COMPREHENSIVE MEMORY BENCHMARKING ON AM4 PLATFORM
It’s been a while since I’ve published something related to benchmarking.
So here we go then: a quick Aida64 post in which you can observe results of little RAM overclock and how it is influence overall computer performance. I’ve come to conclusion that table representation will be more transparent rather than screenshots of the benchmark software.
► HARDWARE CONFIGURATIONS
BENCHMARK TOOL: Aida64 v6.33.5700 [2021]
MOTHERBOARD: Gigabyte X570 Aorus Ultra [Bios: F34]
LOW-END PROFILE: Ryzen 3 3100 4-Core
HI-END PROFILE: Ryzen 9 9590X 16-Core
► SINGLE AND DUAL CHANNEL MEMORY MODES
Table demonstrates deferences between single and dual channel modes.
CPU/RAM timmings: Ryzen 3 3100 3800 Mhz 4-Core/16-18-18-35 [CL-RCD-RP-RAS]
RAM manufacturer: DDR4 Kingston 2667Mhz [it’s a pity, but i don’t remember precise model]
| Benchmark | 2800Mhz Single | 2800Mhz Dual | OC [+200 Mhz to CPU] |
|---|---|---|---|
| Memory Read | 21460 Mb/s | 39724 Mb/s | 39780 Mb/s |
| Memory Write | 21532 Mb/s | 22351 Mb/s | 22352 Mb/s |
| Memory Copy | 20769 Mb/s | 38926 Mb/s | 39059 Mb/s |
| Memory Latency | 85.7 ns | 85.7 ns | 84.3 ns |
| CPU Queen | 50130 | 50243 | 52714 |
| CPU PhotoWorxx | 14043 Mpix/s | 21717 Mpix/s | 21733 Mpix/s |
| CPU Zlib | 381.7 Mb/s | 375.9 Mb/s | 399 Mb/s |
| CPU AES | 34032 Mb/s | 34033 Mb/s | 35821 Mb/s |
| CPU SHA3 | 1218 Mb/s | 1218 Mb/s | 1282 Mb/s |
| FPU Julia | 37005 | 37028 | 38969 |
| FPU Mandel | 19668 | 19670 | 20704 |
| FPU SinJulia | 6544 | 6544 | 6890 |
| FP32 Ray-Trace | 7380 KRay/s | 7380 KRay/s | 7826 KRay/s |
| FP64 Ray-Trace | 4121 KRay/s | 4121 KRay/s | 4375 KRay/s |
Super predictable results. Dual channel is of course better than single one. Provided for number purists.
200Mhz CPU overclocking brings pleasant performance increase.
► MEMORY SPEED & BANDWIDTH COMPARISON
Ryzen 3 [single/dual channel] / Ryzen 9 [dual channel] / Threadripper 1 [quad channel].
RYZEN 3 3100 2800 SINGLE CHANNEL
RYZEN 3 3100 2800 DUAL CHANNEL
RYZEN 3 3100 3600 DUAL CHANNEL
RYZEN 3 3100 3800 DUAL CHANNEL
THREADRIPPER 1950X 2667@2800 QUAD CHANNEL
RYZEN 9 5950X 3800 DUAL CHANNEL
RYZEN 9 5950X OC 3800 DUAL CHANNEL
► RYZEN 3 3100 MEMORY OVERCLOCKING
Table demonstrates deferences among multiple memory speeds.
CPU/RAM timmings: Ryzen 3 3100 4-Core/18-22-22-29 [CL-RCD-RP-RAS]
RAM manufacturer: DDR4 Kingston HyperX KHX3600C18D4 [64Gb=32x2]
Intel rival [just for fun]: i7-6850K HT 6-core/16-16-16-39
| Benchmark | AMD 3600 Mhz Dual | AMD 3600@3800 Mhz Dual | INTEL 2400 Mhz Quad |
|---|---|---|---|
| Memory Read | 49286 Mb/s | 48394 Mb/s | 47982 Mb/s |
| Memory Write | 28737 Mb/s | 28737 Mb/s | 57972 Mb/s |
| Memory Copy | 48116 Mb/s | 48561 Mb/s | 51448 Mb/s |
| Memory Latency | 74.6 ns | 85.0 ns | 70.5 ns |
| CPU Queen | 50034 | 50433 | 64885 |
| CPU PhotoWorxx | 26228 Mpix/s | 26191 Mpix/s | 30464 Mpix/s |
| CPU Zlib | 379.8 Mb/s | 380.9 Mb/s | 495 Mb/s |
| CPU AES | 33971 Mb/s | 33992 Mb/s | 25216 Mb/s |
| CPU SHA3 | 1218 Mb/s | 1218 Mb/s | 2066 Mb/s |
| FPU Julia | 37036 | 37028 | 36116 |
| FPU Mandel | 19672 | 19669 | 19162 |
| FPU SinJulia | 6545 | 6544 | 7116 |
| FP32 Ray-Trace | 7381 KRay/s | 7380 KRay/s | 7488 KRay/s |
| FP64 Ray-Trace | 4121 KRay/s | 4121 KRay/s | 4136 KRay/s |
As we can see, faster dual channel RAM helps low-end Ryzen to compete in some areas with more expensive intel cpu loaded with quad [!] channel memory. 3600@3800 memory overclock looks like a bit unnecessary. It brings marginal benefit to MemoryCopy,CPU Queen,CPU Zlib tests. And in Memory Read, CPU PhotoWorxx, FPU Julia, FPU Mandel even lowers the score in comparison with stock 3600 memory.
► RYZEN 9 5950X MEMORY OVERCLOCKING
Simple overclock turned on by enabling PBO setting in BIOS.
CPU/RAM timmings: Ryzen 9 5950X 16-Core/18-22-22-39 [CL-RCD-RP-RAS]
RAM manufacturer: DDR4 Kingston HyperX KHX3600C18D4 [64Gb=32x2]
Intel rival [just for fun]: Xeon E5-2660 v3 HT 20-core/13-13-13-31
| Benchmark | 5950X STOCK Dual | 5950X PBO Dual | Xeon E5-2660 v3 HT 20-core Octal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Memory Read | 56320 Mb/s | 56377 Mb/s | 111198 Mb/s |
| Memory Write | 54585 Mb/s | 54630 Mb/s | 93898 Mb/s |
| Memory Copy | 52970 Mb/s | 53101 Mb/s | 104689 Mb/s |
| Memory Latency | 70.8 ns | 70.8 ns | > 90ns |
| CPU Queen | 157941 | 162870 | 146370 |
| CPU PhotoWorxx | 29835 Mpix/s | 29992 Mpix/s | 38828 Mpix/s |
| CPU Zlib | 1497 Mb/s | 1614.9 Mb/s | 1220.9 Mb/s |
| CPU AES | 264651 Mb/s | 290571 Mb/s | 65836 Mb/s |
| CPU SHA3 | 6325 Mb/s | 7312 Mb/s | 5157 Mb/s |
| FPU Julia | 185300 | 206012 | 110939 |
| FPU Mandel | 101536 | 112689 | 54573 |
| FPU SinJulia | 26258 | 26051 | 18480 |
| FP32 Ray-Trace | 28215 KRay/s | 33252 KRay/s | 18398 KRay/s |
| FP64 Ray-Trace | 14583 KRay/s | 17831 KRay/s | 9895 KRay/s |
As expected PBO overclock brings noticeable performance increase. Especially in FPU and Ray-Trace operations.Overclock works without any hiccups - that is why it is recommended to every user. And yes, i must mention that 3200Mhz memory is mandatory for Ryzen 9 CPU family. Anything lower than this will decrease performance by a visible margin.Sweet spot is in range 3600-3800Mhz.
PS: FPU SinJulia test shows that stock frequency delivers better result rather OC’ed version. I suspect that it was some kind of a temporary glitch.
intel blue note: Memory operations are considerably faster thanks to octal channel memory, but in FPU operations 20-core Xeon is a complete failure, just look at results.
► BOTTOM LINE
Overclocking makes sense. Yeah, i’m a kind of captain today. Especially in modern times when you don’t need to know all technical details to overclock the machine. Just turn on overclock preset in BIOS and make things rolling. And of course you know that overclocking requires reliable cooling, don’t you?
Stay tuned for other tests. GPU benchmarks ahead! Radeon VII & Radeon 6900XT will be measured on different computer configurations.
