Everybody has heard about the criticality of RAM in a computer system. It is an essential part for any device to work effectively. One should never forget that selecting it isn’t enough – one needs to make sure they choose the right type if they want their system to run smoothly and without any complications whatsoever. For example, our tests showed us that there was a notable difference between running a machine with 2x16GBs or 4x8GBs of RAM at 3200MHz speeds; we were able to do many things at once without encountering bottlenecks and could multitask quickly due to its amazing performance capability.
Memory size and performance are both important considerations when purchasing a new computer. For instance, there may be many factors to consider – such as compatibility, price-to-performance ratio, and various aspects relating to hardware and performance levels (such as latency). But among the most overlooked concerns is often the speed or frequency of memory access – an aspect that can have a significant impact on overall system performance.
Hard drives and solid state disks store a lot of data, which the CPU processes quickly. RAM also stores information, but there are different types here than what you find in hard drives or SSDs. What are the signs that you need more speed?
A quick look at DDR4 RAM Speeds:
DDR4 is the newest type of desktop computer memory. It outperforms DDR3 considerably and ranges from 2133MHz to 4266Mhz or even higher. When going over 2400Mhz (which you are exceeding if you are using DDR4), be aware that this is considered an unofficial specification for this type of RAM.
To achieve higher clock speeds than what we already have, all you need to do is enter the BIOS or UEFI and enable XMP or DOCP respectively. This process is called overclocking RAM in order for it to operate at its actual advertised speed. However, before making changes, please make sure that your processor and motherboard are compatible with this type of overclocking.
Should I Be Concerned With RAM Speeds?
Higher RAM clocks are pointless when they can’t keep up with the data being fed in. This is why people have to find that sweet spot, where no matter how much speed you add, it won’t make things faster than they need to be – because everything after this point will just bottleneck the system instead of speeding anything up. I specifically remember having a problem with my RYZEN at first; for some reason, putting my memory over 2666 MHz made my computer crash every time I turned it on – so now I know not to do that again!
What is the effect of RAM speed on performance, returning to the original question? Yes, it does. It really depends on what you’re using your computer for– but sometimes even a small change can make a big difference for some people.
We will first examine the effects of RAM speed on gaming. A lot of video games don’t care about how fast your RAM is, but there are some that do. The higher quality and faster RAM you have will make you play these specific games better than before, especially if you have high-capacity and high-clocked RAM.
In regard to productivity, RAM performance can make or break one’s system. With video editing especially – systems with faster memory often finish rendering videos more quickly than those that are slower. Things like moving large files around seem much easier too when a computer has faster RAM installed; even if it is just by a small margin.
However, the price-to-performance ratio ultimately determines whether a product is worthwhile. From its stock frequency of 2133 MHz, there was a significant increase in performance from when you set it at 2666 MHz. Further, increasing this to 3200 MHz saw only a marginal difference in performance – so don’t go throwing away your money just yet!
Final Verdict:
As aforementioned, it all boils down to money and power. If you’re investing in an expensive new computer then go ahead and bump up the RAM speeds to 3200Mhz for a slight boost in performance; but for everyone else who doesn’t want to spend so much, we recommend upgrading different aspects of your computer instead – such as the graphics card or even the processor. With most mid-range computers, 2400Mhz or 2666Mhz seems to be a good pick – especially because bumping it up past that barely offers any improvement whatsoever.
