H67 with 1600MHz DDR3 support?

[DennisMenace]

I'm hoping to go ahead with a Sandybridge build soon(ish), probably going for a i5-2500S (low TDP). As these low power chips are all 'locked', there's little advantage in a P67 board, and I'll probably rely on IGP while I save up for a decent GPU, so H67 is the obvious choice.

However, I had hoped to get 1600MHz memory, as it is the same price (or a few quid more) than 1333MHz. But I can't seem to find any H67 mobos that support it! Do they exist?

Also, if I did opt for a P67 board (most of which support up to 2133MHz), will I have to OC the memory to get it to run at its regular speed? Many boards quote 1066/1333 as supported speeds, but then mark 1600(OC)/1866(OC)... suggesting I will need to tinker to get 1600Mhz. Won't this cause problems with a locked CPU, as there is a link between CPU and RAM base speeds?

I know these are n00b questions, but I'm not an overclocker (yet) and want to make sure I get the right mobo to start with. Is it simply a choice between H67 (sacrificing DDR3 speed) and P67 (losing IGP support)?

 

[1Day]

No H67 board supports 1600MHz.

P67 allows you in the bios to select the rated speed of your ram. So if you buy ram that is spec'd for 2133 the all you have to do is select that profile in the BIOS. Alternately you could set the frequency to 2133 and adjust the voltages your self if you preferred.

And my I suggest you do a bit more reading about the differences between SB and other Intel processors, the ram frequency is independent of the CPU core speed so you do not have to worry there mate. There is a very good article or two on Anandtech.com that detail the architecture and how it works quite nicely - have a look at the CPU section.

BCKL tinkering will raise both CPU frequency and ram frequency but is most strongly suggested to be avoided.

 

[DennisMenace]

"No H67 board supports 1600MHz." Drat!

I was slowly coming to this conclusion, as all 30+ H67 mobos I've checked are 1333/1066 only, so thanks for the confirmation. Back to the drawing board...

 

[Snapshot]

It doesn't mean 1600MHz RAM won't work, just that it won't run at the maximum speed it's rated at. It'll run quite happily at the maximum speed the mobo allows.