"Dual-channel" RAM refers to running dual RAM sticks, which allows it to achieve its rated speeds. "Quad-channel" RAM refers to running…quad RAM sticks, though this doesn't double rated speeds. It still provides an improvement over dual-channel, though, and may be ideal for any RAM-speed reliant tasks you're running. When it comes to gaming, it doesn't really matter if you're running in dual or quad-channel. However, it's important that you aren't running in single-channel, as this will greatly compromise your CPU's effective speed (especially with Ryzen! ) and result in you not getting all of the performance you paid for. If you care about avoiding CPU bottlenecks and getting the best performance, always run your RAM in dual channel! Storage Bottlenecks Storage bottlenecks aren't usually a concern, but can become a problem with particularly slow or aging hard drives. A modern standard 7200 RPM HDD you've owned for a year or two should be fine in this regard. It won't be as blazing fast as an SSD in terms of loading times, but as long as it doesn't hitch when loading assets or anything, you're probably fine.
Turning down a setting like View Distance in a competitive multiplayer game could give you a very real disadvantage against other players. So, why are CPU bottlenecks such a big deal? Why CPU bottlenecks are more complicated- and arguably more important Simply put: your CPU is the real bottleneck, in any scenario. What your graphics card is doing is making all the pretty graphics on your screen. What your CPU is doing is all the actual work, like tracking the position of players and objects at any point in time, and all the other millions of calculations required for real-time gameplay. All the actual game logic stuff is happening on your CPU, not your GPU. To sum up what we're saying, put this to memory: While your GPU determines your maximum possible graphical fidelity, your CPU determines your maximum possible framerate. According to many third-party studies, higher framerates provide both better perceived fluidity (provided your monitor's refresh rate can keep up) and in-game player performance.
The only time I've ever seen this high of temperatures on a CPU is when I was stress testing it with Prime 95 as it also utilizes parts of the processor that are normally not used in gaming. Now my cause for concern here is that this game is running extremely hot, like, CPU throttling down to prevent damage kind of hot. As a result, my friends, family, and even I have witnessed crashes, which are the result of the CPU getting too with CPUs underwater with fan and pump at 100% in most cases. Personally, I'm using an x62 Kracken AIO and it can barely keep the CPU cool enough. I mean I'm used to playing games at 4. 5 GHz no problem. I ended up having to dial back my overclock to 4. 1 GHz as it was getting even hotter than the temperatures in the above graphic and was causing game lockups. My suggestion for this community is to actively utilize some form of CPU/GPU monitoring software such as MSI Afterburner, NZXT CAM, EVGA Precision X, etc to review their current CPU temperatures and dial any overclock back if they're experiencing freezes, stutters, or crashes.