OFFICE & HOME THEATRE
As we mentioned earlier, if all you’re
wanting to do is run office software
and browse the web, a single stick of
DDR4 4GB will do you just fine.
Unfortunately, that means you’ll be
forking out about 50 whole
smackeroonies for this 2,400MT/s kit
(sadly, that’s the state of affairs we’re
now faced with). Real-world latency is
pretty attractive, though, coming in at
12.5ns at CAS 15 – not that it’ll matter
for these kind of applications.HYPERX FURY 4GB (1X 4GB) @ 2,400MT/S, CAS 15 £35–£45
GAMING
16GB is ideal for future-proofing
yourself against the inevitable rise of
HD texture packs and unoptimised
AAA titles. Yes, devs should be
working harder on coding, rather than
the “can it run Crysis?” crapfest of a
mindset, but there’s not a lot we can
do to influence that. 2,400MT/s at
16GB is perfect under Intel’s platform.
Combine that with a CAS latency of
16, for around $170, and you’ve got a
fast (13.34ns) future-proof kit.CRUCIAL BALLISTIX SPORT LT 16GB (2X 8GB) @ 2,400MT/S, CAS 16 £164–£170
WOR KSTATION
Until memory prices change, 32GB is
the go-to spec we recommend for
anyone looking at the more expensive
workstation-oriented stuff. There’s
some good value kits out there –
Corsair’s Vengeance LPX series, in
particular, has long been a staple of
our high-end test benches. Again, as
Intel doesn’t benefit much from the
frequency side of things, 2,666MT/s
is a sweet deal for any would-be video
editor out there.CORSAIR VENGEANCE LPX 32GB (4X 8GB) @ 2,666MT/S, CAS 16 £350–£410
Feature
MEMORY MATTERS
THE RECOMMENDED SPECS
Right then, what do we recommend,
memory-wise, for your latest immersion
into the Intel platform? Well, given the vast
swathe of different setups and use cases out
there, we’ve categorised our selections into
three rather generic specs: one for run-of-the-mill office work, one specifically for
gaming, and one for creating grade-A
quality image or video content. It’s worth
noting that you don’t have to stick with the
brands we’ve highlighted – because
memory prices are fluctuating about ratherhaphazardly at this point, you’ll probably
find brands jumping in and out of being the
best value kit you can get depending on
when they refresh their lines. Stick with
trusted brands, such as Corsair, Crucial, G.
Skill, and HyperX, and you’ll be good.