I have a question about the memory that I should buy for my 7700K processor....
 
I saw a youtube video where 16GB's was running a few frames faster than the same system with 32GB of memory.
So, for my gaming rig, I was thinking of going with 16GB's.
The thing is I keep seeing 16GB kits of DDR4.
 
I believe I should populate all 4 memory slots, so what I really need is (2) super fast 8GB kits, correct?
Should I not worry about populating all 4 memory slots? Will this change my system performance?
 
I will be buying one of the new ASUS motherboards. 
 
What exact ram should I get.
Post me a direct link on Amazon please.
 
Money is no object.
 
Thanks!  
 

So there is no performance gain no matter if I only populate 2 memory slots, and not all 4?

for max overclocking using 2 memory slots is better then using 4. look at the latest asus maximus ix apex, its built for max overclocking and it only offers 2 dimm slots. Since z170/z270 boards can only use dual channel ram, and not quad channel ram, there is no reason to use 4 dimm slots for gaming unless, you have 4 dimm slots and just want them to look full. 
 
As for gaming ram, your best bet is going with low latency
https://www.amazon.com/G-SKILL-TridentZ-288-Pin-3200MHz-F4-3200C14D-16GTZR/dp/B06XFH6R73/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1500729953&sr=8-1&keywords=F4-3200C14D-16GTZR
what i would recommend. One of, if not the best ram you can buy for gaming right now. Overclocks like a BEAST, super low latency, and while faster ram doesnt increase max fps that much, it does improve minimum fps, which i care very much about. With faster memory you also have a snappier more responsive system, and for people who can notice fine differences, for example people who notice high refresh rate monitors, then you will also notice the faster operating system. Some people claim they cant notice a difference between a 60hz/144hz/240hz monitor, those people wont notice how the lower latency ram makes the system feel, but I have good perception, instantly notice the difference in monitor refresh rates, so I can notice the difference lower latency ram makes. 
 
Also check out people breaking overclock records, usually using super low latency ram, and not even running it that fast. For 7700k's ram latency is just as important if not more important then 
http://cdn.wccftech.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/NVIDIA-GeForce-GTX-1080-Ti-2.5-GHz-LN2-OC_1.jpg
from kingpin, you can see in the bottom right on cpu-z, hes running his ram at 3200mhz cl13, which the ram i suggested can achieve. 
 
i dont think 32gb would give less frames then the 16gb. i would be interested in seeing that youtube video, i wonder if he was running the ram at the same speed and timing.

intel memory controllers have be notoriously finicky since the days of x58 when they moved them to the cpu with all slots full, you can fill them all but doubt you would see any performance increase.  

Sticking with 2 x 8GB would save you some money too. I don't think the improvement would be large enough to be worth that much.

Talonman
If I decide to go non RGB, and low profile ram, what about these? https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0123ZBULW/_encoding=UTF8?coliid=I353Z2ANTLMLD2&colid=2IGUJC77NYBR7   in the 3200Mhz speed rating... 'Corsair Vengeance LPX 8GB (2x4GB) DDR4 3200 C16 1.35V - Red'
 

cant go wrong with this
 

Talonman
I may want low profile ram, and go with the Noctua NH-D15 for cooling.
 
If not the Noctua NH-D15, I think I want this: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01HGMHVAQ/_encoding=UTF8?coliid=I2UU0XIG9UKQS9&colid=2IGUJC77NYBR7
The DeepCool Gamer Storm CPU Liquid Cooler AIO Water Cooling (CAPTAIN 240 EX).
 
I like it because it's red, and will fit in the case I am going to buy...
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01NCNYQDQ/_encoding=UTF8?coliid=IDSQINEUHDACX&colid=2IGUJC77NYBR7
The Phanteks PH-EC416PTG_BR Eclipse P400 Steel ATX Mid Tower Case Black/Red, "Tempered Glass" Edition Cases
 

 
Cool case. Depends on what you intend on doing. Do you plan on overclocking as high as possible? Slight or no overclock?
So the noctua cooler might be a few degrees cooler after hours of heavy overclocking, but keep in mind these things are HHHHUUUGE, and since your case has a glass panel it will be right in your face all the time, and doesnt look that great. Heres a video of it in a case, not the best video but it shows you how tight that cooler makes it. The funny thing is, its only tight where the cooler is, he pans over right, shows the front of the case with tons of empty room lol. The cooler makes accessing memory impossible without removing the cooler, and you should reapply thermal paste when you put the cooler back on. Heck trying to get to anything in that corner is tough with the cooler on, granted you may never need to access any of that stuff after the initial install, so it could be a moot point.
 
The captain 240ex is a awesome, looks amazing in a case, that with some rgb ram which you can set to stay red, will look awesome together. Only down side to to AIO cooler's is heat soak. So say your trying to overclock to max, over hours the water will soak up heat, and will lose some of its cooling ability (your temps will raise a few degree's) but eventually level off and maintain a steady level. If you dont plan on overclocking, or just a small amount, the AIO's are great, for max overclocking you just need to find that range of how high you want your clock speed to maintain to certain temperature range.
 
Now the noctua will be quieter because of the quiet noctua fans they use. If you get the AIO option, the stock fans at max speed will be louder, but if you want, you can replace them with the new Noctua A's (when they come out) for better cooling while being quieter!
 
 

Talonman
 
Question: If I want to run the CAPTAIN 240 EX, in a push pull config, where do I get the screws that are long enough to go through 2 sets of fans and the radiator too?
 

So you dont want screws that go all the way threw. The screws go threw the fan and only thread slightly onto the radiator. There are radiator fin's behind the screw points, so if you were to try to run a screw straight threw you would damage the fin's. Now there is a clearance between the thread point and where the fin's start, so if you use included screws it wont be an issue. If you were to buy more fans and do a push/pull i would just remove one of the includes screws, run down to the hardware store and find a match, im sure they use a pretty standard size as most 120mm fans are the same thickness (25mm). Or these will likely work. Running the Captain 240EX with push/pull will likely give you better temps then the NH-D15 even after hours of overclocking.
 

Talonman
 
This was the video I saw, that made me think running 32GB's of RAM, would suffer a few frames performance, over running with 16GB's of RAM...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-yyc9exXvg
 

If your not doing rendering or other memory intensive programs then 16gb is great for gaming
 

Talonman
 
What I really want is the new A Series $80 fans that Noctua just made...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MePL4Bfqdis
 
When will they be out?

 
according to tomshardware they should be out in September and cost $30

gonna be a killer rig, cant wait to see it those 4 sticks of the trident z are gonna look great!

OK... I am still thinking I want to go air cooling.
I know it's disappointing, with all the RGB hype going right now, but I want to know the peace of mind of no water in my rig this time...
 
So I am still looking for non RGB low profile ram to work with the 7700K.
 
With this ram: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4 DRAM 3000MHz C15 Desktop Memory Kit - Red (CMK16GX4M2B3000C15R)
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B013GZ5PD2/_encoding=UTF8?coliid=I12FNBVJB3DJU9&colid=2IGUJC77NYBR7
 
It does not say Dual channel... Are we 100% sure that this would work on a Z270 mobo?
Is there better low profile ram?
 
In light of my want to use air cooling, and use the D15, I switched cases... To the anidees AI-Crystal-CUBE-LITE ATX Steel / Tempered Glass Cube PC Case Support E-ATX, 280/240 Radiator -Fan Less Black
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MY65HNW/_encoding=UTF8?coliid=I1IOMYB0OPTJRZ&colid=2IGUJC77NYBR7
 
I now have come to my senses, and am trying to save some cash on the build, keeping it under 5 grand.
So once again with prices...
 
Case: anidees AI-Crystal-CUBE-LITE ATX Steel / Tempered Glass Cube PC Case   $140.00
 
Case fans front (2) Noctua 140mm Premium Quiet Quality Case Cooling Fan NF-A14 FLX    $44.00
Case fans front (3) Noctua NF-A8 PWM Premium 80mm PC Computer Case Fan  $51.00
Case fans top (4) Noctua NF-F12 120mm PWM Cooling Fan  $80.00
Case fans rear (1) Noctua NF-A9 FLX 92mm Premium Quality PC Computer Case Fan  $17.00
Case fans rear (1) Noctua NF-F12 120mm PWM Cooling Fan  $20.00
Case fans bottom (1) Noctua NF-F12 120mm PWM Cooling Fan  $20.00
 
CPU: CPU: Intel 7th Gen Intel Core Desktop Processor i7-7700K (BX80677I77700K)  $309.00
 
Noctua NH-D15 6 heatpipe with Dual NF-A15 140mm fans  $90.00
 
Storage:
(2) Samsung 960 EVO Series - 250GB PCIe NVMe - M.2 Internal SSD (MZ-V6E250BW) Set up in RAID 0 for OS.  $300.00
(2) Samsung 850 EVO 1TB 2.5-Inch SATA III Internal SSD (MZ-75E1T0B/AM) Set up in RAID 0 for Games. $680.00
(1) WD Blue 3TB Desktop Hard Disk Drive - 5400 RPM SATA 6 Gb/s 64MB Cache 3.5 Inch - WD30EZRZ For System Backups.  $100.00
 
OS: Microsoft Windows 10 Home USB Flash Drive  $110.00
 
Ram: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4 DRAM 3000MHz C15 Desktop Memory Kit - Red (CMK16GX4M2B3000C15R)  $149.00
 
Motherboard: ASUS ROG STRIX Z270E GAMING LGA1151 DDR4 DP HDMI DVI M.2 ATX Motherboard with onboard AC Wifi and USB 3.1   $230
 
Monitor: ASUS ROG SWIFT PG27AQ 27" 4K/UHD (3840x2160) IPS 4ms G-SYNC Eye Care Gaming Monitor with DP and HDMI ports  $880.00
 
GPU: EVGA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti FTW3 ELITE GAMING, 11G-P4-6796-KR, 11GB GDDR5X, iCX Technology - 9 Thermal Sensors & RGB LED G/P/M  $800.00
 
PSU: EVGA SuperNOVA 850 P2, 80+ PLATINUM 850W, Fully Modular   $160.00
 
Ultra HD player: Pioneer BDR-211UBK Internal BD/DVD/CD Writer Supporting Ultra HD Blu-Ray Playback $128.00
 
Mouse: Mionix Castor Multi-Color Ergonomic Optical Gaming Mouse, MNX-01-25001-G  $50.00
 
Keyboard: Keyboard: Bloody B720 Light Strike LK Optical Mechanical Gaming Keyboard - Neon LED Backlit - LK Black Switches  $75.00
 
Speakers: Audioengine A2+ Black (Pr.) 2-way Powered Speaker System  $250.00
 
Chair: Vertagear P-Line PL6000 Racing Series Gaming Chair - Black/Red (Rev. 2)  $400.00
 
Gaming controllers: (2) Xbox Controller + Cable for Windows  $96.00
 
 
Total so far...  5,179.00  Wow... That's with no tax!  
 
Video of my case being air cooled...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_oFJ_RdEPb4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9I33d6OeQ-E