Question Which of these RAM selections would be best?

MoreMoneyThanSense

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I (ideally) wanted to get 64 GB of RAM because I want to be able to game while also having Chrome, Discord, OBS, various coding IDEs, editors, and virtual machines open at the same time.

I have found these choices (G. Skill Trident Z Neo RAM) to be worth considering:

64 GB 3200 MHz 14-14-14-34 https://www.newegg.com/g-skill-64gb-288-pin-ddr4-sdram/p/N82E16820232851

64 GB 3600 MHz 16-16-16-36 https://www.newegg.com/g-skill-64gb-288-pin-ddr4-sdram/p/N82E16820232864

32 GB 3600 MHz 14-15-15-35 https://www.newegg.com/g-skill-32gb-288-pin-ddr4-sdram/p/N82E16820232857

Or is the 3700-3800 range better for Ryzen 3?

Long story short I'm just trying to get the best RAM that I can for the upcoming 3950x CPU with a x570 motherboard that would fit my general needs and be as lightning fast as possible.
 
I (ideally) wanted to get 64 GB of RAM because I want to be able to game while also having Chrome, Discord, OBS, various coding IDEs, editors, and virtual machines open at the same time.

I have found these choices (G. Skill Trident Z Neo RAM) to be worth considering:

64 GB 3200 MHz 14-14-14-34 https://www.newegg.com/g-skill-64gb-288-pin-ddr4-sdram/p/N82E16820232851

64 GB 3600 MHz 16-16-16-36 https://www.newegg.com/g-skill-64gb-288-pin-ddr4-sdram/p/N82E16820232864

32 GB 3600 MHz 14-15-15-35 https://www.newegg.com/g-skill-32gb-288-pin-ddr4-sdram/p/N82E16820232857

Or is the 3700-3800 range better for Ryzen 3?

Long story short I'm just trying to get the best RAM that I can for the upcoming 3950x CPU with a x570 motherboard that would fit my general needs and be as lightning fast as possible.
First you have to make your mind up if you want 64 or 32GB of RAM. For heavy multitasking, amount of RAM trumps it's frequency. With Ryzen 3rd gen, 3600MHz is best deal, one with lower Cl is preferable.
 

Phaaze88

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I thought 3600 MHz was considered a better spot for the Ryzen 3000-series CPUs?
It is.
-higher frequencies
-trying to use more than 2 sticks of memory
Either of these put added stress on the internal memory controller. You'll be fine doing one or the other, but both?
You'll likely be forced to run at lower than 3600mhz to maintain stability. Best bet for a 64GB, 3600mhz setup would be a 2x 32GB kit instead of a 4x 16GB one.
 

MoreMoneyThanSense

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It is.
-higher frequencies
-trying to use more than 2 sticks of memory
Either of these put added stress on the internal memory controller. You'll be fine doing one or the other, but both?
You'll likely be forced to run at lower than 3600mhz to maintain stability. Best bet for a 64GB, 3600mhz setup would be a 2x 32GB kit instead of a 4x 16GB one.

Is 2 sticks better than 4?

If I were to settle for 32 GB instead would my best bet be the 4x 3600 MHz CL14 kits?
 

Phaaze88

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Is 2 sticks better than 4?
If your focused on maintaining high frequency over capacity, then yes, it is.

If I were to settle for 32 GB instead would my best bet be the 4x 3600 MHz CL14 kits?
The issue isn't capacity, but the combination of higher frequency and number of sticks.
If the cpu's IMC isn't capable of doing both, it's possible to exhaust it, and when that happens:
-you'll still be forced to run a lower frequency, as it'll no longer be stable at the higher one
-if it burns out entirely, you'll have a dead cpu on your hands
 

MoreMoneyThanSense

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If your focused on maintaining high frequency over capacity, then yes, it is.


The issue isn't capacity, but the combination of higher frequency and number of sticks.
If the cpu's IMC isn't capable of doing both, it's possible to exhaust it, and when that happens:
-you'll still be forced to run a lower frequency, as it'll no longer be stable at the higher one
-if it burns out entirely, you'll have a dead cpu on your hands

I plan to use the 3950x CPU with the Aorus Xtreme x570 if that matters?
 

Phaaze88

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Doesn't change anything.
If you really have to have the memory running at 3600mhz, it'll be better to have a 2 stick kit over a 4 stick one.

To put it another way, a balance must be met between frequency and number of DIMMS.
The more sticks you add, the lower the max frequency.
 

MoreMoneyThanSense

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We're not saying it's not possible, but less likely.
Here's the QVL for an Asus X570 motherboard: https://dlcdnets.asus.com/pub/ASUS/...VL_3rd_Gen_AMD_Ryzen_Processors_X570_0722.pdf

I have seen similar sheets before but wasn't sure if I understood them properly.

I think the one for Aorus Xtreme is here: http://download.gigabyte.us/FileList/Memory/mb_memory_x570-aorus-xtreme_matisse_190812.pdf

For instance I don't see any 64GB listed anywhere, which seems odd.
 

Phaaze88

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I have seen similar sheets before but wasn't sure if I understood them properly.

I think the one for Aorus Xtreme is here: http://download.gigabyte.us/FileList/Memory/mb_memory_x570-aorus-xtreme_matisse_190812.pdf

For instance I don't see any 64GB listed anywhere, which seems odd.
https://www.aorus.com/X570-AORUS-XTREME-rev-10#pd_spec
It's stated to support up to 128GB of memory.

You have to keep in mind that they can only test and certify so many kits...