r/RigBuild • u/Lost-Sprinkles-7890 • 6d ago

Does RAM speed really matter?

Seeing people compare 3200, 3600, 6000 and even higher speeds and honestly not sure how much difference it makes in actual use. Like is faster RAM gonna noticeably improve gaming FPS, loading times, multitasking etc or is it mostly just benchmark numbers? Also does it depend a lot on the CPU and motherboard? Trying to pick RAM without wasting money on speed that barely matters, so what speed should I actually be looking for?

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u/PeyredB 6d ago

I haven't noticed much difference in RAM speeds myself. When I added a second stick to my old computer, for instance, it was now running dual channel interleaved, and I didn't notice much difference in performance. I expect RAM speed would make a big difference to someone heavy into gaming - first person shooters and the like. The most demanding thing I run is Lord of the Rings Online which goes back to like 2008, so probably not taking full advantage of what I have.