partial upgrade question on ram

[vodaboy]

My current system has lasted me a long time and I felt it is now time to upgrade some components. Few months back I had decided on Asus ROG Strix Z270G with i5-7500. But now with the new 8th Gen Intel chips released, it's probably more worth it to get the newer Asus ROG Strix Z370G with i3-8100 at similar performance and also for better future proofing. Besides many shops in Sim Lim doesn't sell the Asus ROG Strix Z270G anymore.

The area I need help with is on the RAM. I'm just so lost with the various brands, speeds (This mobo supports 2133 MHz and above) and CL rating. I do know that I want a DDR4 2x 8GB set, but other than that I have no clue what to buy. Could anyone provide me with suggestions and insight into purchasing RAM please?

 

[Koenig168]

The i3-8100 officially supports up to 2400MHz but can work with higher speeds.

There is a slight performance penalty with DDR4-2133, around 3%. 2400 MHz or higher is recommended though performance improvements with higher speeds is quite marginal.

DDR4 is very expensive now, around $250 to $350 for 16GB so I would suggest you go with whatever your budget will allow, just avoid DDR4-2133.

 

[vodaboy]

The Z370 mobo doesn't support DDR3 so no choice settle for DDR4. Ok so I guess I'll target 2400 Mhz and only if price difference not much will I get higher (since no noticable speed difference can be felt for daily usage).

So what brands are more popular (due to warranty/reliability/value for money etc reasons) and should I care about the CL rating?

 

[MoneyFace =p]

RAM: Klevv CRAS 2 DDR4-3000 CL15 16GB Dual Channel Kit [White LED] @ $220^

^Price after 12% max cap $32 off Lazada 12.12 Online Revolution coupon [TBA on 12 Dec only]

 

[Koenig168]

So what brands are more popular (due to warranty/reliability/value for money etc reasons) and should I care about the CL rating?

For the same speed, a lower CL is obviously better but again, I won't worry too much about it as long as it is CL16 or lower (for up to 3200MHz) . I have no particular suggestion as to brand, whichever has the better deal.

 

[MoneyFace =p]

For the same speed, a lower CL is obviously better but again, I won't worry too much about it as long as it is CL16 or lower (for up to 3200MHz) . I have no particular suggestion as to brand, whichever has the better deal.

I think price is now a more critical problem than all the niffy spec differences.

 

[vodaboy]

In a way good to know generally, so when comparing can also have better idea. Meaning if a certain model is priced around same price as the next higher model, then might as well get the higher model one?

Ok so now so far bearing in mind to self to look at min 2400mhz and CL16 or lower (for up to 3200MHz).

Now any particular brands are recommended or to avoid? Although after research it seems all are lifetime warranty. Is it just down to price then?

 

[Krabs.]

the mhz divide by CL .... you get 150 to 200 ... the higher the better if within reasonable price ... because the difference to CPU performance is very small

example 2400/14 = 171
3000/15 = 200

 

[hlots123]

similar to wat Krabs posted; "first word" latency examples:
15/2133 x2000 = 14ns
13/2666 x2000 = 9.75ns

when skylake (using ddr4) reviews came out, majority showed relatively lackluster gaming perf - iirc most used 2133 cl15
yet some like sites like digital foundry showed nice gaming gains - iirc they used 2666 cl13

so guessing, if possible maybe target 10ns, maybe 11-ish
if possible, avoid those closer to 14ns...

 

[Raiser94]

Can try get klevv ram 16gb 3000mhz for 249?

My current system has lasted me a long time and I felt it is now time to upgrade some components. Few months back I had decided on Asus ROG Strix Z270G with i5-7500. But now with the new 8th Gen Intel chips released, it's probably more worth it to get the newer Asus ROG Strix Z370G with i3-8100 at similar performance and also for better future proofing. Besides many shops in Sim Lim doesn't sell the Asus ROG Strix Z270G anymore.

The area I need help with is on the RAM. I'm just so lost with the various brands, speeds (This mobo supports 2133 MHz and above) and CL rating. I do know that I want a DDR4 2x 8GB set, but other than that I have no clue what to buy. Could anyone provide me with suggestions and insight into purchasing RAM please?

 

[vodaboy]

the mhz divide by CL .... you get 150 to 200 ... the higher the better if within reasonable price ... because the difference to CPU performance is very small

example 2400/14 = 171
3000/15 = 200

similar to wat Krabs posted; "first word" latency examples:
15/2133 x2000 = 14ns
13/2666 x2000 = 9.75ns

when skylake (using ddr4) reviews came out, majority showed relatively lackluster gaming perf - iirc most used 2133 cl15
yet some like sites like digital foundry showed nice gaming gains - iirc they used 2666 cl13

so guessing, if possible maybe target 10ns, maybe 11-ish
if possible, avoid those closer to 14ns...

Thanks guys! That's very useful information and insight into the specs.

Can try get klevv ram 16gb 3000mhz for 249?

I'm so used to seeing Corsair, G.Skill, Crucial, Kingston...is this brand good? Another chap had also suggested this previously.

 

[watzup_ken]

I think its an odd decision to get an i3 and pair it with a high end Asus motherboard though. The board is definitely way overkill for an i3 that can't be overclocked, and I am not sure how future proof it will be considering that a Z390 will be released next year for the purpose of their top end 8 core chips. With Intel, there is nothing call future proof since they always force people to change their motherboard every year or 2.

 

[Koenig168]

The Strix is more mid-tier than high-end.

In any case, I bought an i3-8100 to go with my Gigabyte Aorus Gaming 7 so not that unusual a pairing.

 

[Neptunes43]

To be fair, Z370 boards gives the possibility of a CPU upgrade. That said, since 2018 is round the corner it might be wiser to wait out for the lower tier boards to have a better pairing.

But it's all up to you bud; this is your rig.

I think its an odd decision to get an i3 and pair it with a high end Asus motherboard though. The board is definitely way overkill for an i3 that can't be overclocked, and I am not sure how future proof it will be considering that a Z390 will be released next year for the purpose of their top end 8 core chips. With Intel, there is nothing call future proof since they always force people to change their motherboard every year or 2.

 

[klap_hanz]

Don't pair a i3-8100 with a Z370 motherboard lah...

Use a 8700K or 8600K to unlock the full over clicking potential of the Z mobo..

Or u can wait for H370 or B360 mobos next year..

U can also buy AMD Ryzen 1700 with X370 or B350 mobos, Amazon and Newegg have some pretty amazing budget deals for BF this year. Going the AMD route will be alot cheaper than going with Intel and performance tradeoff is not that high too...

 

[vodaboy]

I think its an odd decision to get an i3 and pair it with a high end Asus motherboard though. The board is definitely way overkill for an i3 that can't be overclocked, and I am not sure how future proof it will be considering that a Z390 will be released next year for the purpose of their top end 8 core chips. With Intel, there is nothing call future proof since they always force people to change their motherboard every year or 2.

I see... so gone are the days of mobo lasting more than 1 gen? Like the Z270 could use both 6th and 7th gen intel cpus. Okay maybe not so much of a future proofing in terms of upgrades then but it should last me many years since they are the latest models.

Don't pair a i3-8100 with a Z370 motherboard lah...

Use a 8700K or 8600K to unlock the full over clicking potential of the Z mobo..

Or u can wait for H370 or B360 mobos next year..

U can also buy AMD Ryzen 1700 with X370 or B350 mobos, Amazon and Newegg have some pretty amazing budget deals for BF this year. Going the AMD route will be alot cheaper than going with Intel and performance tradeoff is not that high too...

Haha for now no plans to OC. I decided on i3-8100 cos I don't feel that the price difference justifies the upgrade given that I'm not going to OC and non-hardcore use.

I need a mATX mobo and choices seem limited, Z mobo seems to offer better built quality, expansion slots etc