ram size vs speed for 3d

passerby

in the process of priceing out parts for a new comptuer build and am trying to figure out what i would get the biggest gain from right now, maxing my mobo out and 32gb, but of a slower ram to keep the cost down, or getting just 16gb of something that clocks faster?

i can go up to 2133mhz on the 16gb, or 1600mhz for 32gb, and still stay within my price range.

Scruples

You might be better going for 16gb @2133mhz, because right now the prices are about the same. But, you should pay attention to the timings. Simply put, low latency 1600mhz ddr3 will outperform high latency 2133mhz ddr3.

The difference between 2133 and 1600mhz in very high ram bandwidth usage programs like Zbrush, Photoshop and Mari will be in the order of 4-5%, in most everything else the cpu will become the bottleneck and the performance will be identical (3ds max, xsi, modo, 3dcoat).

NoisyMonk

I'd offer the following concerns, assuming you're going for an i5/i7. It's been a little while since I've been in the market for hardware, so some of my info may be dated, you should research anything I point out.

-Are they both 1.5V? I believe this is fairly important for stability and overclocking.

-Did you check out Intel's list of approved RAM for your processor? I'm a huge proponent of stability over speed & hiccups. Last I check, the i5 2005K for example doesn't actually support over 1333mhz natively. You have to go into BIOS and overclock to anything 1600+. I believe this doesn't void your warranty, and is "supported" by Intel.

-Whats the timing (CAS Lag) on both? I'm assuming there is a tradeoff (higher frequency and lower timing on one, and lower frequency and higher timing on the other). Which is better is highly technical and debatable.

-Heat spreaders are going to be important for either. Make sure they come with them. I the same vein, if you're getting an aftermarket CPU cooler, make sure you're going to have space for both the ram and cpu heatsinks.

If all's fair and good, my suggestion would be the 2133mhz 16gb. This should be ample to run Max, Photoshop, UDK, and whatever else you want at the same time. Also, you can always double up on that ram in 6-12 months if you feel you need it.

The real question is whether or not you're getting a SSD?!

passerby

all of the ones i looked at run at 1.5v and got a cas of 10, and one had 9.

and im intending on using it with a Intel Core i7-3770K Ivy Bridge

NoisyMonk

I'm having a hard time finding the Qualified Vendors List for the i7-3770k. Really, you shouldn't have a problem with the RAM, more likely the MoBo. But as you can see here, 1333/1600 is the only "supported" frequency. But I've seen official documentation on overclocking RAM, can't remember what it was called though.

That's a beast of a CPU, so you'd better be planning on OC'ing it with a good cooler!

passerby

doubt i will bother overclocking the cpu at first, prolly will wait to close to the end of the computers lifespan, since i generally just want shit to work and be stable with as little messing about as possible.

so it seem 1600 is best with good timeing land latency