Question Which RAM MHz for i5 9600K gaming

McLovinHawaii

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Feb 1, 2014
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Just recently changed my motherboard and processor to a Gigabyte Z390 UD and a i5 9600K. Running on my old 2x8 GB 2133MHz I'm probably not getting the Best put of my CPU. But when it comes to upgrading is it worth buying 4000 MHz now or should I go with 3200 or 3600 MHz?
 

Barty1884

Retired Moderator
The gaming performance will vary title to title. Suffice to say a 3000-3200MHz kit will outperform the 2133MHz kit but a lot of the time, it's unlikely to be proportionate to the cost.

There's heavy diminishing returns beyond 3000-3200MHz, and a 4000MHz kit is almost certainly poor value for the money.

A ~3000MHz kit, CL15 will set you back $90-$100.
https://pcpartpicker.com/products/compare/3CdFf7,ZLNv6h,3BCD4D/

You might be able to recoup $50 selling your 'basic' kit.

That $40-$50 additional cost is not going to net you proportionate gains. Might help 'bling' out the system etc, and will improve gaming performance slightly, but it's not going to be night & day.
 

Barty1884

Retired Moderator
On Intel, not so much. It will still vary title to title, but it's never "worth" the upgrade from a value standpoint.
If you found a 3000-3200MHz kit locally for, say $60 and could sell yours for $40, that's not a horrible upgrade.... but to run out and buy a new kit, you're looking at $90....
 

shady28

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Jan 29, 2007
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Well, in searching for information on the best memory for Intel, I found this thread. It didn't age well. Old wives tales, groupthink, and all that. So for any others who stumble on it...

See this video on impact of memory on Intel (10600K in this case):
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vbHyF50m-rs


To see easier numbers go to the site below, translate it, about overclocked RAM on a 9900K and a 3900X.
16% increase in FPS when the CPU is not overclocked. To get to 4133Mhz, the CPU had to be overclocked too - resulting in over 30% FPS increase in a lot of games.