Which Speed for 64 gigs of ram? AMD

[Yoshiii335]

Hello,

What speed ram DDR5 is good for 2x32 gig ram sticks for AM5, 6000, 5400,5200?

 

[ir_cow]

6000 will be the max supported on a lot of Motherboards for dual rank or 4x single. I think 5200 will be the safest though. It comes down to if you are willing to change the freq if 6000 doesn't work.

Edit: I should clarify it's more to do with the limitations of the CPU IMC, but often motherboards that have tested so far (even the expensive ones) struggle with anything above 6000 and that goes for single rank as well.

 

[OkieDan]

Pick a motherboard and then check its RAM QVL, for best experience anyhow. I'm using non QVL kit and all is ok except for long boot times associated with AM5 platform.

 

[Dr. Dro]

For Zen 4 (Ryzen 7000 series) the sweet spot considered is 6000 MHz. If you want to strictly abide by the CPU specification, it can go as low as 4800 MHz depending on how many memory ranks are filled and how many DIMMs are installed. But this is ultraconservative and utterly unnecessary, just buy 6000 MHz sticks that support AMD EXPO if you want it easy going, and like ir_cow said, if you bought 4 sticks with a lot of capacity, just be willing to knock the frequency down a little and you're golden.

Pick a motherboard and then check its RAM QVL, for best experience anyhow. I'm using non QVL kit and all is ok except for long boot times associated with AM5 platform.

Following RAM QVL is unnecessary and in most cases actively undesirable as the QVL is almost never updated to reflect changes in memory IC supply or advances in memory technology.

There's not even a reasonable guarantee that any given kit in a motherboard's QVL will work because of product revisions, not to mention that availability of these earliest models will exhaust after some time. If you want to have bad memory that just happened to be available when the motherboard was being developed - buy something on the QVL.

 

[ir_cow]

Here is the shady thing about ALL QVL lists. They are arcuate for the in-house binned CPU, using special BIOS and or with a unhealthy amount of voltage. I use the lists for reference, but chances are the highest freq on the list won't work for your standard retail setup. Its a stupid marketing war between vendors. One says they support something higher and that company gets a sale....

 

[OkieDan]

Here is the shady thing about ALL QVL lists. They are arcuate for the in-house binned CPU, using special BIOS and or with a unhealthy amount of voltage. I use the lists for reference, but chances are the highest freq on the list won't work for your standard retail setup. Its a stupid marketing war between vendors. One says they support something higher and that company gets a sale....

I pretty much use it for a reference as well, hence the kit I have. I probably should have purchased a cheaper Hynix kit and OC'd it, but fiddling with RAM settings with this AM5 boot time would drive me mad trying to dial in settings. I'm still running default 6000 mt/s @ CL30 XMP profile until boot times are better or I'm feeling extremely bored.

Still, when a platform is new it doesn't hurt to recommend buying something off the QVL, especially to someone asking the type of question the OP is, if nothing more than peace of mind that the MBD MFG will say anything other than "try a different kit from the QVL list" when you try to get support for RAM issue you know/believe is an issue with their board. Once you have a second system so that you have a different RAM kit to test with to back up your suspicions it makes it somewhat easier to recommend buying something off the QVL. I've called Gigabyte myself and was basically given the cold shoulder when complaining about long boot time and looking for suggestions to boot up faster. They kept telling me to buy a kit from the QVL and they refused to entertain the idea that there was a way to speed up boot times without getting a new kit. Fortunately this forum has you and others like you. You yourself helped me find the setting (Context Restore) that Gigabyte support failed to suggest even as a "try at your own risk"... nope, their only real "solution" was to throw away another $500 for a 2x32GB kit from the QVL.

I've always had pretty good luck with RAM just working myself. I've mixed various different speeds and capacities from differing brands with no issue, but we're only talking one system every 2-4 years on average for the past 30+ years or so. TBH, the only time a RAM issue really kicked my ass was before I had internet and I didn't have a MBD manual to know I needed to change DIP switches when I added some SIPP RAM to a 386. I think I was supposed to change a DIP switch to specify I was using non-ECC RAM or something, as it was a "system parity error" IIRC. Years after that problem was fixed by a computer store I eventually sold that 3MB of SIPP RAM to a company in the Computer Shopper magazine for $27!

 

[ir_cow]

We are spoiled now because I remember having to wait about 5 minutes from my computer to boot up back in 2000.

As for MSI, Gigabyte, ASUS and ASRock, they all have a quick boot function now. It keeps the training from the previous boot. Time goes from 45 to 15 sec. Just have to enable in the BIOS.

 

[pavle]

Indeed, look at qualified RAM list of your motherboard manufacturer and pick the most frequently found speed there (it will not be the highest) and you'll be fine (stability).

 

[Yoshiii335]

Indeed, look at qualified RAM list of your motherboard manufacturer and pick the most frequently found speed there (it will not be the highest) and you'll be fine (stability).

The speeds it lists or there is a list of ram for it?

We are spoiled now because I remember having to wait about 5 minutes from my computer to boot up back in 2000.

As for MSI, Gigabyte, ASUS and ASRock, they all have a quick boot function now. It keeps the training from the previous boot. Time goes from 45 to 15 sec. Just have to enable in the BIOS.

Does it matter XMP or EXPO?

 

[Braegnok]

Hello,

What speed ram DDR5 is good for 2x32 gig ram sticks for AM5, 6000, 5400,5200?

As stated above it depends on the limitations of your CPU IMC.

I would recommend going with an AMD EXPO kit if your running AM5 system.

G.SKILL F5-6000J3040G32GX2-TZ5N Trident Z5 Neo kit would be my choice. https://www.gskill.com/product/165/393/1665020366/F5-6000J3040G32GX2-TZ5N-Overview

 

[ir_cow]

Does it matter XMP or EXPO?

Not that I found.

 

[GerKNG]

Zen 4 is in 9/10 cases limited by the IMC.
i'd just buy a 6000 kit and if it's unstable drop it to 5800 or 5600.

 

[pavle]

The speeds it lists or there is a list of ram for it?


Does it matter XMP or EXPO?

For example Gigabyte: you just go to "support" (while on your chosen mainboard page) and "memory list" and for this case I chose Aorus Extreme X670E and most of the memory listed is 4800MHz.
EXPO is AMD tech of mem overclocking, so should be better, as Braegnok said a few posts above.
Whether you choose XMP in your BIOS afterwards is up to you, but if the memory is running hot, it will surely lower its useful life.

 

[Dr. Dro]

For example Gigabyte: you just go to "support" (while on your chosen mainboard page) and "memory list" and for this case I chose Aorus Extreme X670E and most of the memory listed is 4800MHz.
EXPO is AMD tech of mem overclocking, so should be better, as Braegnok said a few posts above.
Whether you choose XMP in your BIOS afterwards is up to you, but if the memory is running hot, it will surely lower its useful life.

?

Memory is supposed to run a little warm. It works best that way. Sure I don't mean *hot*, but a little warm, it even helps with adjusting its refresh period setting.

Also QVL = nonsense, you don't need to follow the QVL at all, reasons both I and ir_cow brought up, it's a marketing contest and little more. DDR5 4800 is bottom of the barrel DDR5, it's about equivalent to DDR4 2133 or DDR3 1066, it's supposed to work regardless of configuration because it's such a low, default speed.

 

[AusWolf]

Hello,

What speed ram DDR5 is good for 2x32 gig ram sticks for AM5, 6000, 5400,5200?

Depends on the motherboard, depends if the sticks are dual rank or single rank, depends on the IMC quality of your specific CPU.

As a rule of thumb, 2x single rank DIMMs are usually fine up to 6000 MHz. Sometimes above. Consult the motherboard's product page. You'll see something like this:

(this is the MSi Pro B650M-A WiFi)

 

[ir_cow]

Technically just like Intel, mostly everything are all unsupported "overclocks".

AMD official support

Max Memory Speed
2x1R DDR5-5200
2x2R DDR5-5200
4x1R DDR5-3600
4x2R DDR5-3600

 

[Yoshiii335]

6000 will be the max supported on a lot of Motherboards for dual rank or 4x single. I think 5200 will be the safest though. It comes down to if you are willing to change the freq if 6000 doesn't work.

Edit: I should clarify it's more to do with the limitations of the CPU IMC, but often motherboards that have tested so far (even the expensive ones) struggle with anything above 6000 and that goes for single rank as well.

For Zen 4 (Ryzen 7000 series) the sweet spot considered is 6000 MHz. If you want to strictly abide by the CPU specification, it can go as low as 4800 MHz depending on how many memory ranks are filled and how many DIMMs are installed. But this is ultraconservative and utterly unnecessary, just buy 6000 MHz sticks that support AMD EXPO if you want it easy going, and like ir_cow said, if you bought 4 sticks with a lot of capacity, just be willing to knock the frequency down a little and you're golden.



Following RAM QVL is unnecessary and in most cases actively undesirable as the QVL is almost never updated to reflect changes in memory IC supply or advances in memory technology.

There's not even a reasonable guarantee that any given kit in a motherboard's QVL will work because of product revisions, not to mention that availability of these earliest models will exhaust after some time. If you want to have bad memory that just happened to be available when the motherboard was being developed - buy something on the QVL.

I pretty much use it for a reference as well, hence the kit I have. I probably should have purchased a cheaper Hynix kit and OC'd it, but fiddling with RAM settings with this AM5 boot time would drive me mad trying to dial in settings. I'm still running default 6000 mt/s @ CL30 XMP profile until boot times are better or I'm feeling extremely bored.

Still, when a platform is new it doesn't hurt to recommend buying something off the QVL, especially to someone asking the type of question the OP is, if nothing more than peace of mind that the MBD MFG will say anything other than "try a different kit from the QVL list" when you try to get support for RAM issue you know/believe is an issue with their board. Once you have a second system so that you have a different RAM kit to test with to back up your suspicions it makes it somewhat easier to recommend buying something off the QVL. I've called Gigabyte myself and was basically given the cold shoulder when complaining about long boot time and looking for suggestions to boot up faster. They kept telling me to buy a kit from the QVL and they refused to entertain the idea that there was a way to speed up boot times without getting a new kit. Fortunately this forum has you and others like you. You yourself helped me find the setting (Context Restore) that Gigabyte support failed to suggest even as a "try at your own risk"... nope, their only real "solution" was to throw away another $500 for a 2x32GB kit from the QVL.

I've always had pretty good luck with RAM just working myself. I've mixed various different speeds and capacities from differing brands with no issue, but we're only talking one system every 2-4 years on average for the past 30+ years or so. TBH, the only time a RAM issue really kicked my ass was before I had internet and I didn't have a MBD manual to know I needed to change DIP switches when I added some SIPP RAM to a 386. I think I was supposed to change a DIP switch to specify I was using non-ECC RAM or something, as it was a "system parity error" IIRC. Years after that problem was fixed by a computer store I eventually sold that 3MB of SIPP RAM to a company in the Computer Shopper magazine for $27!

If I put 128gigs (4x32gig ram sticks)DDR5 at 6000mhz, will the speed drop down because I am using 4 slots or will it stay the same? If it does drop down, what will it affect as far as speed and what programs I use?

 

[AusWolf]

If I put 128gigs (4x32gig ram sticks)DDR5 at 6000mhz, will the speed drop down because I am using 4 slots or will it stay the same? If it does drop down, what will it affect as far as speed and what programs I use?

RAM speed does not "drop". What could happen is that your system might be unstable and/or not boot unless you lower your RAM speed in the BIOS manually.

But it does not correlate with memory size. What matters is the number of ranks per stick, and the number of sticks per channel.

 

[ir_cow]

If I put 128gigs (4x32gig ram sticks)DDR5 at 6000mhz, will the speed drop down because I am using 4 slots or will it stay the same? If it does drop down, what will it affect as far as speed and what programs I use?

You might be the only one on TPU that will have 128GB of DDR5. It will be unknown territory. My guess is that 4x 32GB will not work above 5200 for the current CPUs. This is based on how 4x single rank acts already. Also be prepared for 2-3 minute boots times.

Will it affect the programs you use? Impossible to say without actually testing it. Generally though, the reason for more ram is to use the programs without running out of system memory, so you have no other choice.

Vague answer I know.

 

[OkieDan]

If I put 128gigs (4x32gig ram sticks)DDR5 at 6000mhz, will the speed drop down because I am using 4 slots or will it stay the same? If it does drop down, what will it affect as far as speed and what programs I use?

From what I understand Ryzen 7000 series IMC is unlikely to work with 4 dual rank dimms @ 6000 mt/s. IIRC, this video covers the issue (don't feel like watching it again to verify).

That doesn't mean you won't be able to use 6000 mt/s 128GB on a current board using a future AM5 CPU that has a better IMC.

 

[ir_cow]

It will work at 3600 because that's what AMD official supports

 

[AusWolf]

It will work at 3600 because that's what AMD official supports

It might work at a higher speed as well, depending on motherboard choice, but I wouldn't count on it.

 

[ir_cow]

I gave in and bought a second 64GB Hynix-M kit. Not to bad $280.

 

[AusWolf]

I gave in and bought a second 64GB Hynix-M kit. Not to bad $280.

That's a really good price. Let us know how it goes.

 

[OkieDan]

I gave in and bought a second 64GB Hynix-M kit. Not to bad $280.

That's a really good deal! I'd imagine even the cheapest kits out there would get similar max speeds due to the IMC, albeit with worse timings and little savings.