What type of DDR3 memory do i need for this?

Baddass

Baddass

Baddass

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Hi all, about to buy a couple of new parts for my parents PC and getting a bit confused by what speed memory i will need.

Going to buy the Gigabyte GA-MA78LMT-US2H motherboard which supports

4 x 1.5V DDR3 DIMM sockets supporting up to 16 GB of system memory
- Dual channel memory architecture
- Support for DDR3 1666(OC)/1333/1066 MHz memory modules
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also combining with AMD Phenom II X4 Quad Core 850 "95W Edition" 3.30GHz CPU


So my question is, which type of DDR 3 RAM do i need? Dual channel i know, but what about 10666, 12800 or 14400+? Assume it relates to the native FSB of the CPU?
 
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Hi there Baddass,

Personally, I would go with this RAM - really nice kit at a great price and is known to work well with AMD systems.

That said, I would suggest going with this Phenom II X4 955BE CPU instead of that 850. It may have a slightly lower base clockspeed - but it is a true phenom II (with L3 chache), the 850 is really just an Athlon II X4.

Also, the board you linked to is a decent one (and supports the 955BE), though you may want to consider this one for £14 more (or this one if you need an integrated GPU) due to the overclocking options and AM3+ CPU support. This board will allow you to set your parents up with a cheeky overclock (very simple with a multiplier unlocked CPU like the 955BE) and also supports upcoming AMD Bulldozer CPUs with a BIOS update - so you can do a cheap and effective CPU-only upgrade in the future.
 
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excellent help, thanks cmndr_andi :)

that RAM was one of the sets i was looking at so glad to see it is recommended. thanks for the pointers on the CPU too, thats interesting to know :) only a few pound more so will go for that if that is the concensus

with the motherboard, i do need one with integrated GPU as theyve only got an old AGP graphics card! (yes, its a very old system). I want to keep costs down as much as i can so think I'll stick with the cheaper one as dont really need to overclock anyway on their system. they are only using it for general office/internet stuff and this is going to be a huge upgrade from their old Athlon XP 1800+, 1Gb RAM :)
 
Baddass said:
so will go for that if that is the concensus
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cmndr_andi 'is' the general concensus when it comes to hardware information. There seems to be very little he doesn't know when it comes to harware and best combinations (how do you find time to get your engineering studies done andi?).

But i'll still +1 his advice - especially the 955BE and the Asus M5A88-M AMD 880G as it certainly makes sense given your requiremnts.
 
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Will that original mobo I listed be capable of a "casual" Overclock with a simple multiplier increase do you think? Just up to 3.6ghz or so?

Also any ideas if a 350w PSU (existing) will be sufficient to power these, no extra GFX card or anything?
 
Depends on the PSU - if it's a quality brand then it shouldn't have problems running such a minimal setup. If it's an aging generic psu - i wouldn't even plug it in the new setup.

You shouldn't have any problems hitting 3.6Ghz with the BE edition.
 
Yes, that board should be able to achieve a small overclock - so long as you can keep the CPU cool.

However, you may want to consider going for this AM3+ supporting ASUS 760G board. It shouldn't overclock any better than the gigabyte but it will support the new AMD Bulldozer (FX) chips and only costs £5 more.

As for the PSU, may I ask what the make and model number of it is? So long as it is decent quality then you should be fine - since with an integrated GPU system the 125W CPU will be by-far the most power-hungry component.

Plec said:
how do you find time to get your engineering studies done andi?
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:) It seems to fall into place. Got another paid engineering placement in a few weeks so hopefully on track to get a real job after all this silly student stuff.
 
Completely OT:

cmndr_andi said:
Got another paid engineering placement in a few weeks so hopefully on track to get a real job after all this silly student stuff.
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Paid placements must be as rare as hen's teeth in this financial climate - so getting 'another' placement must be a testament to your abilities.

From reading your considered and detailed posts i imagine you've got a very promising future ahead of you (i envy your prospects) - best of luck - although you seem to be making your own, the best way.
 
Thanks again. The existing PSU is just some one which came with the case way back. A codegen 350w

It might be possible to use my x-pro MPT-401P which is a 400w I have in my case at the moment if really necessary. If not need a low cost replacement I guess

Ps that suggested new mobo looks good although I need one with IDE as well as planning to re-use existing cd roms/DVD-RW
 
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