For a Ryzen 7 5700X, 32GB (2x16GB) at 3600MHz CL16 offers a sweet spot for price and performance. While tighter timings can help, the frequency boost from 3200MHz is generally more noticeable. Dual rank isn't crucial for this CPU. Look for kits from Crucial Ballistix, G.Skill Ripjaws V, or Corsair Vengeance LPX within your budget. They're all solid choices.

Yo! Jumping in here because I love the 5700X, it is such a beast for the price. Before I give you my top pick tho, what motherboard are you actually pairing this with? It makes a huge difference for XMP stability and making sure you can actually hit those rated speeds without any headaches! Basically, 3600MHz is the absolute sweet spot because it keeps your Infinity Fabric (FCLK) running at a 1:1 ratio with the memory clock. This is huge for Zen 3 because it minimizes latency between the chiplets. If you drop to 3200MHz, you are leaving free performance on the table, and honestly, the price gap is tiny now. Since people already mentioned the usual suspects, you should definitely check out the Kingston FURY Renegade DDR4 32GB 3600MT/s CL16. It is absolutely amazing and Kingston has some of the best compatibility across different boards in my experience. If you want to save a few bucks but still get fantastic results, the TeamGroup T-Force Vulcan Z 32GB DDR4 3600MHz CL18 is a killer value choice. The Kingston kit has tighter timings which Ryzen loves, but both are solid alternatives to the big brands mentioned earlier!

G.Skill Ripjaws V 3600MHz CL16 has been rock solid with my 5700X. Ryzen loves fast RAM with tight timings, and 3600MHz with CL16 hits the sweet spot without breaking the bank. Make sure you enable XMP in BIOS to get the advertised speeds.

^ This. Also, I remember messing with my current setup for ages when I first built it. Honestly, I just went for a mid-tier kit that was on sale. I learned pretty fast that these chips can be a bit picky if you dont check the motherboard compatibility. It works tho. Just takes some patience.

• My first attempt had constant blue screens because the bios was out of date.
• I had to clear CMOS way more times than I care to admit.
• Ended up using Silicon Power Turbine DDR4 32GB 3600MHz CL18 and it has been solid once I stopped messing with the subtimings. Basically, if you stay within the 3600 range, you will be happy. I learned that chasing the absolute lowest latency wasnt worth the stability headaches for my daily use. Just get it installed, hit the profile in bios, and see how it behaves... simple is better sometimes.

Any DDR4 RAM is OK.