Trying to pick specific DDR4...

[cautery]

Building my first desktop in a decade (went to laptops only for a while).

Need to pick the DDR4 RAM for this build:

ASUS ROG Strix Z370-I in a Corsair case
EVGA full mod platinum PS
INTEL I7-8086K cooled with a Corsair H105 (until I build a custom loop)
Samsung 970 PRO 1TB boot, Samsung 970 PRO 1TB second HDD.
4x SSD SATA in RAID 10 for data.
Eventually going to add a 1080Ti graphics card with dual 24"(+) ASUS monitors running on linear supplies.

Machine will serve multiple purposes to include running Hamshack, web dev, A/V editing/rendering/coding/business app support.... some gaming. Machine will also serve as a test bed for some product development/testing in the component areas.... cabling, cooling, RFI mitigation, et al.

Have to confess, I am woefully behind in current specs and tech on RAM.

Looking at G-Skill predominantly....

Don't want to overpay, but don't want to regret the choice either...
And I don't want the RAM to possibly hinder graphics or CPU performance/overclocking...

G-Skill makes a 3200 MHz, CAS14 part that looks like something I could live with... I don't mind tinkering with timings, et al.

Suggestions and reasoning?

 

[DrMrLordX]

What's your budget?

 

[cautery]

What's your budget?

Don't have a "Not to exceed" number.... Cost falls below 1) making sure I don't regret the choice and thus buying a whole new set of DDR4, and 2) not being the bottleneck in performance, 3) meets performance expectations.... additinonal stuff... x) Not so danged expensive that I get murdered by my spouse... because I WILL have to build a complete duplicate (plus lessons learned) as soon as she sees how much better this system will work for her than the Dell Latitude E6540 she's working on now.

 

[UsandThem]

https://www.gskill.com/en/configurator?manu=29&chip=3094&model=3137

Here are the kits G Skill says are compatible with your motherboard. It is in order of speed. I think some 3200 Cas 14 RAM wouldn't bottleneck anything. You can always go faster, but the price goes up, while the performance increase is relatively small.

You don't say how much RAM you want, but if you want 16GB, go with this kit:

https://www.gskill.com/en/product/f4-3200c14d-16gtz

If you want 32GB, go with this one:

https://www.gskill.com/en/product/f4-3200c14d-32gtz

 

[cautery]

https://www.gskill.com/en/configurator?manu=29&chip=3094&model=3137

Here are the kits G Skill says are compatible with your motherboard. It is in order of speed. I think some 3200 Cas 14 RAM wouldn't bottleneck anything. You can always go faster, but the price goes up, while the performance increase is relatively small.

You don't say how much RAM you want...

If you want 32GB, go with this one:

https://www.gskill.com/en/product/f4-3200c14d-32gtz

OK.... you are basically validating the conclusion I had come to... 3200 C14 seems to be the best balance...

And 32GB... maxed out.

Thanks!

 

[DrMrLordX]

Since this is an Intel rig: are higher-density DIMMs going to be an issue? I know Ryzen doesn't really like them all that much, but I think Coffee Lake can do a better job with 16GBx2 configurations.

 

[cautery]

Since this is an Intel rig: are higher-density DIMMs going to be an issue? I know Ryzen doesn't really like them all that much, but I think Coffee Lake can do a better job with 16GBx2 configurations.

In all of my reading on this board to date, there has been no mention of probs due to DDR chip densities.

 

[DrMrLordX]

In all of my reading on this board to date, there has been no mention of probs due to DDR chip densities.

It would have more to do with the IMC with the board. But if people are running DDR4-3200 CAS/CL14 with 16GB DIMMs then all the better.

 

[BonzaiDuck]

I don't completely understand why a RAM-maker would offer looser timings in RAM-kit models of the same speed, but they do, G.SKILL no exception. I settled on 3200 CL14 2x8 kits for my i7-6700K and Z170 rig. Starting with 16GB, I decided that I wanted ( not "needed") double that. G.SKILL explicitly told me they couldn't support (with RMA) using two kits of the same, even as they sell both 2x16 14-14-14 and 4x8 14-14-14. They told me that they'd support that configuration for RMA purposes if I were running the 3200 RAM at a lower speed like 3000 or 3100.

But I popped in a second 2x8 14-14-14 kit, and I only had to bump up the IMC or VCCIO a smidge, leaving it sufficiently below the recommended safe limit. Ran HCI Memtest 64 for 1000% coverage, and the two unmatched kits work fine.

The material in the previous paragraphs explains all aspects. For instance, with a twin "2 x X" kit, you can count on the ability to change CR to 1. Some G.SKILL kits could be run at CR 1 with 4 sticks -- which I did with DDR3 1600 @ 1866 with looser timings. I prefer G.SKILL for various reasons, even though there are other good RAM kits by other manufacturers.

 

[DrMrLordX]

I don't completely understand why a RAM-maker would offer looser timings in RAM-kit models of the same speed, but they do, G.SKILL no exception.

Binning, and in the case of DDR4-3200 kits, sometimes it's due to different ICs from different manufacturers. In the AMD Ryzen world, people have been hunting B-die for over a year, and more than one buyer has wound up with Hynix (DDR4-3200 CAS/CL16) ICs instead of Samsung b-die (DDR4-3200 CAS/CL14).

Once you go above DDR4-3466 or so, it's all Samsung, and the variations in CAS/CL are either due to differences in b-die and e-die, or due to binning of b-die ICs.

 

[BonzaiDuck]

Binning, and in the case of DDR4-3200 kits, sometimes it's due to different ICs from different manufacturers. In the AMD Ryzen world, people have been hunting B-die for over a year, and more than one buyer has wound up with Hynix (DDR4-3200 CAS/CL16) ICs instead of Samsung b-die (DDR4-3200 CAS/CL14).

Once you go above DDR4-3466 or so, it's all Samsung, and the variations in CAS/CL are either due to differences in b-die and e-die, or due to binning of b-die ICs.

I appreciate your patience and willingness to explain. Sometimes, I'm a little slow or post too hastily, but of course -- that explains it.

They're not going to throw away product that meets a lower standard, so they bin it and sell it for what it is.