 and 10. Thank you in advance!

 

[arossetti]

I've read an article in the recent past (I think it was on the Corsair website) regarding the new baseline for memory speed wherein they did some testing and found that in the past DDR3-1600 was the minimum needed for gaming performance, they found that with new sockets (1150) at least DDR-2133 was recommended to keep speed with the newer architecture. And the article wasn't a "buy Corsair" promotion. I posted the link below. - You decide!

http://www.corsair.com/en-us/blog/2014/march/haswellrealworld

The price difference shouldn't be that much different.

I like G. Skill memory myself.

 

[Brighttail]

2400 ram at like 11 CL is not going to be as good as 2133 at 9...

 

[eddieg918]

thank you! ok im looking around for 2133MHz and CL of 9. If anyone thinks another brand besides G.Skill will give me better performance with my machine please let me know. I just came across this corsair set up which looks good http://www.amazon.com/Corsair-Vengeance-2x8GB-17000-Desktop/dp/B00D6E5KMA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1415052661&sr=8-1&keywords=ddr3+2133+16gb

 

[eddieg918]

is CL 8 or 9 better if i go with the 2133MHz? or 10? thank you im close to making my decision

 

[eddieg918]

i found this setup at 2133MHz and Cas Latency 11... not sure if the the higher latency will be bad or good? will it be better finding one with CL of 10, 9 or 8?
http://www.amazon.com/G-SKILL-Ripjaws-240-Pin-Desktop-F3-2133C11D-16GXL/dp/B00IYUCFFQ/ref=pd_sim_sbs_pc_7?ie=UTF8&refRID=12MJ00MK673E59EE46SA

 

[Brighttail]

Lower latency is better, you want 8 or 9.. Lower is always better.

I would choose the corsair, they are tops in memory.

 

[eddieg918]

Thank you all for the informative answers! I have my eyes on this g.skill setup 16gb (2x8gb) at 2133 MHz's and Cas Latency of 9! I noticed it is the x series and not the z series. I heard somewhere that the z series was better for gaming and over clocking? Any thoughts on this? http://m.newegg.com/Product/index?itemnumber=N82E16820231571

Now I will be looking at corsair for something similar or better than the g.skill.

 

[Brighttail]

Honestly not sure about the z vs x but if you are looking for the most awesomeness ram for high level:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233401&cm_re=dominator_platinum_2133-_-20-233-401-_-Product

This is as best as it gets.

 

[eddieg918]

thank you bright! do you know if there are any performance differences between the corsair dominator ram you linked http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233401&cm_re=dominator_platinum_2133-_-20-233-401-_-Product


and the g.skill ram i posted http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231571&cm_re=G.SKILL_Ripjaws_X_Series_16GB_2133-_-20-231-571-_-Product? besides like 50$? thank you for the replies

 

[Brighttail]

Just that the Dominator platinum is just considered the premium memory out there. It isn't to say that the other ram is bad, but i'm a person that likes the best of the best.

 

[eddieg918]

bright thank you for taking your time to reply man! im the same way! unfortunately today i have to settle for the second best (first world problems) lol i will be going with the $174.99
(CAS LATENCY 9 ) G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 2133 (PC3 17000) Desktop Memory Model F3-2133C9D-16GXH

the corsair is $220 (CAS LATENCY 9) CORSAIR Dominator Platinum 16GB (2 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 2133 Desktop Memory Model CMD16GX3M2A2133C9 so the 35$ difference is the definite factor that will determine my choice since there are no performance difference between the two setups...

i still have time to change my mind since i will be placing the order tomorrow morning...

 

[eddieg918]

btw i love your avatar bright! i have 2 siberian huskies and it kind of looks like my dogs... i know your avatar is a wolf still cool mate

 

[Brighttail]

Thank you for your comment on the avatar, i have artists friends who do comics and such and they made that for me.

Good luck with your choice, both are good choices. I'm not sure the warranty for the ripjaw. I believe the corsair is limited lifetime. I also like the little LED light bar you can add on later for blue or white light or the RGB cooling fan you can install Little things like that make me go Bling. Let us know and it has been a pleasure to help.