Which memory?

SouthyCHXC

SouthyCHXC

SouthyCHXC

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Joined
11 Jan 2011
Posts
16
I'm building my own i7 rig and I'm a little stuck on which memory to choose from, my motherboard is the following
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MB-235-GI&groupid=701&catid=5&subcat=1692
Memory: 6x DDR3 DIMM 2200 / 1333 / 1066 / 800 MHz (Max. 24GB) / Tri-Channel / Intel Extreme Memory Profile (XMP)
These are the RAM speeds it states, does this mean that I cant use 1600mhz RAM? Or 2000mhz, will it have to be what is stated?
I have also heard the i7s cant run anything over 1066, is this true, and can I overclock past this?

The RAM sticks I have in mind are as followed, I have chosen different speeds and latencies, could you advice me on the best?

6GB (3x2GB) Corsair XMS3 Classic, DDR3 PC3-10666 (1333) Non-ECC Unbuffered, CAS 7-7-7-20, 1.65V
£81.72 Inc VAT

12GB (3x4GB) Corsair Vengeance, DDR3 PC3-12800 (1600) Non-ECC Unbuffered, CAS 9-9-9-24, XMP, 1.50V
£150.19 Inc VAT

6GB (3x2GB) Corsair Dominator, DDR3 PC3-12800(1600), CAS 7-8-7-20, XMP, DHX, New Connector, 1.65V
£130.94 Inc VAT

8GB (2x4GB) Corsair Vengeance DDR3 PC3-12800 (1600), Non-ECC Unbuffered, CAS 8-8-8-24, XMP, 1.50V
£123.36 Inc VAT
EDIT: I forgot to add this, I think this is Dual Channel, rather than Triple.

4GB(2x2GB) Corsair Dominator GT DDR3 PC3-12800(1600), CAS 7-7-7-20, XMP, DHX, DF, 1.65V
£130.94 Inc VAT
EDIT: I forgot to add this, I think this is Dual Channel, rather than Triple.

6GB(3x2GB) Corsair DominatorGT, DDR3 PC3-16000(2000), CAS 8-9-8-24, DHX, XMP, DF II, Connector,1.65V
£150.19 Inc VAT

I noticed that some of these sticks have 7-7-7-20 latency, but most are 8-8-8-24 latency (or otherwise), i know that the first is better, but is the speed drop from the 7-7-7-24 worth the latency rise?
My budget isn't really an issue, but I don't want to be paying out my mouth for improvements that only show in synthetic processes/workloads.
EDIT: Thanks for any responses :)
 
No, I don't have the CPU or Board yet, I am planning on getting it in a couple of weeks time when I've got my head around the components I want. I want to be sure I am getting the best quality, and don't want to rush into buying something really.

EDIT: If your going to tell me to look at the Intel SB's then I have looked at them, and considered them, but I'm not sure about the risk of overclocking the Bclk, perhaps after a few weeks, the problem may get fixed or more well known, and methods of how to prevent it may come out and change my mind over the next few weeks.
 
SouthyCHXC said:
No, I don't have the CPU or Board yet, I am planning on getting it in a couple of weeks time when I've got my head around the components I want. I want to be sure I am getting the best quality, and don't want to rush into buying something really.

EDIT: If your going to tell me to look at the Intel SB's then I have looked at them, and considered them, but I'm not sure about the risk of overclocking the Bclk, perhaps after a few weeks, the problem may get fixed or more well known, and methods of how to prevent it may come out and change my mind over the next few weeks.
Click to expand...

Yes, indeed I was :)

With the new sandy bridge CPUs, you really don't want to touch the BLCK. That's not to say you can't overclock - with the multiplier unlocked K series CPUs people are continually getting nice 4.5-4.6GHz overclocks (by increasing the multiplier).

As for the failures - so long as you stick to this you should be OK. If you are one of the unlucky few with a chip that dies on you - OCUK will replace it.

Considering the performance boost Sandy Bridge offers over X58, I really do think its worth going down this road.
 
There is a significant increase from the processor I was thinking of (i7 950) and the 2500k, it's also cheaper, however it isn't hyperthreaded, how much does this affect performance?
I won't be doing anything too resource depending, encoding video or hq media production, mainly for gaming and multitasking with documents, browsers, games and music etc.

I have read about the Blck being able to be turned up to 107.25 I think an article said, however I wouldn't risk it due to the amount of failures, but with up to a possible 5.2GHz I think(?) through the multiplier would really by far exceed what I would usually clock it to (4GHz, maybe less maybe more, depending on what I feel)

Thanks for the info I'll stick to the guide to get the best life.

EDIT: Also, what do you think about the RAM options I have posted above for a Sandy Bridge 2500K? What speed RAM can they utilize? I heard i7's can only use 1066MHz from a friend at college.
 
Go for the 2500k if it's for gaming and general use. Don't change the Blck at all, in fact manually set it at 100 so the bios can't change it. Then just increase the multiplier, 45x-46x seems about the max people are getting regularly.

Different ram types don't have a massive effect on Sandybridge performance.

Bear in mind you will need dual channel ram which runs at 1.5V as anything above can cause problems. 4gb 1600Mhz should be enough, 8gb if you're feeling flash!
 
I'm feeling flash ;) Probably the vengeance 2x4GB sticks at 1600MHz. If I keep it in a safe voltage (1.6v is according to this site, safe) what is the most I will be able to OC my RAM? Just an estimate will do :)
 
I think it has been shown to be safest to run it at 1.5v and 1600Mhz. Anything above this has been shown to possibly cause problems. It's better to get faster ram e.g 2133 and run it at 1600Mhz with tighter timings.

You would be hard pushed to spot a difference if you overclocked your ram except in some benchmarks.
 
So by getting faster RAM, and underclocking it, I could increase the latency speeds of the RAM? What is the minimum they can go to? I've seen 6-6-6-20, but that was stock, can I manually get that lower?
 
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