> RAM Latency > NZXT AIO Pricing > Windows Licenses

4 sticks vs 2?

Can I please get you to clarify something for me? In the final critiques of your many great builds, you often include a line to the effect that “going from two to four RAM modules would look nicer”, particularly when RGB is involved.

Now, I‘ve long had the impression that fully populating all four DIMM slots will lead to reduced performance (it’s just not possible to achieve high speeds or low latency using all slots, especially if using higher- capacity modules). Is this still accurate?

If so, might I suggest you include that disclaimer and make more explicit that you're favoring visually appealing symmetry/ lighting over ultimate performance?

Thanks, and keep up the great work! – K. Weppler

GUEST HARDWARE EDITOR, ZAK STOREY, RESPONDS: This is quite an interesting question, and it sort of harkens back to a time before, when quad- channel kits were all the rage on more premium solutions, such as Intel’s enthusiast platforms, and eventually

AMD’s Threadripper series as well.

For those that don’t know, It’s less to do with a drop in performance, and more to do with identical performance. So you might expect if you add two additional RAM sticks into the mix, that you’ll get twice the bandwidth, better latency, and so on. The reality is you don’t. This is because most modern CPUs are locked into that dual- channel specification (basically, any Ryzen or Intel series of the last five gens or so), so it can only read and write data to two of those sticks at any one time.

That means you could have a motherboard with 12 DIMM slots, populate the lot, and you’d still only get the memory bandwidth of two sticks. Memory bandwidth is one of the ultimate deciding factors on the performance of your memory kit, as it indicates how much data can be written or read from your DIMMs at any one time.

Latency, on the other hand, is how long it takes for those individual memory requests to be received and actioned.

Now, this is where it gets tricky. Theoretically, if you add more DIMMs, your CPU could accidentally split the data it stores on RAM across multiple sticks. Most DIMM slots are set up as pairs for optimized traces to the CPU, so you have memory in A1, B1, A2, and B2 (the number donating the pair). Also, your CPU stores a command or connected resource partly on B1 and partly on A2. There is a chance that it could increase latency, as you’re effectively pulling data from two unoptimized pairs of memory. That said, CPUs and Windows have come a long way in the last few years, with resource allocation a focal point, so I imagine this is somewhat non- existent now.

The tl; dr is that it used to be an issue, but these days, it’s not likely to cause any major problems. The bigger detriment to performance, particularly looking at latency, is how slow CAS latency currently is on DDR5. Yes, we’ve got far faster kits pushing 8,000 MT/s now, but we’ve also got CAS latencies up in the 30- 40 range, versus

DDR4’s 14-20s. So from a purely latency perspective, we’ve not seen any major improvement over DDR4 outside of more capacity.

If you’re still not convinced though, you can always stick with two DIMMs instead, and opt for a set of dummy RGB sticks. There are a few manufacturers who make them for specific memory kits in their line- ups. They look like whatever model they’re mimicking with full RGB compatibility, just without the RAM hardware you’d expect.

That said, it's a really interesting point nonetheless, kind of like the ' do you need an Intel Core i9 for 4K gaming' angle we’ve ran in our cover build. It's definitely worth some testing, for sure. We’ve actually got a full- on RAM review coming next issue (written by yours truly), with a full set of benchmarks attached. This should shed some light on this situation as well, as the benchmarks are comparing a 7200 C34 kit to a 6000 C30 kit (realworld latencies of 9.44 and 10 ns respectively between the two).

NZXT Cooler Mishaps

I still think that after looking at the prices of 360mm AIO cooler kits at NewEgg, $ 300 for an NZXT kit is excessive. However, I do understand the struggle you have in the UK with supply chain issues and dollar exchange rates.

Clearly, having a piece of kit that works but is expensive is better than another kit that fails, but I am disappointed that so many kits failed! I’ve never had an AIO failure. Perhaps they’ve just become too complex with all the silly front- screen displays, RGB lights and so forth.

Also, isn’t it ironic that the Turbo AMD blueprint is more powerful and less expensive than your cover build in the December

2023 issue? Perhaps you should have gone for power instead of bling! – R. Matlow

EDITOR- IN- CHIEF,

GUY COCKER, RESPONDS: That’s the unfortunate 'perk' of being a tech journalist. We often get access to press samples, early engineering units, and more. Sadly, these don’t quite have the same quality control as the retail units that you’d find instore or online.

If you speak to any of the MaximumPC team past or present, they’ll regale you with an arsenal of stories of componentry they’ve trashed, broken, or burnt out while working here (or continue to do so today). It’s just part and parcel of how we work, admittedly. The good folk at NZXT, Corsair, Phanteks, Noctua, and more always step up though, and make sure we have the parts to hand, and we often work closely with them if we do identify an issue ahead of time.

There have been a few products that have been entirely recalled because of good tech journalists catching faults and bugs before they hit the market.

It might cost the companies in question millions in recalls, but it’s far better than having a defective product in the hands of customers.

As for the RGB bling and price point, you’re right— it is a pricey little number. That particular unit is approaching EOL as well, despite being so popular, which is why the price is as high as it is. There are a number of 360mm alternatives out there though, including Be Quiet!’s Pure Loop

360 at around $100 or

EK’s AIO Basic 360 (what a name) at $129, and they should offer almost identical performance (albeit with a degree or two difference here and there) comparatively.

As for the Turbo build, that’s always meant to provide an alternative to what we produce in the mag. It’s more about the core components really, rather than the bling we add on top. It’s never meant to be the absolute top-tier system money could buy. Likewise, budget isn’t as cheap as physically possible either. We aim for three different price points for them and try to get as close to those as we can, without sacrificing performance wherever possible, and making sure you get the best bang for the buck if you do decide to go for that route.

This issue has seen a hefty number of alterations to blueprints though, which should tighten up the pricing and performance of all six builds.

Windows 10 For Cheap?

The Builds section shows Windows 10 Operating System at $ 32, but I cannot find this operating system at this price. Can you confirm where this price is coming from so I can purchase it for my build? – J. Bell

GUEST HARDWARE EDITOR, ZAK STOREY, RESPONDS: Yes, so first up this is

100 percent a legitimate license, and a way of activating Windows. It is completely legal and above board. You can buy individual OEM licenses for Windows 10 or 11 for that matter from most key- sellers.

Places we typically use when building one- off systems for family and friends are g2a.com and kinguin. net. Just looking at G2A right now, Windows 11 Home will set you back $26 for a Win11 Home key before taxes. Generally, they average around $ 32 or so on the whole.

The way these keys work is they’re a oneoff activation code. So it’s a one-time deal. If you heavily change the hardware in the machine or try to use it a second time after say you reformat it, it’s not going to activate, as it was a one-time activation. If you’re on a budget, it’s a fantastic quick-fire solution.

This is actually one of the reasons I recommend, as a tech enthusiast—you buy a full license from Microsoft directly and tie it to a digital account (mine’s tied to my Gmail account). Until very recently, I was still using a Windows 8.1 Pro Student license (it was $ 50 at the time of purchase while I was still at college), to activate my personal machines, (this is with Windows 10 or 11 already installed, there’s no janky upgrade paths or anything along those lines). I’d purchased that way back in 2013. Sadly, Microsoft has only just recently stopped Windows 8 and 8.1 codes from upgrading that far, so I finally had to fork out $140 for a Windows 11 digital license. But hopefully that’ll last me another 10 years.

Bearing in mind that I’ve had 13 separate personal systems at home since picking that full license up, even at full price that’s saved me close to $ 300 in the long run, not counting the numerous times I’ve swapped out hardware, or reformatted the PC several times over (I recommend a complete reformat of Windows at least once every six months to clean up the registry and remove any unwanted programs you’ve forgotten about).

Radio Shack Lives!

In your May 2023 article 'CPU Architectures -

What’s the Difference and Why it Matters', you had a sidebar called 'Gone but not Forgotten'. You forgot to mention one of the biggest users of the Zilog Z80—The Radio Shack Tandy TRS- 80 model I and model III... –T. Kirner

EDITOR- IN- CHIEF, GUY COCKER, RESPONDS:

Wow, yeah we totally forgot about that. It’s easy to forget about some of these systems, particularly with the way the industry has gone. The Zilog Z80 was an incredible piece of machinery. It’s a shame that there are not more processor manufacturers, although understandable given just how much investment is required to produce modern- day transistors smaller than blood cells.

There’s a fantastic image on the Wikipedia page for the Radio Shack Tandy TRS- 80 that shows it side- by- side with the Commodore PET, Apple II, and TRS- 80 Model I. There truly is a beauty to these older machines. Heck, I’d argue it’s actually classier looking than the other two.

It’s one of those products we’d love to get in and do a deep- dive on, or a stealth- build in something similar, but honestly, that might just be a bit too much desecration for our taste.