Corsair has launched a new high-frequency memory kit that's the first to break the 5,000MHz barrier, but if you want to bring it home, you will need a hefty bank roll— costs $1,224.99 for a 16GB (2x8GB) kit.
That's a tad higher than what two Ryzen 9 3900X CPUs cost. We didn't pick that comparison out of the blue—Corsair's RAM is intended to coexist next to a third-generation Ryzen processor, and is specifically qualified to hit 5,000MHz in a handful of MSI X570 motherboards.
"The new modules have been specifically designed and fully tested to achieve their record-breaking maximum frequency of 5,000MHz on the Ryzen 3000 platform in MSI Meg X570 Godlike, MSI Meg X570 Ace, MSI Meg X570 Unify, and Prestige X570 Creation motherboards using their included automated overclocking utilities," Corsair says.
Assuming you have the right hardware and can actually hit 5,000MHz on your setup, the timings at that frequency are rated at 18-26-26-46, at 1.5V. Corsair also bundles in an optional fan to cool the memory, to help it reach 5,000MHz.
If you're wondering if RAM speed and capacity matter, the answer is yes, both play a role. AMD setups can especially benefit from higher frequency RAM. As with most things, though, there's a point of diminishing returns, which you'll hit way before spending a grand or more on 16GB.
For the cost of this memory kit, you could buy a GeForce RTX 2080 Ti, Intel's upcoming Cascade Lake-X Core i9-10980XE (an 18-core/36-thread CPU), or five 2TB M.2 Mushkin Pilot NVMe SSDs, to offer up some examples. Hell, you could even build everything in our best gaming PC build. Or you could blow your whole wad of cash on 16GB of DDR4-5000—your choice!
The Vengeance LPX 16GB DDR4-5000 memory kit is available now.
