Additional RAM Question

[tnt118]

I'm looking to add 8 gigs (2x4gig) to my system, which currently has 4 gig (2x2gig). The current ram is Corsair Dominator DDR3 1600 and I had wanted to pick up essentially identical chips. However, Newegg doesn't seem to offer anything that has both the same timing and voltage. It looks like I'll either have to get ram with 9-9-9-24 timing (current is 8-8-8-24) or ram with voltage of 1.5 (current is 1.65).

Which is the better way to go? Or should I considering another brand altogether?

The system is an Asus P7P55D Deluxe with an i7-860. I might considering some mild overclocking in the future, but that's not the primary focus of the system. I use this for gaming (Radeon 5850) and some photoshop/video editing.

Thanks for the help!

 

[jjmIII]

I'd go with the 1.5v stuff or some cheaper G.Skill.

 

[Emulex]

i think fry's had some really cheap 1.5V lately. 1.65V is just the 1.5V thats failed at that speed. so its essentially crappier.

 

[pjkenned]

i think fry's had some really cheap 1.5V lately. 1.65V is just the 1.5V thats failed at that speed. so its essentially crappier.

That isn't entirely true. Some of the 1.65v RAM is run like that to achieve low CL's. That being said, a 1066 CL9 at 1.65v probably does not have the best chips of a bin. A 1600 CL9 at 1.65v would be better, and will likely run much faster at CL9 and 1.65v.

 

[tnt118]

A followup and a bit of a bump...

Based on the suggestion above, I bought 8 gigs of ram (8-8-8-24 v1.5). I installed it and ran memtest overnight just to verify there were no problems. Now I'd like to add my original 4 gigs (8-8-8-24 v1.65) back in for a total of 12, but I'm unsure what voltage to set on the motherboard. I just don't want to accidentally fry anything.

My guess is I would try 1.5v and see if that passes in memtest, and if not, loosen the timings to 9-9-9-24, which I doubt would yield any noticeable differences. Am I on the right track or is there a better suggestion?

 

[tnt118]

One last attempt at a bump and maybe a little help...

I've decided I'd like to try and get to a point where I can run my 8-8-8-24 ram at 1.5v (supposed to be 1.65v). I figure I can try loosing the timings, or lowering the speed (or a combination of both). Does anyone have a suggestion on what, if anything, is most likely to work?

 

[jjmIII]

I run my DDR3 at its spec 1600 9-9-9-24 1.5v. OCd memory wreaks havoc IMO.