U.2 and DDR4

[bdrmachine]

I’m planning on building a new pc using a Gigabyte’s AX370 Gaming K7 motherboard and a AMD Ryzen 7 1800x cpu. It has been 5 or 6 years since I last studied up on a pc build so I’m a little out of touch with the latest hardware. I have seen a few articles claiming that Ryzen cpu’s see large speed benefits with the use of faster memory. I would like to use 2 16gb ddr4 memory modules. Are all ddr4 memory modules compatible with this motherboard? Is there any true speed advantage in using ddr4 3400 or 3600 over ddr4 3200?

My new motherboard has a small square connector labeled U.2 Can someone please point out what type of connectors / cable I need and which ssd’s support this u.2 port. The board also has a 110mm m.2 connector but the location makes it difficult to remove / replace any drive without removing my gpu’s so I would rather not use it. Is there a cable that allows this drive to be relocated?

 

[Darren]

First off, I'd save some money and get the 1700X over the 1800X the clock speed difference is pretty negligible and you can easily overclock to match or even beat the 1800X. I even overclocked my 1700 to out perform a stock 1800X, and at the time of purchase there was a 170 dollar price difference.

Ryzen does benefit from faster memory, although I wouldn't go out of my way to spend a bunch of money on anything above 3200MHz.

RAM support is still kind of hit or miss. Some boards play nice with certain kits better than others. People usually advice going with Samsung B Die sticks, meaning Samsung manufacturer and only have RAM modules on one side. For whatever reason they seem to have better compatability, or so the internet seems to think. Usually any kit that is 3200MHz with CAS 16 will be Samsung B Dies. That's what I have and they run way better than my last set. GSkill and Corsair are my preferred RAM brands. Something like the GSkill RipJawV or Corsair Vengeance (several varieties) with 3200MHz and CAS 16 are good bets.

M.2 slots are usually tucked away as you only need to access them once to install the drive.

 

[Intel_man]

U.2 drives aren't as common as M.2 drives. I believe Intel's 750 series use the U.2 connector unless you get the full PCI-E card version.