i5 upgrade time..... few Q's

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20 Mar 2007
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My current system is:
E4300@3GHz on Asus P5NE-SLi (useless POS, lol) with 2x2GB 800MHz, GTX260

What I'm looking at is
i5-2500K@>4GHz on Asrock P67 Pro3 with 2x2GB 1600MHz, GTX260

I'm looking at the asrocks because I can re-use my cooler :)

One concern I have is this: Is 4GB enough? If I need more later, will overclocking be a problem if I use all 4 slots, as has been the case with most previous architectures?

Also, is 1600MHz memory a realistic speed to be using? Is it that much more useful than 1333?

I'm also a little confused about RAM voltage, I was under the impression that 1.5v was required but I've seen people using 1.65.

Any thoughts are welcome!

Dave :)
 
4GB is fine for an everyday user and gaming. If your doing a large amount of photoshop, editting etc then 8GB would be better. If your were to add another 4GB (2 x 2GB) at a later date then this shouldn't effect your overclocking too much, particularly as you'll only be trying to get to 4GHz. All SB i5 2500K can manage this with relative ease (with aftermarket cooling).

1600MHz RAM will be better. Worth having a read of the SB sticking at the top of the CPU subforum about more information regarding the RAM. As above, I'd get the 1600MHz RAM.

The motherboard you spec'd "Asrock P67 Pro3 only has a single PCI-e x16 so limits the addition of conroller cards, dual card setups, tv tuners, wireless cards, etc in the future.

What cooler do you have?
 
I took a look at the crucial memory compatability upgrades and a lot were 1.65v, I didn't think these new chips liked that? Google comes up with inconclusive results as to the safety of using 1.65 tho there's no reports of people damaging CPUs, but then it's early days yet.
 
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