I'm extremely confused on what to buy....

[Sirrion]

Okay i've got almost every piece of my new gaming rig in order. But for the life of me i cannot seem to figure out what kind of ram would fit best. I've researched for days and days, scoured countless forums, and browsed so many ram specifications i could never look at another stick of ram in my life and die happy.

Now.. that being said, I really need some advice on my specific situation. Sure i've read tons of reviews and comments around various types of ram, but I just need some good old fashion suggestions for my problem.

I am building a rig that will be used for 2 things: Gaming and Overclocking. With that in mind, I need some recommended gaming/OC ram ideas. Here's my current spec:

Processor: Q6600 (with g0 Stepping) or E6750 (haven't decided yet)
Ram: _____________________
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3R
Harddrive: 2x Seagate 7200.10 320 gig
Videocard: 8800GTX
Operating Sys: Vista Home Premium 64-bit
PSU: OCZ GameXStream 700W
Soundcard: Auzentech X-Meridian or Prelude
Monitor: LG L246wp-BN (24" WS LCD)
CPU HS/Fan: TR Ultra 120 Extreme + Scythe Silent 120mm Fan
Case: Silverstone Temjin TJ09B

Okay now that the spec sheet is out of the way... I want to overclock one of those above two processors to HOPEFULLY 3.5ghrtz (Or as close to it). But something around there would be fine. So assuming either chip has the capacity to do that (or even not), I need RAM suggestions.

Please answer the following and throw out some recommendations as well:

1) 4: 2x1 kits or 2: 2x2 kits? - I'd probably prefer the 2x2 but the selection of 2x2 kits are so limited, and so few have been reviewed, i have no idea how any of these overclock? would 4: 2x1 kits be just as fine, or do 2x2 really provide better performance?

2) DDR2 800 or DDR2 1066? - Okay i know this has been argued to death, but for gaming and overclocking purposes, I imagine the 1066 is better. BUT i'd much rather go for the 800 if there will be no significant advantages to getting the 1066? Obviously 800 is cheaper, so that's a plus, but If were looking at a difference of 200-300+mhz for the 1066 I'd rather spend a little extra and go for that.

3) I would like to stay somewhere near the $100-$125 per 2gig price range, but I would do $150 if it were beneficial enough.

Last few notes to keep in mind while responding:

A) I'm not looking to gain just a few fps or a few couple mhz by going with one ram over another. If there isn't a relatively substantial or significant benefit to doing 1066 over 800 for example, or 2x1 vs 2x2 then it's not worth it to spend the extra money.

B) For 4: 2x1 I've been looking at Crucial Ballistix both for 800 and 1066.
For 2: 2x2 I've been looking at Geil Esoteria

* I know the Ballistix have very good reviews overall and overclock well, but what about Geil chips... I do not believe they are Micron chips. Is that a warning flag?

C) Besides Crucial, what other brands are very good for overclocking in general?

D) Lastly this rig is almost entirely for gaming. I'll do a little web browsing, some mp3 stuff, maybe a movie here and there, but it is a pure gaming setup.

Thanks ahead of time for all the input, I really am at a loss as to what to purchase. I'm spending a lot of money and dont want to make the wrong descision about an important part of my system.

 

[cmdrdredd]

1) 2x2GB doesn't overclock well

2) DDR2-800 sets can easily reach DDR2-1066 with good chips. Crucial Ballistix for example using Micron D9 ICs.

for overclocking look at teamgroup, cricial, g.skill's higher end lines, ocz's high end lines, mushkin's high end lines (black and red heatspreader not green), Supertalent, Cell Shock.

Those are the ones off the top of my head who have consistant overclocking success.

 

[JustaGeek]

I would recommend 2 x 1GB modules and 2 x 512 MB modules for a total of 3GB. Anything between 3GB and 4GB will be sitting unused anyway, even in the 64 bit OS.

Or get more than 4GB (if the MB can support it - they usually say 8GB, but read the reviews if, in fact, it does support 8 GB), but there are only a few applications that would require, or take advantage of that anyway, so 3GB seems to be a sweet spot at the moment.

http://www.dansdata.com/askdan00015.htm

Any memory with Micron IC's should be fine, and going with the 1066MHz will ensure that the modules were tested by the manufacturers to run at that speed.

But check if there are any known problems with the memory brand of your choice and the "first boot", before you can increase the voltage, tighten the timings and increase the frequency manually to 1066 (the SPD's are usually programmed for 800MHz, 5-5-5-15 2T, unless theEPP is present).

Generally speaking - you can't go wrong with Crucial. But check the reviews if there are any known problems with that MB.

Good luck!

 

[cmdrdredd]

I did have a set of crucial memory die on me...just a random thought

 

[JustaGeek]

I know, nothing is perfect. I've read reviews of people unable to reach the rated speeds at the rated voltage of 2.2V for 800MHz sticks.

That's why I am really happy with my G.Skill HZ series - at least it is rated at 2.0V - 2.1V at 800MHz. Lower than standard 2.1V (Corsair) or 2.2V (Crucial).

 

[lopri]

Although the overclocking and benching will be slower, I'd have to say that 2 x 2GB is a better than 4 x 1GB in current forms. And if you decide to go with 4 x 1GB, definitely pick the same type/brand of sticks for all 4 sticks. Out of 4 C2D boards I've dealt with, 2 of them didn't like it when different brands of sticks were mixed even though they had the same ICs and specs. And there is a thermal issue with 4 sticks if you overclock them. Tightly packed, these voltage-loving Micron chips easily can heat up over 50C.

 

[Zarxrax]

I was about to ask a lot of these same questions, but I'll just hop on this thread since the original poster already asked them
I'm planning a relatively similar setup for my new PC--q6600 processor, planning to overclock it to around 3.2ghz or so.

Most of the 800mhz ram I see is either Timing 4-4-4-12, Cas Latency 4 or Timing 5-5-5-15, Cas Latency 5.
I know the lower numbers should offer better performance, but my question is how much? Will there be any noticable difference? Will it effect overclocking?

 

[JustaGeek]

4-4-4-12 will definitely offer better performance, and usually provide more "headroom" for overclocking. The bandwidth that can be reached with the low latency memory is much greater.

You can find the memory reviews and comparison charts on the web.