Overclocking can be scary if you don’t know what you are doing.
Luckily there’s resources in place today to help, especially when it comes to memory.
This is DIY in 5!
Hey everyone!
Welcome to DIY in 5.
My name is Trisha Hershberger and it’s true that selecting the right memory for overclocking
your system can be tricky, even for the seasoned professional builder.
With so many options it can be overwhelming.
There’s so much to decide: price versus speed versus capacity, the potential limitations
of motherboards and processors, not to mention RGB versus non-RGB!
I kid - but still an important consideration depending on the type of look you want.
Today, we’ll go over how to select the right overclockable memory whether you are working
with a DIY build or pre-built desktop.
And if you find the information in today’s video useful, please feel free to give us
a like, subscribe to this channel and dingthat bell so that you don’t miss out on any future tech tips.
What is overclocking?
We covered that in previous video, so make sure you check out this one first if you are new to overclocking.
We cover topics like XMP, PnP, benchmarking, and cooling.
Now there are two main types of computer systems on the market, think big brand systems like
Dell / Alienware, HP, Acer, Lenovo, etc. and Build-your-own PCs – which include not only
the desktops you’ve personally assembled, but also those where you can choose all your
various components and have someone else assemble and ship it to you.
There are a lot of companies and even content creators that commission builds nowadays so
they have control over what components go into their systems, and the way it looks.
If you’re building your own PC or happen to have a rig with an off-the-shelf motherboard,
then selecting a kit becomes much easier.
Wait, what is a kit?
A kit is a pair or group of identical memory modules packaged and sold together.
These are designed to match the motherboard’s memory channel architecture.
Kingston’s website has a great Memory Finder tool which allows you to type in your motherboard
make and model via the Search by System/Device option to see a summary of your motherboard details.
When you find your model, review the specs of your motherboard, such as number of memory sockets,
memory channel architecture, and the maximum memory capacity supported.
Then, check out the Configuration Notes for important installation instructions.
Also note that Kingston FURY DRAM is is Kingston’s brand of memory that can be overclocked.
Should you go for speed or capacity?
While not mutually exclusive, higher capacity modules and kits tend to have the mid-range
speeds for DDR4, so let’s break it down.
What capacity should you choose?
When deciding, remember to match the number of modules with the motherboard’s memory channel architecture.
Most AMD and Intel PCs and laptops feature a dual channel memory architecture,
where you need a pair of matching modules for the best performance.
This pair gets plugged into the first socket of each memory channel, also called the first bank group.
Most desktop PCs have four sockets, arranged in two bank groups.
Some high-end systems feature a quad channel memory architecture, where a group of four
identical modules is required.
It is not recommended to only install one module, even if the motherboard manual says it will work,
the kits combine memory bandwidth to deliver the best performance.
Buying just one module now and adding another one later may also cause degradation or instability,
since the chips featured on each may be a little different, even if it’s the same spec or part number.
If you are looking for guidance of how much RAM you might want depending on your specific needs,
please feel free to check out this other video.
After you know what capacity you want for your system, you’ll need to what speeds are available.
For thrill seekers, on Dual Channel based systems, the best speed options will be found
in K2 kits, or a kit of 2.
A single K2 kit installed in the first memory bank is
the best configuration for locking in extreme, yet stable performance.
Lower capacity kits which use two 4GB, 8GB, or 16GB Single Rank modules
are generally better at hitting high speeds.
This is because timing is everything at extreme speeds.
When not overclocking, Dual Rank modules are the performance choice, as they interleave
memory accesses and outperform Single Rank versions by up to 15%.
But at extreme speeds, most motherboards cannot handle the interleaving ranks
and maintain high frequencies at low latencies.
The same logic applies for Quad Channel based systems, with K4, or kits of 4,
using 4GB, 8GB, or 16GB Single Rank (1R) modules
providing the best options for extreme speeds in the first memory bank.
It’s important to note that for Dual Channel systems we do not recommend installing
two K2 kits unless it’s a verified configuration on the Kingston website, or on the motherboard Qualified Vendor List.
If a K4 kit is listed on the Kingston website for your Dual Channel motherboard, it means
we or the motherboard manufacturer have tested this configuration and it is stable.
If you’re deciding on whether to buy a single K2 kit now and maybe another one later,
Kingston recommends the K4 kit, since the modules in the kit will be identical.
While it’s unlikely, if two K2 kits with different memory components are mixed,
the overclock might not engage or it might be unstable.
When overclocking, adding modules to the second bank of sockets of a Dual or Quad Channel system
places a heavy load on the CPU, specifically at high speeds and low latencies.
Ok!
I think that’s all the lessons I have foryou young padawan, before you go off to further your jedi studies.
Make sure to check out Kingston’s Memory Glossary
for a deeper dive into some of the terms we used in this video, link in the description.
If you have further questions, as always, feel free to leave them in the comments and
someone from our Kingston team will do their best to get back to you.
Also, if you have a topic idea that you’d like covered in a future episode, please make
sure to let us know that as well.
Alright, take care everyone, and see you next time with more DIY in 5.