Is it harder to overclock when all RAM slots are used?

What CPU you using? I think this mainly applies to the i7s (I know it applies to the 900 series) and i5s (I think) because the IMC is now on the chip, and not the Southbridge (I think) where it was before.
 
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StarSolitude said:
Question is in title. I heard that it becomes harder to overclock when all the RAm slots on the motherboard are taken up. Is this true?
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Not with the latest i5/i7.

I am running i7 860 on an msi p55 gd80 at 3.8gz (second profile 4.0hz) on 8gb (4x2gb). No problems what so ever.
 
It's one of these "theoretically, yes" things, but you'd have to be unlucky.

Long story short, it puts more strain on the memory controller (northbridge on earlier sockets, on-die on the newer stuff). Most of the time, that doesn't matter - you'll usually hit the voltage/heat limit of the chip, or the memory itself, before you get to the limit of the memory controller.

If the limit to your overclock is anything other than the northbridge with 4 sticks (and it usually is) then the number of sticks won't make a difference.
 
yes - definately more strain on the northbridge

my temps of the northbridge went up quite a lot (about 10-15%) when I added 2 extra sticks of RAM

that said - the old 965 chipset is doing very well really - its doing what people said shouldn't really do - ie 2x2gb + 2x1gb but all at 1120 CAS5 :) and stable
 
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