Best RAM upgrade for MSI Z87I?

[crg52]

Hello folks.

I am looking to upgrade my PC from 8Gb to 16Gb.

I have an MSI Z87I motherboard which (according to the manual) supports up to 3000Mhz DDR3.

I am not after cutting-edge, but something that will hopefully give me a level of future-proofing and a boost in performance.

Any suggestions for the best memory to go for?

Thanks.

 

[ih8modem]

Hello folks.

I am looking to upgrade my PC from 8Gb to 16Gb.

I have an MSI Z87I motherboard which (according to the manual) supports up to 3000Mhz DDR3.

I am not after cutting-edge, but something that will hopefully give me a level of future-proofing and a boost in performance.

Any suggestions for the best memory to go for?

Thanks.

Are you going for a new set or buying additional to what you have now?

What do you have in there right now? (Make / speed etc)

Don't mix speed types, so if you have DDR3-14900 (1866) right now, then match your new sticks to the same speed.

Also are you planning on clocking it? Then the higher the better and hopefully someone with more experience of actual brandings will help you out with that question.

If you going for a new set, then pick the highest you can afford.

 

[crg52]

Are you going for a new set or buying additional to what you have now?

What do you have in there right now? (Make / speed etc)

Don't mix speed types, so if you have DDR3-14900 (1866) right now, then match your new sticks to the same speed.

Also are you planning on clocking it? Then the higher the better and hopefully someone with more experience of actual brandings will help you out with that question.

If you going for a new set, then pick the highest you can afford.

Thanks for the reply.

TBH, I don't know what I have installed at present, as the system was pre-built by OCUK in January 2014. On opening the case, I have can see 2x 'Ballistix Sport' sticks, but the speed of them is anyone's guess.

I am looking to completely replace the RAM currently installed as there are only 2 slots on the MB so I would definitely stick to two of the same anyway.

I suppose my main question should be 'what is the best 16Gb (2x8Gb) DDR3 memory to get that is compatible with my MB'

Cheers.

 

[BriT]

https://www.overclockers.co.uk/king...al-channel-kit-hx324c11srk2-16-my-204-ks.html

 

[ih8modem]

Thanks for the reply.

TBH, I don't know what I have installed at present, as the system was pre-built by OCUK in January 2014. On opening the case, I have can see 2x 'Ballistix Sport' sticks, but the speed of them is anyone's guess.

I am looking to completely replace the RAM currently installed as there are only 2 slots on the MB so I would definitely stick to two of the same anyway.

I suppose my main question should be 'what is the best 16Gb (2x8Gb) DDR3 memory to get that is compatible with my MB'

Cheers.

If you want to know more about your RAM you could try downloading CPUID - it gives you some information on the SPD tab.

Ballistix is good, you could replace with some of their brand or any of the others on OCUK (Avexir are seemingly good - not used them myself) or established brands such as G.Skill / Kingston / Crucial all make high speed (higher than 1600Mhz) DDR3 RAM now.

That said, unless you are overclocking I doubt you are going to need the higher speed. Future proofing is one thing but if you are the 'stick it in and it must work' person, then the RAM is just going to be set to whatever your board defaults to.

Most of the performance jump will come from the operating system utilising the extra RAM, so I trust you have a 64 bit OS. For games and most applications you will likely not see much of a performance gain going from 8 to 16GB.

What do you use your pc for ? Would you not benefit more from a SSD investment, or if gaming a better graphics card?

Be warned the upgrade path is a long and expensive one ... and it is very addictive once you get hooked you are done for.

Edit : as posted above : https://www.overclockers.co.uk/king...al-channel-kit-hx324c11srk2-16-my-204-ks.html good RAM in my opinion.

 

[crg52]

If you want to know more about your RAM you could try downloading CPUID - it gives you some information on the SPD tab.

Ballistix is good, you could replace with some of their brand or any of the others on OCUK (Avexir are seemingly good - not used them myself) or established brands such as G.Skill / Kingston / Crucial all make high speed (higher than 1600Mhz) DDR3 RAM now.

That said, unless you are overclocking I doubt you are going to need the higher speed. Future proofing is one thing but if you are the 'stick it in and it must work' person, then the RAM is just going to be set to whatever your board defaults to.

Most of the performance jump will come from the operating system utilising the extra RAM, so I trust you have a 64 bit OS. For games and most applications you will likely not see much of a performance gain going from 8 to 16GB.

What do you use your pc for ? Would you not benefit more from a SSD investment, or if gaming a better graphics card?

Be warned the upgrade path is a long and expensive one ... and it is very addictive once you get hooked you are done for.

Edit : as posted above : https://www.overclockers.co.uk/king...al-channel-kit-hx324c11srk2-16-my-204-ks.html good RAM in my opinion.

Thanks for the advice. Much appreciated

I use the PC for gaming and this is the beginning of my upgrade plan (RAM, then a 2nd SSD, followed by GFX card).

Interestingly, there is very limited space between the CPU water-cooling pipes and the RAM which may limit the RAM that I can go for.

Based on your advice, I will consider adjusting my upgrade plan to move the SSD and GFX ahead of the RAM.

Thanks again.