What 32GB kit is actually the sweet spot for a 5900X build right now?
Ive built plenty of AM4 systems but keep seeing conflicting info on fclk stability for 3600 vs 4000mhz and its driving me nuts. Trying to stay under $100 for this video editing rig Im finishing this weekend in Oregon... what timings should I prioritize?
Like someone mentioned, fclk is a gamble. Be careful and I would suggest Kingston FURY Renegade 32GB DDR4 3600 CL16 because 4000mhz usually needs pro level manual tuning.
honestly after years of building these am4 workstations i can tell you stability is king when you are mid-render. real quick though, which motherboard are you planning to drop this into? over the years i've noticed some b550 boards have better trace routing for high speed memory than older x570s but even then 4000mhz is a lottery. if the infinity fabric isnt 1:1 with the ram speed your latency actually goes up and performance drops... definitely not what you want for editing. i always steer people toward high quality 3600mhz kits with tight timings. something like the Kingston FURY Renegade 32GB DDR4 3600MHz CL16 is usually bulletproof. or maybe look at Mushkin Redline Lumina 32GB DDR4 3600 CL16 if you want to save a few bucks. staying at cl16 gives you that snappiness without pushing the voltage to scary levels that might crash your system at 3am.
Honestly, be careful with those 4000mhz kits. I tried pushing my 5900X that high once and just got constant blue screens because the FCLK wouldnt stabilize. It totally sucked. For under 100 bucks, you might want to consider:
To add to the point above: it's honestly a shame that 4000mhz is still such a headache on Zen 3. I've had issues with higher clocks myself and it's just not worth the trade-off in stability for a work machine. Since you're doing video editing, you definitely want that 1:1 ratio without crashing mid-render.
i'm super happy with the 3600mhz kit i got. it works well without any fclk headaches, and i've had no complaints. definitely stick to 3600 for a smooth experience, you'll be satisfied.
Re: "honestly after years of building these am4 workstations..." - you're totally right about stability being king. honestly its ridiculous how much effort we have to put into just making sure our memory doesnt crash the whole system. i've been trying to build my first editing rig and it's been such a letdown. i really wanted to trust the marketing for those high-speed kits but it feels like a total scam these days. companies just slap a flashy heatspreader on a box and charge a premium, but when you actually try to hit the advertised speeds... nothing. unfortunately it's not as good as expected anymore. i had issues with a supposedly high-end kit recently that just wouldnt cooperate. the binning feels like a complete lottery and it drives me crazy that we're basically beta testing for these brands. quality control has gone downhill while prices stay high. it's so frustrating when you just want a reliable machine without all the drama.