Which RAM and processor is better?

LeeMaher92

Hey guys, currently putting together my first ever gaming pc, I’ve got most parts for the actual rig except for the processor and ram. I was going to purchase both this week but then I noticed some special offers and upcoming stock on amazon and was wondering if anyone could advise me which is better;
AMD Ryzen 5 2600 or AMD Ryzen 5 2600x? (There’s about €30 in the difference on price)
In terms of ram I’ve had the Ballistix Sport LT (8gb x2) on my shopping list for a while for around €100 but I saw that there is currently a huge discount on the Corsair Vengeance LPX (8gb x2) kit. (Also €100)
So what do you guys think;
2600 or 2600x?
Ballistix Sport or Corsair Vengeance?

K.O.Kiki

2600X has a better stock cooler & higher guaranteed clock; it's also more likely to hit 4.2GHz than the regular 2600 due to better binning.

Regarding RAM, they're all practically equal unless you're trying to overclock higher than factory.
As long as it's 3000MHz and CAS CL15 or CL16 you won't notice in-game.

LeeMaher92

So guess I’ll fork out the extra €30 for the 2600x!
As far as ram is concerned the Corsair Vengeance LPX is 3000mhz but there is no sign of mhz on the Ballistix, it says that its 2666mts? So I’m guessing that means the Corsair is superior? Also this might be a major noob question but how do I know if my pc should use 32bit or 64bit Windows 10 pro?

TerrorFirmer

Faster ram speed is better, eg 3000mhz vs 2666mhz, just remember to actually set that speed in the bios, it may default to lower.

2600X is better than 2600 if you're not overclocking.

That said, a 2600 + 2666mhz v 2600x v 3000mhz isn't going to make or break your system, the gains from the latter would mostly be evident on a monitor >60hz.

Inviere

TerrorFirmer wrote: »

Faster ram speed is better, eg 3000mhz vs 2666mhz, just remember to actually set that speed in the bios, it may default to lower.

True, mine did this on a new build over the weekend. Had to set the XMP profile manually in the bios to achieve the full ram speed.

LeeMaher92

Monitor I’m getting is a 2k dell with freesync technology and running at 144hz so what would be best to go with that 2600 + 2666 or 2600x + 3000??

TerrorFirmer

At 144hz, to be honest Intel is better. 9600K or 9700K. Ryzen is a great processor for 90% of cases but 144hz is that rare exception where Intel is noticably superior.

If you can't afford/justify Intel, then 2600X, whack the best OC you can on it, and the fastest ram the board will support.

K.O.Kiki

Disagree with ya there TerrorFirmer.

Ryzen 2600/2600X gives you more budget for GPU which would make you more likely to hit 144fps

e.g. 2600X + B450 mobo is €300-odd, while a 9600K, heatsink & decent Z390 board are €450-470.

TerrorFirmer

I would disagree. Though you are right on some level. It really depends on the GPU. If the build is a RX580 class build, then absolutely.

But if you want the best out of 144hz and have the budget for it, Intel is your only option.

I had a 1700X and 1080Ti, switched to 9600K and 1080Ti and it was night and day in terms of min and avg framerates, min in particular.

But I would agree that if it's an average build with a RX580/GTX1660/etc, then it does make more sense to get a 2600X and pump the money into the best GPU going.

Dcully

8600K or 8700K are the best bang per buck options for 144hz gaming if you want max frames without breaking the bank imho.

LeeMaher92

The mobo I chose is the b450 and the gpu is the rx580.. So you guys all agree that in order to actually use the monitor to its full capacity with that gpu and mobo I’ll be needing an 8600 or 8700k i5 cpu?

Lu Tze

LeeMaher92 wrote: »

The mobo I chose is the b450 and the gpu is the rx580.. So you guys all agree that in order to actually use the monitor to its full capacity with that gpu and mobo I’ll be needing an 8600 or 8700k i5 cpu?

That's an AMD motherboard, Intel chips like those two won't work with it.

LeeMaher92

Any suggestions for a good compatible mobo that I wont need to upgrade for a while?

K.O.Kiki

Ignore those buffoons & play with what you have.

When you feel the need to upgrade, swap out the RX 580 for a more powerful GPU.

LeeMaher92

K.O.Kiki wrote: »

Ignore those buffoons & play with what you have.

When you feel the need to upgrade, swap out the RX 580 for a more powerful GPU.

So you would suggest I don’t change anything at all? 😛

wotzgoingon

I agree with K.O.Kiki. The AMD build will last a good few years and you will always be able to prolong the longevity in the future by upgrading to a Zen 2 CPU. Not when Zen 2 is released but maybe a year after release when they will be even cheaper.

They are looking to be pretty amazing CPU's.

Venom

wotzgoingon wrote: »

I agree with K.O.Kiki. The AMD build will last a good few years and you will always be able to prolong the longevity in the future by upgrading to a Zen 2 CPU. Not when Zen 2 is released but maybe a year after release when they will be even cheaper.

They are looking to be pretty amazing CPU's.

Exactly. The difference in FPS between those Intel and AMD systems mentioned above, when gaming at 1440p is 1-3 FPS in Intel's favour at the very best and at 4k is going to be solely down to the GPU in 99.999% of games. The real world cost is when you go to upgrade the Intel CPU, a new motherboard is pretty much a guaranteed requirement.

LeeMaher92

Thanks so much to everyone for the tips and advice, think I’ll stick with the Ballistix ram, 2600 cpu and b450 mobo for now, come the end of the year I’ll start tweaking the build if it needs it!!

On another note; how do I know whether my pc will need 32 or 64 bit windows 10?? And why the hell is it £70 for windows 10 pro on amazon but its €240 at my local pc store?!?

K.O.Kiki

32-bit: 4Gb RAM limit
64-bit: 16'000'000'000 Gb RAM limit

I'd go with 64-bit

FYI you don't need to buy Windows 10.
Download it from Microsoft here: https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/software-download/windows10
Install & skip activation.
It will work; Microsoft don't care anymore

LeeMaher92

K.O.Kiki wrote: »

32-bit: 4Gb RAM limit
64-bit: 16'000'000'000 Gb RAM limit

I'd go with 64-bit

FYI you don't need to buy Windows 10.
Download it from Microsoft here: https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/software-download/windows10
Install & skip activation.
It will work; Microsoft don't care anymore

Nice!!
Is that the version of windows that leaves the watermark in the bottom right corner? As much as I love free stuff seeing the watermark constantly would trigger my OCD within a few weeks haha

TerrorFirmer

LeeMaher92 wrote: »

The mobo I chose is the b450 and the gpu is the rx580.. So you guys all agree that in order to actually use the monitor to its full capacity with that gpu and mobo I’ll be needing an 8600 or 8700k i5 cpu?

Not with an RX580. It's a good 1080p card, OK 1440P card, but not really a 144hz card unless you're playing esports titles.

With an RX580 the processor really won't matter.

Exactly. The difference in FPS between those Intel and AMD systems mentioned above, when gaming at 1440p is 1-3 FPS in Intel's favour at the very best

Not on a 144hz monitor. Intel has a pretty big advantage, but only when you have a good GPU. Obviously on a normal 60hz monitor there is no difference.

K.O.Kiki

LeeMaher92 wrote: »

Nice!!
Is that the version of windows that leaves the watermark in the bottom right corner? As much as I love free stuff seeing the watermark constantly would trigger my OCD within a few weeks haha

It's supposed to leave a watermark, but my current install hasn't (knock on wood)

You can get cheap OEM keys online, too. I don't like 'em but the option's there.

Lu Tze

K.O.Kiki wrote: »

It's supposed to leave a watermark, but my current install hasn't (knock on wood)

You can get cheap OEM keys online, too. I don't like 'em but the option's there.

I temporarily had win10 pro on a machine, and it did have a watermark. I'm not sure if you could keep the pro version going indefinitely without activation

LeeMaher92

TerrorFirmer wrote: »

Not with an RX580. It's a good 1080p card, OK 1440P card, but not really a 144hz card unless you're playing esports titles.

So what kind of mobo, processor, gpu combo would I need to be considering to get the most out of the monitor?

jme2010

LeeMaher92 wrote: »

Nice!!
Is that the version of windows that leaves the watermark in the bottom right corner? As much as I love free stuff seeing the watermark constantly would trigger my OCD within a few weeks haha

I bought a windows 10 digital key on Amazon for 5 euro. Worked perfect. I would never pay for windows in the past but hey, when you can go legit for 5 bucks, what the hell.

wotzgoingon

jme2010 wrote: »

I bought a windows 10 digital key on Amazon for 5 euro. Worked perfect. I would never pay for windows in the past but hey, when you can go legit for 5 bucks, what the hell.

That's not a legit key....

Skerries

How To Get Windows 10 For 'Free' In 2018

https://www.forbes.com/sites/ianmorris/2018/01/26/how-to-get-windows-10-for-free-in-2018/#24e946395145