DDR3 Memory recommendations

Seany84 · 15 Jan 2011 at 02:00

Hi all,

I am in the process of picking out parts for my new rig. So far I have chosen:

New parts:

Gigabyte P67A-UD7 Intel P67 Chipset (Socket 1155)
i7-2600k 3.4GHz
Noctua NH-D14 Dual Radiator CPU Cooler
2x G.Skill RipJawX 4GB (2x2GB) (undecided, see below)
Benq XL2410T 120Hz
NZXT Phantom Enthusiast

Current:

750W ThermalTake ToughPower
2x Raptors 150GB in RAID0
2x 750GB 7200RPM WD
1x 2TB 7200RPM WD
2x ATI HD 6950's (flashed to 6970 fw)

I am having trouble deciding on what memory to get. I plan on pushing the i7 1155 to 4.0GHz.

I am going with 8GB of RAM as I run a few SQL DB's on my machine and they can be very memory hungry. So, I am actually someone who will get use out of the 8GB

What would you lads recommend:

2x G.Skill RipJawX 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 PC3-17000C9 2133MHz
2x Patriot Viper 2 Sector 5 4GB (2x2GB) PC3-18000C9 2250MHz
Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-15000C9 1866MHz

Final question, do yous think I will have enough room between the massive CPU fan I am buying and the heatsinks on the RAM

?

Thanks in advance

cmndr_andi · 15 Jan 2011 at 02:03

I would suggest going for this RAM.

Good price, fast RAM, low profile and high density.

Seany84 · 15 Jan 2011 at 02:15

Compared to the RAM I chose which runs at 2000+MHz why would advise me to choose a lower spec DIMM?

Must admit, I am not too knowledgeable on the memory end of things

cmndr_andi · 15 Jan 2011 at 02:25

Seany84 said:
Compared to the RAM I chose which runs at 2000+MHz why would advise me to choose a lower spec DIMM?

Have a look at this article.

Also, when running four memory modules instead of two - you are putting much more strain on the memory controller on the CPU. This generally makes overclocking harder and reduces the frequency the memory can run at stably.

Seany84 · 15 Jan 2011 at 02:34

cmndr_andi said:
Have a look at this article.

Also, when running four memory modules instead of two - you are putting much more strain on the memory controller on the CPU. This generally makes overclocking harder and reduces the frequency the memory can run at stably.

Not only is it cheaper but it's 2 DIMMs instead of 4 which is better of course, it will definitely fit in the motherboard with that massive CPU cooler hovering overhead

Excellent information. Thank you. Much appreciated.