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Best RAM for my new system?

G

gmjimmy

Member
I'm not much of an over clocker but I do want the best for my new toy. I've been doing a lot of reading but things are still a little foggy when it comes to the best choice for ram. I plan on buying 8gb. for my ASUS P7P55D-E Pro and i7 860 CPU. I've been looking at G.Skill and Corsair XMS but I'm not sure what to buy. On the advice of the sales guy I already bought 4gb of OCZP1333LV4GK PC310666 7-7-7@1.65V but everyone here on this forum seems to like the G.Skill and Corsair. I can't figure out what brand and what type (model number) to go with. I can return the OCZ and buy something else or the Corsair but the place I've been buying my stuff from doesn't carry the G.Skill. Should I buy another 4gb's of the OZC or get something else?
Thanks for your suggestions.
Jim
 
gmjimmy said:
On the advice of the sales guy I already bought 4gb of OCZP1333LV4GK PC310666 7-7-7@1.65V but everyone here on this forum seems to like the G.Skill and Corsair.
I can't figure out what brand and what type (model number) to go with.
I can return the OCZ and buy something else or the Corsair but the place I've been buying my stuff from doesn't carry the G.Skill. Should I buy another 4gb's of the OZC or get something else?
Click to expand...
* Talk to the sales guy.
* Ask him if you should buy another 4GB's of the OCZ memory.
* If he says "yes", ask him if you can return all 8GB's (without paying any restocking fee), if you have any problems at all.
If he won't stand behind his recommendation, return the OCZ and buy all Corsair XMS (1.5v) memory.
 
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Thanks very much for the replies but the problem is that I don't really understand the numbers. I have a lot of reading to do.
 
How about the graphs in the Anandtech article I linked above?
Click to expand...
Greek, but I'm learning. I couldn't get another 4gb. of this ram off the shelf and had to order it on line. Time will tell if I've made a mistake. I went to 3 different stores (Tiger Direct) trying to find this ram and all the tech guys I spoke with like it. They say they've used it on several builds and get great results. All I know is what I read in the reviews and what I learn here. Blain spoke about 1.5 volt XMS3 but I couldn't find any in stock anywhere.

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145251

Blain
Is this what you were referring to?
 
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Another reason I think a lot of people recommend other memory not ocz is due to compatibility issues. If you google search user reviews for ddr3 ocz memory, you will find a lot of people posting compatibility issues, ie not being able to run at the rated speeds. I was able to configure mine to work probably, but you should read some user feedback before you finalize your memory decision.
 
Thanks TJCS
I've been doing a lot of reading and OCZ isn't getting rave reviews but they do make lots of memory and most people don't post reviews that their memory is working good unless asked. My other system (AMD 3500+) is running 1gb of OCZ DDR and it's been fine for years. I've just read another post talking about my CPU having a maximum voltage of 1.6 and my memory is 1.65? I'm thinking I'm going to return the OCZ and get 8gbs of XMS3 1.5 as suggested by n7 on another thread and Blain. I'm in a little over my head here.
http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2033842
 
I think Corsair is a fine choice for your build.

People definitely are more motivated to post reviews when they are experiencing hardware problems, but if you see a particular problem repeating itself with similar hardware combinations you definitely need to reconsider mixing them.
 
Ok. I returned the OZC ram and need some some help with a decision. I just had too many people tell me it wasn't a good choice.

Could someone give me some choices from this list. It's a long list so get involved at your own peril 😱 Now you know why I'm confused. If there is a better choice that's not listed please let me know.

Asus P7P55D-E Pro - i7 860 not overclocking.

G.Skill Ripjaws DDR3 1333 1.5V $108.49
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product...82E16820231190

G.Skill Ripjaws DDR3 1333 1.5V $108.49
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product...82E16820231274

G.Skill Ripjaws DDR3 1333 1.5V $112.49
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product...82E16820231275

G.Skill Ripjaws DDR3 1600 1.5V $96.99
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product...82E16820231277

G.Skill Ripjaws DDR3 1333 1.5V $118.49
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product...82E16820231276

G.Skill Ripjaws DDR3 1600 1.6V/1.65 $118.49
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product...82E16820231303


Corsair XMS3 DDR3 1333 1.5V $103.49
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product...82E16820145251

Corsair XMS3 DDR3 1600 1.65 CL9 108.99 CL7 1.65V
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product...82E16820145260

Corsair XMS3 DDR3 1600 1.65V CL7 123.99
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product...82E16820145285

Thanks I really do appreciate the help
 
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Blain
Thanks for the help. I've spent a lot of time reading and I'm learning. On another forum dealing with another subject I'm one of the leading contributors and have over 35 years of experience to offer. I know how valuable my input is to others struggling with a problem they can't figure out because I'm that person on this subject. I realize my questions are elementary to most on this site and answering questions from people like me is bothersome but if I don't ask I don't get answers and if I don't get answers then........well you know. Taking the time to explain something to someone who doesn't understand demonstrates ones patience and willingness to help others and it's appreciated.
Jim
 
I've read a little on it but am still confused about a few things. My board ASUS P7P55D-E Pro spec says 4 x DIMM, Max. 16 GB, DDR3 2200(O.C.)*/1600/1333/1066 Non-ECC,Un-buffered Memory. My Intel spec for the CPU says Memory Types DDR3-1066/1333. Some say (usually sales guys) that I should use 1.65 (or higher than 1.5) because it will give me some head room if I should decide to over clock a little in the future. Where the 1.5 volt would become unstable if I did this. My thinking (probably wrong) is if the 1.65V memory requires 1.65V to reach the advertised rating, what makes it capable of exceeding it's voltage rating to overclock any better than the 1.5V ram? It would make sense that there is more room between 1.5 and CPU voltage (1.6) than 1.65 and the CPU voltage, making the 1.5 a better choice???

What doesn't help at all is most of the memory listed in the Asus P7P55D-E Pro QVL for DDR3-1600Mhz. capability for CPU at 2.8 and 2.93Ghz. says 1.65V and some higher??

What I'm also having trouble understanding is I was told this board is native 1600Mhz. Does that mean that the G.Skill we talked about DDR3 1600 1.5V will plug in and work at 1600 without adjusting the bios or do I have to set this manually. XMP?

My manual says
"Due to Intel spec definition, X.M.P. DIMMS and DDR1600 are supported for one DIMM per channel only. Asus exclusively provides two DDR3 1600 DIMM support for each memory channel."

Does this mean that if I want 8gb of 1600 ram that I have to buy 2 sticks of 4gb each instead of 4 X 2gb sticks? These two sentences seem to contradict each other. In the manual Under bios setup it says "To obtain the best performance of the XMP or 1600 Hz DIMM install only one DIMM on each memory channel."

Also there is a feature in the software for this board called Turbo V EVO and Auto tuning. I would assume that choice of memory would be important to take advantage of this feature too?

Initially I said I didn't want to overclock. I guess what I meant was that I don't feel confident getting into the bios to change timing and voltage manually. I would on the other hand like to take advantage of some of the automatic or safer methods of getting the most out of the computer.

I will continue to read and try to understand this stuff even if it drives me to drink. Having said that..................
Jim

PS This is what was recommended to me. http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231277&ref=dynamitedata.com
 
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Actually 1.5v memory gives you more head room. The 1.5v rating is not a maximum, it's what the memory is rated to operate stable.
Memory manufacturers sometimes have to jack up the voltage to get their lower quality memory stable at higher clock rates.

Higher clock rated memory with lower timings and lower voltage usually equals higher quality.
 
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Latency is almost meaningless these days.
I only use latency numbers in concert with clock frequency and voltage to determine the potential quality of memory I'm considering.
 
Actually 1.5v memory gives you more head room
Click to expand...
This is what I though but why would Asus list all of that 1.65V memory in their QVL?

Also if anybody could have a look at the rest of my post and help me with it, it would really help.
Thanks

What I'm also having trouble understanding is I was told this board is native 1600Mhz. Does that mean that the G.Skill we talked about DDR3 1600 1.5V will plug in and work at 1600 without adjusting the bios or do I have to set this manually. XMP?

My manual says
"Due to Intel spec definition, X.M.P. DIMMS and DDR1600 are supported for one DIMM per channel only. Asus exclusively provides two DDR3 1600 DIMM support for each memory channel."

Does this mean that if I want 8gb of 1600 ram that I have to buy 2 sticks of 4gb each instead of 4 X 2gb sticks? These two sentences seem to contradict each other. In the manual Under bios setup it says "To obtain the best performance of the XMP or 1600 Hz DIMM install only one DIMM on each memory channel."

Also there is a feature in the software for this board called Turbo V EVO and Auto tuning. I would assume that choice of memory would be important to take advantage of this feature too?
 
Mainly because I didn't want any reason for it to run slow. I thought about using 4gb but what to heck. It's only money. On a serious note I was told that my Photoshop CS4 would run better.
 
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