What Is RAM Frequency And How It Effects System Performance

RAM frequency is a measure of the info switch charge between the RAM and the CPU. RAM velocity/frequency instantly impacts your system’s efficiency, particularly in case you are gaming or multitasking.

How RAM frequency works and the way this quantity impacts your system efficiency is a subject that even some intermediate PC customers have problem understanding. And that is precisely what I might be explaining on this article.

Understanding RAM Frequency

When you open an software, all information required to run the applying is loaded into the DRAM or Dynamic Random Access Memory. The CPU then accesses this information to run the applying. 

The velocity at which the CPU accesses the info within the RAM is your RAM frequency/velocity. RAM frequency is measured in MegaHertz or MHz.

Data on RAM are transferred in clock cycles. Older technology RAM can switch one unit of knowledge per clock cycle. For instance, if a RAM has a velocity of 400 MHz, it means it has 400,000,000 clock cycles per second and transfers 400,000,000 items of knowledge per second, relying on the info charge of the RAM.

These are conventional Single Data Rate (SDR) RAM and aren’t so widespread these days. Today, we largely use DDR reminiscence.

Double Data Rate (DDR) RAM 

A DDR RAM transfers two unit of knowledge per clock cycle, not like SDR the place a single information unit is transferred in a single clock cycle. This means double the switch charge, therefore the identify DDR.

With every technology of DDR reminiscence, the frequency additionally elevated considerably. Last Gen DDR4 reminiscence helps frequencies from 1600 MHz to 5333 MHz. Currently, we’re at DDR5 reminiscence. This reminiscence can help speeds from 3200 MHz to 6400 MHz. However, in the marketplace, you’ll probably see DDR5 mannequin ranging from 4800Mhz

The frequency talked about in your DDR reminiscence shouldn’t be its precise velocity. A DDR reminiscence runs at half its marketed frequency, the precise reminiscence velocity is measured at Mega-transfers per seconds.

So, you probably have a DDR4-3600 RAM . It is definitely working at 1800 MHz. But for the reason that information is transferred twice in a single clock cycle, the cumulative RAM velocity is 3600 Mt/s (Megatransfers per second).

Most, if not all, reminiscence modules in the marketplace are DDR reminiscence. However, you’ll be able to obtain even larger switch charge by pairing two equivalent reminiscence modules in dual-channel mode.

Why RAM Frequency Matters

Higher RAM frequency means information transfers between the CPU and RAM is quicker. So, you probably have a quick CPU, it will possibly entry information from RAM, course of it and provides an output a lot sooner.

So, given that you’ve got a sooner CPU that helps larger RAM velocity, a RAM with larger frequency will profit your total system.

However, this case solely happens when the CPU always requires information from RAM, or in technical phrases, when the system is working CPU intensive functions. If you don’t require a lot processing or use the PC only for informal desktop software, the distinction between the next and a decrease frequency RAM may not be noticeable.

CPU efficiency Depending on RAM frequency

To verify the efficiency change in CPU relying on RAM frequency, we carried out two take a look at on Geekbench 6. The system ran the DDR4 RAM first at 1300MHz and 2933 MHz on the second take a look at.

GeekBench runs a number of exams and instances how lengthy it takes for the processor to finish. Faster a processor finishes a activity, larger the rating.

The CPU was an AMD Ryzen 5 2600, a reasonably older CPU however this could not matter as we’re simply evaluating the have an effect on of RAM velocity on the ultimate CPU rating. And listed below are the ultimate rating.

Both in single and multi-core, CPU with RAM working at larger velocity finishes the GeekBench benchmark first. So, you see these larger quantity on RAM working at 2933 MHz.

Factors that Affects RAM Speed

First, RAM stick run at a set frequency, and no different issue modifications this velocity until you likelihood RAM velocity manually from BIOS. However, how briskly a RAM can reply to a request fully relies on reminiscence timings.

In your reminiscence module bundle you could have seen one thing like, DDR4 8GB 3200MHz CL 16. Here, CL means CAS Latency and it’s what impacts your RAMs efficiency essentially the most.

CAS Latency (CL)

CAS Latency or Column Address Strobe Latency is the time your RAM takes (in clock cycle) to entry particular information from its column and make it obtainable to switch to the CPU.

18 CAS or CL 18 means as soon as the reminiscence controller requests this information, the reminiscence takes 18 clock cycles to seek out the info from reminiscence chips and make the info able to switch.

Memory with identical velocity can include totally different CAS Latency. In such case, RAM with decrease CL performs higher than the upper one. A RAM working on 3600 Mt/s with CL 16 is all the time higher than a RAM stick working on 3600 Mt/s with CL 18.

Memory Stick Configurations

Memory configuration doesn’t precisely have an effect on your RAM frequency. However, it does change your most reminiscence bandwidth.

CPU and RAM makes use of two 64-bit channel to switch information. But, if the motherboard solely has one stick of reminiscence or the reminiscence configuration doesn’t match, it solely makes use of one 64-bit channel.

If it makes use of two 64-bit channel, information transfers in larger bandwidth, successfully growing your CPU efficiency. This requirement of using two 64-bit channel is met when two equivalent reminiscence runs on twin channel mode.

Again, this doesn’t improve RAM frequency. The frequency at which the info switch stays the identical. It will increase the bandwidth which permits more information to move in the identical frequency.

Using Memory with Different Speed and Timings

Using recollections with totally different velocity and reminiscence timings may even have an effect on the precise velocity of your RAM.

Say you may have a system with 8GB DDR4-3600 with CL 16 and a 8GB DDR4-2666 CL 18 reminiscence. In your system, each these RAM will run on 2600 Mt/s at CL 18.

Your system will mechanically use decrease of the 2 velocity and the upper timing values once you use two reminiscence module with variable velocity and latency.

XMP And Overclocking

By default, your reminiscence stick is not going to run on the marketed velocity. The reminiscence stick will solely have the ability to obtain this velocity once you allow XMP, or eXtreme Memory Profiles.

Enabling XMP permits customers to modify between RAM frequency. You can do that through BIOS. However, this doesn’t imply you’ll be able to set the XMP profile to the utmost worth. You first want to find out the utmost RAM velocity supported by the CPU and the motherboard.

If you set a XMP profile with RAM velocity larger than the one supported by CPU or the motherboard, the system will run into points when booting. So, you have to know the utmost RAM velocity for CPU and motherboard earlier than you set an XMP profile.

Once you employ the really useful RAM frequency, you’ll be able to overclock it to additional enhance RAM efficiency. In case of reminiscence, you have to decrease RAM’s reminiscence timings to overclock it.

Overclocking a RAM is a fancy matter, particularly in case you are performing it for the primary time. So, we suggest that you just comply with our in depth information on overclocking a RAM earlier than you overclock it.

How RAM Frequency Affects System Performance?

One motive the CPU slot and the reminiscence slot are positioned so shut collectively is to attenuate the bus size between them. This in-turn lowers CAS Latency.

Your system turns into more responsive and clean when it will possibly switch information to and from the RAM sooner. So, there isn’t a doubt that the RAM frequency impacts the system’s efficiency.

The essential query is would you’re feeling any distinction using a system with a decrease RAM frequency in comparison with a system with the next RAM frequency? Well, it relies on the kind of workload you carry out in your system.

For Normal Usage: Its extremely unlikely that you’ll really feel any distinction in case you are simply using the PC for informal desktop software utilization. The system will carry out high quality on frequency like 2400 Mhz even in case you are performing some mild multi-tasking.

If you’re a informal pc person, you’ll really profit from the next capability RAM reasonably than a sooner RAM. Having the next capability RAM permits you to retailer a number of lively packages, permitting you to concurrently run a number of desktop functions.

For Gaming: In phrases of gaming, the place frames are always being generated using information saved within the reminiscence, a RAM with larger frequency advantages and offers you with a clean gaming expertise and low latency. 

Considering you may have a quick CPU, gaming with the next frequency RAM means the CPU can entry information loaded into the RAM rather more shortly and course of them. This extremely makes a distinction as slower RAM means the CPU has to attend to fetch the info from the reminiscence. And this impacts the FPS.

If you might be gaming, RAM frequency of 2900 – 3600 Mhz ought to present you a clean expertise.

For CPU Intensive Task: If you might be streaming, rendering movies, or performing CPU-intensive duties typically, having a reminiscence with larger frequency makes a distinction of night time and day.

As we noticed with the Geekbench benchmark, our CPU carried out exceptionally properly when using the reminiscence with larger frequency. This interprets to CPU intensive activity as properly.

For these activity, its best that you just use RAM that helps speeds greater than 3600 MHz. Your CPU will carry out higher with larger RAM velocity, on condition that the CPU helps it.

Your CPU is designed to help as much as a sure RAM frequency. When your reminiscence module matches this RAM frequency, your CPU will have the ability to maximize its efficiency, which is totally vital in case you are performing a CPU-intensive activity.