Is my DDR3L RAM a possible bottleneck for my rig?

[Iggy Wolf]

At the time I bought my prebuilt PC (it was an office desktop computer that came with an i5 6400, 8 GB of RAM etc. The ASUS M32CD line to be exact), it was good in terms of RAM, but since my motherboard unfortunately doesn't support DDR4 RAM, I wonder if my current 16 GB of DDR3L RAM that's 1600 mhz bottlenecks my i5 and RTX 2060 Super. I honestly would love to get DDR4 RAM, if only my mobo supported it. I'm guessing RAM that's 2400 mhz can only be DDR4?

[r.linder]

It'll have a noticeable impact in a number of games, yes. It shouldn't be massive if you're using the integrated graphics though since it'll never perform very well.

DDR3L can go up to 2400, but your motherboard has to support such a frequency, and your motherboard shouldn't support any memory OC so you're stuck with whatever XMP profile is available.

Keep in mind that the 4 core/4 thread i5 will also hold you back in some instances because of its low thread count in some newer titles as well as its low frequencies which can't be changed due to the fact that it's a locked CPU. 8GB RAM is a minimum for newer titles as well, especially when Windows 10 is installed because the OS itself can use 2~4GB easily. Having extra RAM (i.e. 12~16GB+) could be useful if you're always running close to using all 8GB and can't run all of your programs at the same time as a result.

[Illusion of Progress]

DDR4 has higher frequency but higher latency as well relative to DDR3. As that chip supports both, you can probably look up and see if anyone has tested it. There were Core 2 platforms in the time crossing from DDR2 and DDR3 that supported both (I have one of the latter) and the performance difference often wasn't big between them if I'm remembering right (at least in games) and that was in the days of FSB still being a thing. I'd be surprised if it had a meaningful difference on your CPU; a difference, sure, but you can gain a lot just by having faster DDR4 versus slower DDR4 so it's probably not explicitly your RAM type that is going to limit you.

[Magma Dragoon]

Now way would a prebuilt contain a motherboard with the added cost and flexibility of DDR3 and DDR4 slots. 2400mhz DDR4 is poverty tier. The bottleneck is the everything except the video card.

[GOD RAYS ON ULTRA™]

im running slow ram and my pc is so strong it can do digital gymnastics.

[Decathect]

Originally posted by Iggy Wolf:

prebuilt PC

Into the trash it goes.

[Bad 💀 Motha]

The real issue is not the ram itself, but the CPU, which is way too low end for todays games.

Any PC not using DDR4 should basically go into the trash, be recycled, or simply be used for other tasks other then gaming; speaking from a stand-point of a modern Gaming PC. Simply because anything older then a 8th Gen i7 w/ DDR4-3200 is basically too low end to continue to use for todays more demanding games; if that happens to be your aim. Not every new game will be extremely demanding but many AAA titles will be.

[Iggy Wolf]

Nice to see the PC elitists always ready to come out and trash my PC, or any PC for that matter that isn't running an i7/i9 10th generation and RTX 3090. I merely asked about my RAM, not some self-serving opinion about my rig. I'm well aware of where my i5 stands in relation to today's CPUs, but "trash" is a little bit extreme. I guess if you think anything less than an i9 10900K is trash, then your opinion doesn't hold much "serious weight".

[Bad 💀 Motha]

Not to trash, it depends if its good enough for you.
But going off of the basis of todays games or demanding games from even going back to around the release of GTAV or Rise of Tomb Raider; your specs are way too low end. Your GPU is fine for 1080p. Your CPU however is not even good enough for that GPU, it will hold your GPU back. And 8GB RAM hasn't been enough since around 2012-2014, especially if gaming + multi-tasking on Win10.

Sadly you bought into a trash PC from the start. As no one should have purchase a 6th Gen Intel based PC that uses DDR3, without having an understanding that you can't upgrade it.

If you have a DDR4 Motherboard, you'd be able to update the BIOS and stick a 7th Gen CPU in there, such as 7600K or 7700K. DDR3 1600 isn't really holding back your i5-6400 though, as its about the same bandwidth as DDR4 2133/2400. But then again, DDR4 motherboard based chipsets do allow for faster data transfers by design also.

Only upgrade path that makes sense is to go buy an all new...
Motherboard (such as Intel Z390 based board or better; or AMD AM4 B550/X570 based board)
New CPU
DR4 3200 (such as 2x 8GB kit)
New ATX Case
and if need-be, a new ATX Power Supply; such as Corsair CX750M or similar.
You can re-use your GPU and any Drives you have; but you may want to do a clean install of latest Windows 10 64bit (make a fresh USB media using MS Media Creation Tool in order to get latest build of this OS so you can install the latest OS fresh from the start and not install an old one). Then re-use your Product Key; as long as its not from brands like Dell, HP, Lenovo. If its from a custom builder like CyberPower or iBuyPower; they just use OEM System Builder keys, which can be re-used; unlike major OEM brands which use cheap bulk keys from MS that can only be used per Motherboard and never on another Motherboard.

[Iggy Wolf]

I'll let my rig decide what's considered "low end" and what's not. Sure, by today's standards, if someone isn't rocking an i7/i9 9th or 10th generation, and a 2080 Ti at least, it would seem "low" but you and I have VERY different definitions of what's considered "low end". I'm not trying to play the newest and latest games at 4K, so already I don't give a ♥♥♥♥ what's considered "low end" and "high end" with regards to 4K and 1440P.

If other people want to game at those resolutions and at 120-144 FPS, that's THEIR prerogative. I was VERY CLEAR in my question about ONLY asking about my RAM. I wasn't asking for anyone's opinion about how strong my rig is. I've been around on these forums long enough to remember some member's names and their previous comments/responses about my rig, so don't think I don't remember you and some other people ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ on it even before it became dated.

Without context and knowing what games I play and at what resolution, how could you say or know where my rig stands in terms of performance? The ONLY thing you'd be correct about is my CPU, and even then, only because my mobo is OEM and I can't upgrade it without changing out the mobo as well. Doesn't mean the i5 isn't good on its own terms and for what it does do. It's just not gonna be running Cyberpunk at 4K anytime soon, and I'm ok with that.

Needs vs wants is what matters more. I could go ahead and buy an HP Omen prebuilt with an i7 10700K, RTX 3080, 16 GB of DDR4 2400 RAM and 512 GB SSD, but I'm sure SOMEONE would still find a way to ♥♥♥♥ on that CPU. As least you aren't telling my GPU is trash cause it isn't an RTX 2080 Ti. Also, I have 16 GB of RAM. I added RAM since I bought it. I think I was clear enough in my comment if people had good READING COMPREHENSION skills.

[Bad 💀 Motha]

Put it this way, you might as well be using an FX-6300; which again is sub-par for Gaming on any remotely demanding game from the last 5 years; and isn't strong enough of a CPU to allow a RTX 2060 to be able to run at its full performance.

Sorry I missed where you said you had 16GB of RAM. So yea given everything you have, your CPU is the biggest culprit as far as what if anything is holding back your PC from doing well at basically anything aside from low demanding games. Games that can use your RAM well and your GPU well wont be able to because your CPU is sorely lacking.

[Iggy Wolf]

Originally posted by Bad 💀 Motha:

Not to trash, it depends if its good enough for you.
But going off of the basis of todays games or demanding games from even going back to around the release of GTAV or Rise of Tomb Raider; your specs are way too low end. Your GPU is fine for 1080p. Your CPU however is not even good enough for that GPU, it will hold your GPU back. And 8GB RAM hasn't been enough since around 2012-2014, especially if gaming + multi-tasking on Win10.

Sadly you bought into a trash PC from the start. As no one should have purchase a 6th Gen Intel based PC that uses DDR3, without having an understanding that you can't upgrade it.

If you have a DDR4 Motherboard, you'd be able to update the BIOS and stick a 7th Gen CPU in there, such as 7600K or 7700K. DDR3 1600 isn't really holding back your i5-6400 though, as its about the same bandwidth as DDR4 2133/2400. But then again, DDR4 motherboard based chipsets do allow for faster data transfers by design also.

Only upgrade path that makes sense is to go buy an all new...
Motherboard (such as Intel Z390 based board or better; or AMD AM4 B550/X570 based board)
New CPU
DR4 3200 (such as 2x 8GB kit)
New ATX Case
and if need-be, a new ATX Power Supply; such as Corsair CX750M or similar.
You can re-use your GPU and any Drives you have; but you may want to do a clean install of latest Windows 10 64bit (make a fresh USB media using MS Media Creation Tool in order to get latest build of this OS so you can install the latest OS fresh from the start and not install an old one). Then re-use your Product Key; as long as its not from brands like Dell, HP, Lenovo. If its from a custom builder like CyberPower or iBuyPower; they just use OEM System Builder keys, which can be re-used; unlike major OEM brands which use cheap bulk keys from MS that can only be used per Motherboard and never on another Motherboard.

I actually already have a Corsair 750M. I got it when I needed to replace my old failing PSU because it was a cheap Thermaltake crappy 550. And I was thinking of getting a new PC, but honestly, I hate having to reinstall ♥♥♥♥. I figured I'd still use my old PC while installing any of the newer games on my new one. And I'm not much into PC building.

That's why I considered the prebuilts. Whatever opinion other people may have about them is their business. I don't make those choices just because OTHER people don't like them. Gaming for me is a hobby. I don't care for PC building. Never did. I only ever bought the parts necessary to give me the performance I'm looking for.

Having top of the line parts was never on my checklist. I also game on my Xbox, and I'm sure some PC gamers on here might have something to say about that, but I don't care. And sadly, my mobo is OEM, and so my Windows 10 OS is locked to it.

[Illusion of Progress]

I get your frustration OP. Sometimes the Steam hardware forums are quick to call something out as unworthy of some given task if it's below some given metrics. Some people have high standards, which is ABSOLUTELY okay, but they don't realize not everyone has the same.

I get the idea of not suggesting users to buy quad cores anymore. When someone is BUYING something, they are not going to want it to need to be replaced soon, so it's often advisable to suggest buying at or even above what is good now, which tend to be 6 core/8 core CPUs.

It's a different story for someone already USING something. Anyone still on a quad core CPU today (unless someone bought one in the 8th generation or later) is probably aware of its age, and is probably aware of its limitations, and is either dealing with it until they can replace it, or maybe it's shockingly still working for them. I upgraded from my Core i5 2500K, a SECOND GENERATION quad core without SMT, not merely because of CPU, but more because of RAM; 16 GB wasn't enough for me anymore. This may shock people, but because of the combined fact of Intel stifling core count for so long, and developers naturally needing to multi-thread more (this doesn't happen magically just because the cores are there), it took many years before some people felt like they needed more, even if a growing number of games exist that CAN use more. Even for many of those, quad cores STILL play well, just not at as high of frame rates.

It's good and all to recommend/push to for hex core or greater CPUs as a safe catch-all for those in the spot of buying today, but saying anything on DDR3 and/or with less than 6 cores can't do games is definitely false. It absolutely depends on the games being played; people usually upgrade according to the Golden rule, and as they should, which is "upgrade when what you own isn't doing what you want it to do (fast enough)", not "oh no, quad cores are out and octo cores are in, so I better replace it solely for that". That's wasteful.

@OP, again, you'll have to look up and see if any tests were done on the generations of CPUs (like yours) that could use DDR3 and DDR4, and see how much performance differed. Traditionally, it varied, but I don't think your RAM type alone is holding you back much. Certain things definitely saw gains with the increased raw bandwidth, but with things like games, the increased latency usually made it more of a tradeoff (and not all games behave the same so some might see big gains and some next to none at all).

[Iggy Wolf]

Originally posted by Illusion of Progress:

I get your frustration OP. Sometimes the Steam hardware forums are quick to call something out as unworthy of some given task if it's below some given metrics. Some people have high standards, which is ABSOLUTELY okay, but they don't realize not everyone has the same.

I get the idea of not suggesting users to buy quad cores anymore. When someone is BUYING something, they are not going to want it to need to be replaced soon, so it's often advisable to suggest buying at or even above what is good now, which tend to be 6 core/8 core CPUs.

It's a different story for someone already USING something. Anyone still on a quad core CPU today (unless someone bought one in the 8th generation or later) is probably aware of its age, and is probably aware of its limitations, and is either dealing with it until they can replace it, or maybe it's shockingly still working for them. I upgraded from my Core i5 2500K, a SECOND GENERATION quad core without SMT, not merely because of CPU, but more because of RAM; 16 GB wasn't enough for me anymore. This may shock people, but because of the combined fact of Intel stifling core count for so long, and developers naturally needing to multi-thread more (this doesn't happen magically just because the cores are there), it took many years before some people felt like they needed more, even if a growing number of games exist that CAN use more. Even for many of those, quad cores STILL play well, just not at as high of frame rates.

It's good and all to recommend/push to for hex core or greater CPUs as a safe catch-all for those in the spot of buying today, but saying anything on DDR3 and/or with less than 6 cores can't do games is definitely false. It absolutely depends on the games being played; people usually upgrade according to the Golden rule, and as they should, which is "upgrade when what you own isn't doing what you want it to do (fast enough)", not "oh no, quad cores are out and octo cores are in, so I better replace it solely for that". That's wasteful.

@OP, again, you'll have to look up and see if any tests were done on the generations of CPUs (like yours) that could use DDR3 and DDR4, and see how much performance differed. Traditionally, it varied, but I don't think your RAM type alone is holding you back much. Certain things definitely saw gains with the increased raw bandwidth, but with things like games, the increased latency usually made it more of a tradeoff (and not all games behave the same so some might see big gains and some next to none at all).

See, and I get that. I mean, I admit to anyone whenever I ask about my rig that my 4c/4t i5 is dated. I don't deny that. I think what sucks for me is that whenever I want to upgrade my mobo and CPU, I have to reinstall everything. I'd really like to know if there was a way, and why there isn't already a method, of using my old harddrive with a new mobo and CPU. I hate reinstalling all my games and mods.

Seems to me that transferring at least games or cloning a harddrive and installing it on a new mobo shouldn't require reinstallation unless the OS is tied to the mobo. But it seems like whenever one needs to change the mobo, reinstallation is necessary regardless. My current HDD has only 355 GB left even though it's a 3 TB hard drive, and unfortunately the mobo doesn't support more than 3 TB. So I have my reasons for probably needing to upgrade in the future eventually. Just wish I didn't have to reinstall everything to do so.

[Illusion of Progress]

Originally posted by Iggy Wolf:

See, and I get that. I mean, I admit to anyone whenever I ask about my rig that my 4c/4t i5 is dated. I don't deny that. I think what sucks for me is that whenever I want to upgrade my mobo and CPU, I have to reinstall everything. I'd really like to know if there was a way, and why there isn't already a method, of using my old harddrive with a new mobo and CPU. I hate reinstalling all my games and mods.

To be honest, you probably could (though YMMV). You'll have to give it a new legit product key if the one you're using is OEM and the board changes, but the installation itself might just carry over.

When I was upgrading hardware, I didn't get my Windows 10 key until a couple of weeks after, but newer hardware doesn't often work with Windows 7. So I didn't want to overwrite my old Windows 7 install just yet, and so I stole the SSD from my laptop and made a temporary Windows 10 install. Well, when putting my old platform back in, I accidentally forgot to change the SSD back to my Windows 7 one. So, my Asus B550/Ryzen 7 3700X installed Windows 10 OS were now booting on my Asus P8Z68-V Pro/Core i5 2500K. The thing literally just booted up, grabbed a few drivers, and was freak'n ready to go. Surprised the heck out of me. In the Windows 9x/Windows XP days, this was almost unheard of.

It's usually recommended to do a fresh install when changing board, but... between this and cloning, you can probably at least TRY and get away with it, and then reinstall only if you have to. That Windows 7 install of mine I just gave up last year? It dates back to 2011. I simply cloned it from the original HDD to an SSD in 2012, and then again sometime in, uh... 2019 or so.

[Bad 💀 Motha]

You don't need ANY key to use Win10, ever, done and over with. No one is required to buy a key for that OS, ever.