Does RAM speed matter?

[Rich O]

For both 3ds Max itself and for rendering in V-ray, is there likely to be much difference between ddr3 1600 dual channel and say, ddr4 2600 quad channel?

[RyderSK]

There isn't going to be almost any difference, outside for placebo effect for compulsive 'need the best' buyers :- ), when it comes to speed (frequency/timings), although channelling can for help for certain tasks but it also very minor.

 

Similar to what I found in 2008, the differences in real-world tests are so minor, they could be chalked up as normal benchmark variance.

But even in the tests where gains can be seen, they’re differences that simply wouldn’t be noticed in the real-world

 

http://techgage.com/news/as-it-happens-memory-speed-still-doesnt-matter-much/

http://anandtech.com/show/8959/ddr4-haswell-e-scaling-review-2133-to-3200-with-gskill-corsair-adata-and-crucial/

 

But this rule still applies:

 

Ultimately, what matters most is that you have enough memory in your rig for what you want to do.