9800x3D Microcenter bundles with CL32 RAM or does CL 30 matter?

Posted by factorioman@reddit | buildapc | View on Reddit | 52 comments

I'm planning on building a computer soon with a 9800x3D and a 4080 for 1440p gaming. Right now the bundles are easily available near me while the bare CPU is not, so that's a consideration.

My 2 questions, summarized 1) How important is CL30 over CL32 memory. 2) If CL32 is fine, price aside is one of these motherboards considered much better than the other?

1) All the recs I've seen are for CL30 memory, but there are 2 bundle options (different motherboards) with CL32 memory. What kind of real-world difference is there? If it's not important I'd go with one of the bundles I can actually buy now, but I'm fine with waiting/paying more if there's some reasonable amount of performance lacking in CL32.

2) There's a $680 bundle ($200 over base cpu cost) with a ASUS B650-E TUF Gaming WiFi AM5: https://www.microcenter.com/product/5006964/amd-ryzen-7-9800x3d,-msi-x670e-mag-tomahawk-wifi-am5,-gskill-flare-x5-series-32gb-ddr5-5200-kit,-computer-build-bundle

There's a $730 bundle ($250 over base cpu cost) with a MSI X670E MAG Tomahawk WiFi AM5: https://www.microcenter.com/product/5006964/amd-ryzen-7-9800x3d,-msi-x670e-mag-tomahawk-wifi-am5,-gskill-flare-x5-series-32gb-ddr5-5200-kit,-computer-build-bundle

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op3l@reddit

The ram CL32 or 30 doesn't matter.Yes on benchmarks you will see some difference but it's negligible.

As for motherboard just go for the asus one. The b650 will be all you need unless you're doing hardcore video editing in which case you'll know what you need and won't be asking this question.

BTW overspending on motherboard is probably the no 1 mistake new builders make that ups the cost of the build for no gain whatsoever. You will not get more performance going with a X series board versus a B series for a typical gamer build.

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redFoxGoku2@reddit

Seeing as AM5 is new, wouldn't a better mobo with more ssd slots or features help make future upgrades easier?

I keep seeing people recommend cheap mobos, but for an extra $100 it seems like where no brainer to just get the more versatile board.

To repeat what you said, I am looking to make my first build and probably making a mistake.

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op3l@reddit

It really depends on the user. I had my last system for close to 8 years and in that time I really only added 2 SATA SSDs and that's about it.

The more expensive boards also have better power delivery which is needed for overclocking. But not many people bother with OC now or just use the auto boost so again not much need for these expensive boards.

If you need more than one m.2 slot you probably will already know. Plus with SATA SSDs being basically same in performance you can always just add those. They perform game loading time within 2 seconds for your typical gaming system.

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factorioman@reddit (OP)

Thanks!

_dharwin@reddit

Some resources I've enjoyed while considering the same bundles:

The memory included in the bundle can be overclocked using BuildZoid's timing. This will make it as good as the CL30.
x3d chips make less use of RAM which means memory timings are less impactful anyway.
When comparing motherboards, this was the absolute best resource I could find. Original source. Credit and appreciation to the author, r/h3h3productions
For a quick comparison, this image from a Hardware Unboxed video explains it all nicely.
When choosing a motherboard, the most important things to consider are 1) whether it has enough ports to connect all your peripherals, 2) if it has enough slots for your storage, and if you plan to overclock 3) the quality of it's VRMs.
A 4090 running in PCIe x8 (rather than x16) only loses a couple percent performance. That means it's basically (maybe actually?) impossible to over-tax your PCIe lanes. That means PCIe 5.0 is a premium feature you won't use when you build your computer now.

Just want to point out despite the name, the cheaper Asus motherboard is not a B650E board; the -E suffix is part of Asus's naming system. That means it's a regular B650 chipset with only PCIe 4.0.

I'm not sure how much this helps you decide but hopefully it gives you the resources to make your own decision.

Thanks! Microcenter went out of stock on the bundles before I was able to get by there, and they've since pulled the bundles entirely, which means now I'm picking across all mobos. Appreciate the links as I try to narrow that down.

KoldPurchase@reddit

The first bundle list this memory kit as part of it:
DDR5-6000 Flare X5

The "ideal" speed is 6200mhz with a CAS latency of 30.

That being said, if you compare the price, I think it's a pretty good deal, and the speed difference is not enough to matter.

As for choice in motherboard, there are a few features that could be useful in the X670E, and the MSI Tomahawk is a better motherboard (better VRMs) that the Asus Tuf gaming which is a more basic motherboard. For 50$ more, I would pick the MSI bundle.

jlchen94@reddit

Also good to note - the RAM as included in that bundle is not on the QVL for the Asus Tuf Gaming Motherboard so you potentially will have issues with enabling the EXPO profiles and cannot take advantage of the full speed.

Thanks for the info, appreciate it!

Euphoric_Wheel_4760@reddit

Short and simple, CL32 or CL30 makes no difference unless you are going for your best benchmark score.

Second, I would go with the MSI X670E. I have one for my 7950x3D and getting another one for my new 9800x3D.

BTW, both microcenter links are the same.

ChanceMeet3283@reddit

Cl30 or cl32 doesn't matter. Both are fast enough.

The x670e board has more PCIe lanes (for more SSDs) and has PCIe gen 5. The Asus board has only PCIe gen 4.0

Would like to point out that PCIe gen 5 or 4 doesn't matter for pure consumer uses as you'll never come close to using up all of it. Yes even with a 4090 working 100%.

It's kind of there as a future tech but this current build OP is doing will long be obsolete when we're at saturating PCIe gen 4 dates.

Nihilistic_Mystics@reddit

Here's my issue, I'm going to populate all the M.2 slots, reducing the GPU slot to PCIe 4.0 8x (that's correct for this board, right?). I tend to keep CPUs for quite some time, so I need to be sure a future Nvidia 6000 series or whatever isn't going to be choked by PCIe 4.0 8x.

AZGhost@reddit

I've populated all m2 slots on my Asus prime z790 board and it doesn't affect performance of my 4080 according to 3dmark. I'm right where I'm supposed to be on the graph for timespy. Gpu-z also shows pci-e x16 4.0 @ x16. So no affect.

sparkydoggowastaken@reddit

slight correction: we are fully maxxing out the use of the PCIE gen 4 connectors, just not on cards like the ones here. Theyre for server and mass data crunching purposes where the CPU GPU and RAM all talk to each other a lot.

PM-Your-Fuzzy-Socks@reddit

yes. not consumer. just like the guy said

but you could do it w a 4090, just not gaming. It requires more context, if the OP plans on maybe using it as a server or mining of some variety. gen 5 speeds may matter in some cases which you could achieve on the hardware we are talking about, which would use more context beyond “not purely consumer uses”

cyri-96@reddit

Though you cannot get more out of a 4090 with a PCIe 5.0 slot either because the 4090 is also limited to PCIe 4.0, tze 50 sieries will have PCIe 5.0 though

lejoop@reddit

But if the 4090 can max out the PCIE 4.0, then it’s not unlikely that the next gen or the one after can benefit from PCIE 5.0

farmeunit@reddit

We are talking specifically about gaming, per the OP…

groveborn@reddit

I build those. They're fun. 8 Optaine drives. Yeesh. Anywho.

murgador@reddit

It actually matters more for lower end cards because the 4090 isn't choked by VRAM nor will it be for like half a decade or more.

128bit bus cards choke and die on PCIE 3 for a good reason not to mention bad VRAM.

Yep, that's correct.

Thank you, I appreciate it!

CoffeeCakeLoL@reddit

Not true, B650E is PCIe 5.0 GPU lanes. (normal B650 is 4.0) It also has a 5.0 M.2 slot.

Spiritual_Deer_6024@reddit

You should be able to overclock it to CL30 anyways

Putrid-Flan-1289@reddit

You're talking nano seconds there. You will notice 0 difference.

Diedead666@reddit

better case timings helped my 3900x alot.

The only places CL32 is really gonna show a difference to CL30 is in benchmarking. If you're going for a Cinebench high score, sure, go for it. But in reality, your games run essentially the exact same, and a 10 minute video is going to render maybe 5-10 seconds faster. Hardly worth the extra cost. The only people this makes sense to me for are day traders, where nanoseconds really matter.

Phaazed@reddit

Someone else may know, but I assume the reason people say to buy a specific timing combination is to ensure you end up with a specific die of ram. There's only like 3 manufacturers of the actual ram chips, so you want the current best one for overclocking if you plan to overclock manually.

Fun-Psychology4806@reddit

It shouldn't make a big difference tbh. The bundles are good for value shoppers, just if you are into picking your own parts there are somewhat better ones to be had but they will cost you more.

Maironad@reddit

I went with the MSI bundle only because ASUS customer service has a terrible reputation right now. If that weren’t a factor for me, I would have taken the ASUS bundle.

Tryxster@reddit

CL32 is fine, you can always replace it down the line if you really wanted to.

1Fyzix@reddit

Its like comparing 200hp car and 201 hp

ssuper2k@reddit

5200 matters more, try to get 6000-6400MTs

you may as well sell the 5200 Ram it the bundle is cheap, and get 6k

damwookie@reddit

If you are happy to tweak they will likely be the same chips and do the same speeds.

jhaluska@reddit

CL30 vs CL32 is like a 1% difference in performance. It'll show up in benchmarks but you won't notice it in practice. I have found high end memory timings are the most expensive performance per dollar you can spend on a system.

EGH6@reddit

or you can do what i did, just went in bios and set the 32 to 30.... never had any issues

Matt0706@reddit

They should be able to put together whatever parts you want in a bundle.

AdogHatler@reddit

To the CL30 vs CL32. If it’s cheaper bcs of a bundle, get the CL32, there’ll be an imperceptible difference realistically.

Go cheaper on board and ram, use that for a better chair. :)

coolgaara@reddit

Actually saw a couple bechmark videos and there was no fps difference between them.

xYeahboiix@reddit

1-2 fps here and there maybe 5 or 6 in a memory sensitive game 🤷🏻‍♀️

Significant_Apple904@reddit

CL32 vs CL30 is not that different as long as you run them at 6000Mhz.

Because you have an X3D CPU, your system is not as sensitive to RAM speed anyway

Doesn't matter. Probably 1% or less difference between 6000 CL30 vs CL32.
I'd get the B650E board. For practical purposes it doesn't really make a differences. The extra PCIe lanes in X670E won't matter even if you bifurcate the lanes with tons of SSDs since nothing is even close to saturating PCIe 4.0 speeds. Maybe if you have some niche uses with multiple GPUs or something that would be helpful.

Thanks for your feedback!

Losing 10%+ performance on a 9800X3D is a big deal. Especially when it's very inexpensive component like RAM.

scene_missing@reddit

If I remember correctly x3d chips scale a lot less with ram due to all of the cache