Is there a reason to get faster than 1600mhz for a non "k" i7?

Tom_B · 15 Jan 2014 at 15:28

Hi All,

I'm looking at a new build and will be getting a non-k chip (i7-4771) because I need some features which are disabled in the k-chips.

As I won't be able to overclock, is there any benefit at all in getting memory that's faster than 1600mhz?

Ignoring the minimal impact RAM speed has in benchmarks, is it even technically feasible for a locked i7 to utilise RAM speeds faster than 1600mhz?

wazza300 · 15 Jan 2014 at 16:19

depends what motherboard

ive had a Pentium g620 run ram at 2133mhz just fine

b85/h81/h87 are limited to 1600mhz tops,z87 will let you run higher no matter what cpu you use

Tom_B · 15 Jan 2014 at 17:38

Thanks! I didn't know if running memory at a higher speed counted as overclocking and was therefore locked on the non-k CPUs.

Avenged7Fold · 16 Jan 2014 at 00:22

Haswell chips see minimum fps increases with faster memory, regardless of CPU clock. If you ahve 1600 already, no reason to upgrade but if you dont, might aswell dish out the extra £10-15 for some tight 2133 or loose-ish 2400.