More RAM or Faster RAM?

[NIBARR]

I am building a computer that is a combination for my Video Editing Software and Gaming. Most of the programs I run is based on single-core speed so I picked myself up a 8086K. Since it seems KSP is more based on speed than core quantity, this CPU seems to do. Now about the RAM, does KSP benefit more from a larger quantity or faster ram? Cost is not too much of an issue, I just want to squeeze every ounce of power for my epic BDA battles and space missions when I feel like it.

[Gordon Fecyk]

Don't skimp on RAM, or you'll regret it when the next big piece of software gets released. When I built for KSP I went with 32 GB, which was the most one could cram onto a consumer board at the time. Be careful on RAM speeds; your board choice is going to affect that more than your processor choice will. Board manufacturers will often certify certain RAM parts, so stick with what the board manufacturer says will work with it.

I've had KSP exceed 8 GB regularly but never exceed 10 GB. But at the same time I have NVidia Share running, which consumed some RAM as well. I also tend to build for reliability instead of speed, so I gave up on the xxxxK processors and went with a non-overclockable version of the same thing. In my case I went from the i4771K to the i4770 on the same board. Of course that was four years ago, and now I feel old.

Don't skimp on the power supply either. Those 80 Plus Platinum PSUs cost more because they work better. Back in 2014 Intel was picky about what PSUs would work on Z87-based boards and their Gen4 CPUs because they had lower tolerance for under-voltages and poor sleep-mode behaviour. I doubt they're any less picky these days.

If possible, get a decent SSD to run your OS and KSP on. If you're careful you could get away with 250 GB but I went with 500 GB because of temporary storage for video captures. I regularly offload my captured video to a hybrid 4 TB drive, though I'm no expert on which ones of those are better. I used to keep a RAID-0 array for raw storage plus File History to an external hard drive because I figured I'd get more speed out of the spinning rust, but that only gave me a PC-sized space heater. A single large drive is just as adequate, as long as you keep File History running on it.

And ignore those that say to disable this built-in service or disable that built-in kernel driver or what-have-you. That too will bite you in the long run when you install something else you'll need in the future. Assuming this is Windows 10, it runs KSP just fine without its built-in stuff getting in the way.

Edited October 5, 2018 by Gordon Fecyk

[Ultimate Steve]

 

29 minutes ago, Gordon Fecyk said:

When I built for KSP I went with 32 GB, which was the most one could cram onto a consumer board at the time.

Meanwhile I'm stuck over here with 8GB.... I need to get myself some more!

[Geonovast]

I haven't done any benchmarks, but I recently went from 32 GB of 2400mhz to 32 GB of 3600mhz (Although I haven't been able to get it to run faster than 3200 yet).  I only played a little bit of KSP, but it seemed to act normal.  Hopefully once I get my new hardware all tuned in I can do some flat-out comparisons with 2400 vs 3600.

Remember that you need a board that can OC it and a CPU that can handle it as well.  I didn't know squat about Memory overclocking until I per-emptively bought the hardware and then started researching it.

I'm pretty sure I know less now.  There's a lot to it.

But really, going from 2133 or 2400 to ~ 3600 isn't that much more cost-wise.  If you know how to OC Memory at all, get the faster stuff anyway.  When I got my 32 GB 3600 kit, it was like $10 more than the same brand-model 32 GB 2400 kit.

[Gargamel]

53 minutes ago, Gordon Fecyk said:

Be careful on RAM speeds; your board choice is going to affect that more than your processor choice will.

This is the major issue.  It's been a while since I played around with this, but a board limits you to what speeds of RAM you can use, so you have to plan way in advance for this.  Then if you pick a type of RAM that ends up not having a long commercial life, it may become very difficult/expensive to upgrade later. 

But it terms of KSP, more RAM vs faster RAM, More RAM means it will run, faster RAM means it might run, but faster. 

[NIBARR]

Thanks for the info, I can assume that having large quantities of fast RAM would be the best for running KSP. I am thinking of buy 32 GB of 3200 sticks and upgrading to 64 GB later. I have 12 GB of ancient RAM on my current workstation and a dinosaur Xeon and it runs extra slow. When I build my new PC, I will have the i7-8086K as my processor, an NVMe M.2 SSD for the OS and my Programs, a separate NVMe for files of videos I will work on for slightly faster data transfer but will retain my GTX 1060 Ti 6GB. I hope to upgrade to an RTX when it gets cheaper. I am looking for a motherboard to maximize speed and I have a friend that can help me build and OC the Processor, GPU, and RAM. In terms of the Power supply, should I go 80 Plat or 80 Titanium for what it is building up to?

[Gargamel]

23 hours ago, NIBARR said:

80 Plat or 80 Titanium

Get the platinum.   It costs more. 

But seriously, a good power supply is a good power supply.   The quality of electrons  coming out of it are not affected by the various shiny gizmos they come marketed with.  Your main concern is if it supplies enough power for what you are asking it to power.  There are worksheets online that will let you determine how much power you need.   Make sure the connectors match up.   I've manually rewired a couple different power supplies, and it's not fun.  I would never want to do that with a new one.    Get a quality manufacturer, and check the reviews to make sure it's reliable.  Other than that, the only difference between power supplies are the shiny gizmos.  A power supply is something you don't need to spend a lot of money on, but make sure you don't skimp and get the proper one. 

[Nich]

I do not believe a consumer titanium supply exists.  I read that someone just made one that meets titanium specs for servers.  The larger the power supply the easier it is to get a better rating.  So would probably need 1600W at a minimum. I just bought a corsair 1000W platinum for my rig which requires 739W at peak load