CPU Core vs RAM [closed]

I'm planning to build a PC next week. I've researched over the internet but I need more accurate and solid answer. I've read that the more core of the cpu, the more application it can process, same goes with RAM; so I'm now confused.

Is it better to have a CPU with i7 core (pls don't mind about clock speed) and lower RAM or lower CPU core with higher RAM?

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3 Answers

You're approaching the question from the wrong angle.

When choosing a CPU, you do not look for the amount of cores to determine its performance. Performance in CPU's is achieved by how the processor is build, and in order to find out if a cpu is faster, you'll have to look up benchmarks.

That said, there are a few things you can keep in mind choosing a CPU. Intel CPU's have a range starting with the letter i, followed by a number. i3, i5, i7 and i9. The number here determines the target audience. i3 is low budget systems. i5, mid range, i7 high-end range and i9 ultimate performance. The lower this number, the cheaper the CPU is going to be, but its performance is also going to be slower. There's then a product number, a number of 4 or 5 digits followed by one or more letters. The number is determining the series, and the letter determines its options or application. The higher the number, the newer the CPU and thus its going to be faster than one with a lower number. The first number(s) will determine the generation. 4xxx is 4th gen, 10xxx is 10th gen. Each generation, there will be a noticable performance difference compared to another gen. It is possible that an i7 10xxx can outperform an i9 8xxx, and benchmarks can tell you exactly how.

RAM is a different story. The more ram you have, the faster your system is going to be when it comes to using memory intense applications. If you are only browsing the web and doing some emails, 8 gig is plenty. Video editing and Photo editing will be the most memory intensive tasks, and gaming is in the middle.

That said, memory speeds are also a factor although only marginally. If you have too little memory, the OS will use the harddisk to free up memory, which is always slower than slow memory, but if you have sufficient memory, then the speed of the memory will also make the system faster. 2 sticks of memory will outperform 1 stick of the same total size because then both sticks can be used at the same time, but for the best performance, both sticks should be the same size. So 2x8GB outperforms 1x16GB, but 1x8+2x4 will not give you a huge boost and will only be marginally faster than 1x16GB because only the 2x4 can be used.

When it comes to selecting these components, it is going to matter what you will want to do with it first, then what your budget allows.

But memory is not the only factor. Harddisk space and type (SSD vs HDD) can make a huge factor too, as well as graphics card performance if you talk about games.

So to answer your question more ram but lower cpu or more cpu but lower ram, it really comes down to what you are going to do. My rule of thumb is this, select the amount of RAM appropriate for what you're going to do. Simple Office stuff, 8GB. Gaming 16 GB, Creative stuff (graphics and video editing (16GB or more depending on your budget and how serious you are about this.)) If you do graphics and movie editing once every month, you will probably want 16GB. If you do it daily, you probably want 32GB.

With the remaining budget, get the best CPU you can and want to afford.

8

It's a balancing act.

Taken to extremes, think about having dual 26-core Xeons & only 2GB RAM… or 128GB RAM & an Intel Atom.

Same for storage & graphics. The aforementioned Xeons wouldn't be best supported by a 128GB SSD & a GT 610.

No good putting a Ferrari engine in a Lada, or vice versa.

Look round at what the box-shifters put in a machine at a given price point. They will usually sell machines balanced for any user at any price point.

Copy their ideas.

That depends on your needs. If you have a small amount of RAM but a very modern processor then that will not speed up your PC. And if your RAM is a lot but processor is old, then your computer will work slowly. So keep a similarity between your RAM and processor. Think RAM like a table, and processor like a man who is working.