Is the I9 9900K overkill for music production?

[Kaine]

Got the EVGA SuperNOVA 850 G2 220-G2-0850-XR 80+ GOLD 850W Fully-Modular EVGA ECO Mode Includes FREE Power On Self Tester Power Supply
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product. ... 6817438018
Chose the Evga over the Corsair PSU as it had better user rating.

Good choice, I thought they'd end of life it, so good find. Shame the G3 that replaced it made a few less than stellar design choices.

Approved RAM = no headaches
Non approved = who knows?

Memory QVL's I'm afraid to say in practice aren't worth the paper they are printed on.

Most firms buy RAM components off the shelf. Namely the Controllers and the DIMM's themselves and it's the combination of those that is key. It used to be quite common to see identifiers like 7.9 on them somewhere which would indicate the manufacturer of the DIMMs (7) and the controller (9) and you could look up who made what, although this practice seems to have long since dropped off and more is the shame.

The problem is, is that the RAM makers tend to buy off the open market and their concern is meeting the spec's that is on the model, so CAS and clock timings. They don't really concentrate on keeping the components the same over any given batch, hell, I've seen sticks from the same delivery box come with components from multiple different suppliers.

That ultimately means that the chances are that the batch that the mainboard maker tested before the manual went to print 6 months ago, is very, very unlikely to be the same units that are on the market by the time you can physically purchase the board.

The are exceptions, in that some firms will build all the components themselves, although most of those don't tend to go all in on "performance" options. Samsung I guess is the obvious example here.

But then I cannot find any DDR4 3200 RAM manufactured by Samsung that is under $300.
The list of approved RAM.
https://www.gigabyte.com/us/Motherboard ... upport-doc

That's cause Samsung doesn't focus on overclocking memory. Unless you're doing a whole shed load of gaming or 4k video editing, there is little to no point going for RAM that far out of spec, you're just asking for compatibility issues for little to no real gains.

[HM]

Quickest ram for daw is not nessesary, but a good choice long term, I go for no less than 2x16gb kits, and fast, in case a good deal is available, this way I am free to use them and upgrade the kit with two more sticks later, who knows, maybe a Threadripper, or something else gets on the wishlist soon

[EnochLight]

That's cause Samsung doesn't focus on overclocking memory. Unless you're doing a whole shed load of gaming or 4k video editing, there is little to no point going for RAM that far out of spec, you're just asking for compatibility issues for little to no real gains.

^^ This, 1000%. ^^

Especially in DAW, the difference it makes is negligible and not worth the cost, IMHO.

[Kalamata Kid]

So I was looking to get 32MHz RAM for my Gigabyte Master motherboard. The Corsair RAM on the QVL was manufactured by Samsung. Well found some sticks but were very expensive. So now best to also look at RAM manufactured by Hynix, Micron or Nanya? Yes I understand not to totally depend on the QVL but will look a while more before I abandon it.

So look at 30MHz and lower RAM? Look at 18CAS?

[EnochLight]

So I was looking to get 32MHz RAM for my Gigabyte Master motherboard. The Corsair RAM on the QVL was manufactured by Samsung. Well found some sticks but were very expensive. So now best to also look at RAM manufactured by Hynix, Micron or Nanya? Yes I understand not to totally depend on the QVL but will look a while more before I abandon it.

So look at 30MHz and lower RAM? Look at 18CAS?

Just look at RAM that's in spec for your motherboard. You're making this way too complicated, man!

[Kalamata Kid]

So I was looking to get 32MHz RAM for my Gigabyte Master motherboard. The Corsair RAM on the QVL was manufactured by Samsung. Well found some sticks but were very expensive. So now best to also look at RAM manufactured by Hynix, Micron or Nanya? Yes I understand not to totally depend on the QVL but will look a while more before I abandon it.

So look at 30MHz and lower RAM? Look at 18CAS?

Just look at RAM that's in spec for your motherboard. You're making this way too complicated, man!

So I suppose you are saying no big deal who the manufacturer is. That does simplify matters. Thanks

[mitchiemasha]

Considering the i7 9700K exists... I would say a big YES!!! especially if you're getting 9700k for less than £400.

As for RAM on my new build. I wish I didn't pay the extra for the 3000 and saved a few £££ on buying 2666 with the tightest C... The 3000 was competitively priced but stability using the standard bios OC 3000 settings not good. Currently it's running at the 2666 default perfectly fine.

[Kalamata Kid]

Found reasonably priced RAM at $275 that was on the list
CMK32GX4M2B3200C16 ver5.39
CORSAIR Vengeance LPX 32GB (2 x 16GB) 288-Pin DDR4 SDRAM DDR4 3200 (PC4 25600) Desktop Memory Model CMK32GX4M2B3200C16R
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product. ... M2B3200C16+
But the ver5.39 in not noted on the newegg page.

Will look for more contenders.

But run the 3200 at lower MHz for the sake of stability?

[mitchiemasha]

So, if a Z390 motherboard supports 2 GPUs at 16x + 16x, then it uses a PLX chip.

Won't this be standard in most top end MB's? I'd imagine them offering 2x16 PCIe lanes as a huge feature. Personally I utilise integrated graphics. What impact will PLX have if we don't use these slots? Can we disable it or switch it to a different mode?

I watched the video. Any more info appreciated. Thank you.

[Kaine]

But run the 3200 at lower MHz for the sake of stability?

Why does it have to be 3200MHz rated stuff then? It only gets more fussy as you go out of spec.
Chances are you could buy any 2666MHz memory in the world and it's going to work, because that's the correct spec. And you'd save money.

(unless you've found 3200MHz kits for less than 2666MHz in your local, then I get it)

[EnochLight]

So I suppose you are saying no big deal who the manufacturer is. That does simplify matters. Thanks

Within reason, sure. I'm saying just as long as you're not buying some obscure crap dimms, you'll be fine if its within specs. Read user reviews for the RAM you're buying...

Why does it have to be 3200MHz rated stuff then? It only gets more fussy as you go out of spec. Chances are you could buy any 2666MHz memory in the world and it's going to work, because that's the correct spec. And you'd save money.

^^ THIS ^^

[Pictus]

Found reasonably priced RAM at $275 that was on the list
CMK32GX4M2B3200C16 ver5.39
CORSAIR Vengeance LPX 32GB (2 x 16GB) 288-Pin DDR4 SDRAM DDR4 3200 (PC4 25600) Desktop Memory Model CMK32GX4M2B3200C16R
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product. ... M2B3200C16+
But the ver5.39 in not noted on the newegg page.

Will look for more contenders.

But run the 3200 at lower MHz for the sake of stability?

This one have good price $249
https://pcpartpicker.com/product/7htWGX ... 0c15d32gtz
Was tested at
https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gs ... 441-2.html
Works with Gigabyte Z390
https://www.gskill.com/en/product/f4-3000c15d-32gtz

[Kalamata Kid]

Why does it have to be 3200MHz rated stuff then? It only gets more fussy as you go out of spec. Chances are you could buy any 2666MHz memory in the world and it's going to work, because that's the correct spec. And you'd save money.

^^ THIS ^^

3200 MHz RAM is what is generally suggested in the forums. It is the sweet spot for price?

Prefer RAM that is approved as my troubleshooting skills are not good so want to minimize the any potential problems. Yes I understand that the approved RAM of 2017 may not be the same in 2018. So I am trying to get the fastest RAM for the money but may be I should get slower as it will be more stable or get it to save money?

Also understand that RAM speed is not critical for us in music creation.

Thanks to all for the help and patience.
This will be my best specked PC I have made so far.

[Kalamata Kid]

Found reasonably priced RAM at $275 that was on the list
CMK32GX4M2B3200C16 ver5.39
CORSAIR Vengeance LPX 32GB (2 x 16GB) 288-Pin DDR4 SDRAM DDR4 3200 (PC4 25600) Desktop Memory Model CMK32GX4M2B3200C16R
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product. ... M2B3200C16+
But the ver5.39 in not noted on the newegg page.

Will look for more contenders.

But run the 3200 at lower MHz for the sake of stability?

This one have good price $249
https://pcpartpicker.com/product/7htWGX ... 0c15d32gtz
Was tested at
https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gs ... 441-2.html
Works with Gigabyte Z390
https://www.gskill.com/en/product/f4-3000c15d-32gtz

not sure how I missed your post.
Thanks, I appreciate the time you put into this.
I will check out you suggestion.

[Kaine]

3200 MHz RAM is what is generally suggested in the forums. It is the sweet spot for price?

It's the point before the gets batshit crazy, although the slower stuff still tends to be cheaper.

2666MHz is the offical rated memory controller speed on intel Z390 series chips.
3200MHz is the prefered opperating clock speed for the Zen chips, but then it's a different type of memory system in there.