DDR3 How much is too much?

The memory isn't dual channel, the kit is just targetting that setup in motherboards.

So what motherboard is this going into, a dual or triple channel one? That will tell you whether you want multiples of 2 or 3 sticks at a time.

Presumably, if filling '4' slots would fill them all, then you do have a dual channel board, and you will NOT want 3 sticks of ram.

The 'thing' with filling all slots isn't that you get less performance, it's that it puts more load on the memory controller, which in turn means less likely to crank up the overclocking as high.

That doesn't mean a 2600k in a board with all 4 slots filled will have trouble getting to 4.6GHz realms though even then, so long as the kit and configuration has a bit of care and thought put into it.
 
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16gb is perfect, i'd say 24gb is too much for anything except really demanding work. REALLY demanding. like, so demanding its just... *head explodes* :D
 
acme15 said:
16gb is perfect, i'd say 24gb is too much for anything except really demanding work. REALLY demanding. like, so demanding its just... *head explodes* :D
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Since when has 16GB been perfect?

99% of PC users need 8GB maximum and for a large number of those 4GB is enough.
 
When you can get 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 1333MHz RAM for ~£35.00, why would you have anything less? :) 1,600MHz DDR3 RAM isn't that much more either.

I would say 16GB is the new minimum (at least for PC gamers/enthusiasts). A good example is Crysis 2 with the DX11 patch and high-res textures. The system requirements for this recommend 8GB RAM (and an SSD!). :eek:
 
Arthur17 said:
When you can get 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 1333MHz RAM for ~£35.00, why would you have anything less? :) 1,600MHz DDR3 RAM isn't that much more either.

I would say 16GB is the new minimum (at least for PC gamers/enthusiasts). A good example is Crysis 2 with the DX11 patch and high-res textures. The system requirements for this recommend 8GB RAM (and an SSD!). :eek:
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8GB is the recommended requirement so 8GB is enough.

Are you suggesting that every gamer/enthusiast should have the maximum possible RAM that will fit on dual channel motherboards without purchasing ridiculously expensive 8GB DIMMS?

Perhaps you should tell the manufacturers of gaming/enthusiast PC's (including OcUK) because they obviously haven't realised this yet.
 
Surveyor said:
8GB is the recommended requirement so 8GB is enough.
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Not if you keep other applications open in the background. I currently have Chrome open with around 50 tabs and this alone is using 2.7GB RAM.

Surely I can't be the only person who doesn't close things down when I play games?
 
Arthur17 said:
Not if you keep other applications open in the background. I currently have Chrome open with around 50 tabs and this alone is using 2.7GB RAM.

Surely I can't be the only person who doesn't close things down when I play games?
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The recommended spec. for Crysis 2 with the DX11 patch and high-res textures will already take account of the fact that Windows uses a certain amount of RAM before you do anything.

Drop OcUK a message telling them that they should put 16GB of RAM in all their gaming systems and bundles.

If 16GB is the new minimum then something is wrong as for 95% of PC owners it would also be the maximum as well.
 
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Surveyor said:
Drop OcUK a message telling them that they should put 16GB of RAM in all their gaming systems and bundles.
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OcUK already offer a 16GB RAM upgrade for £49.99 on their Ultima Tyrannosau gaming PC. With RAM due to get even cheaper over the next 18 months, I would be willing to bet that OcUK will offer this on more of their PCs (even the ones under £1k).

Kingston are planning on selling 2GB DIMMs for $11 in the US. If RAM prices reach that level in the UK, why would you not get 16GB RAM for £50-£60 (assuming the 4GB DIMMs cost double what the 2GB DIMMs do)? :confused:
 
Arthur17 said:
OcUK already offer a 16GB RAM upgrade for £49.99 on their Ultima Tyrannosau gaming PC. With RAM due to get even cheaper over the next 18 months, I would be willing to bet that OcUK will offer this on more of their PCs (even the ones under £1k).

Kingston are planning on selling 2GB DIMMs for $11 in the US. If RAM prices reach that level in the UK, why would you not get 16GB RAM for £50-£60? :confused:
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Just because you can get 16GB quite cheaply doesn't make it "the new minimum".

If RAM prices reach too low a level manufacturers will cut back on production leading to a shortage and an increase in prices.

They're much better off selling a smaller amount of RAM and making a decent profit than shed loads of RAM and making a loss.
 
RAM is so cheap atm if you are spending more than 600 on a tower you should include 16gb, even if it is not necessary atm. Any tower over 400 should include 8gb. Prices will probably increase after september when demand picks up towards xmas.
 
jak731 said:
RAM is so cheap atm if you are spending more than 600 on a tower you should include 16gb, even if it is not necessary atm. Any tower over 400 should include 8gb. Prices will probably increase after september when demand picks up towards xmas.
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That's fine.

I'm not saying that you shouldn't get 16GB while RAM is cheap and if you can afford to fit it into a build.

I am saying that 16GB can't be regarded as a minimum requirement.
 
koolpc said:
So, is it worth going to 8gig or is 4gig enough these days
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Apparently 16GB is the new minimum :rolleyes:

Seriously, 4GB is sufficient for most users but if you're buying new I'd get 8GB purely because DDR3 is so cheap at the moment.

If you already have a system with 4GB of DDR3, and it's not causing you any issues, I'd leave it unless you want to upgrade while the prices are cheap.

If you have DDR2 it's a more difficult choice to upgrade as 4GB of DDR2 costs virtually the same as 8GB of DDR3.

You also need to make sure you have a 64 bit operating system for more than 4GB.
 
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