Need a 2x4Gb DDR3 1600 kit for SB rig

[marlinman]

The final piece of the puzzle is almost in place muahahaaa!

I gather from this AT article that there's no need to be too fussy when it comes to choosing RAM for my i5-2500K Z68 system-to-be. So how does this G.Skill Ripjaws X CL9 kit sound? It sells for NZ$129 - there are kits for as low as NZ$113 (3 Kingstons and an A-RAM) but I don't see these brands represented on sites like AT and THG so thought I'd steer clear. I plan to overclock CPU as fully as I can - would this kit be a good choice?

 

[greenhawk]

Overclocking on the SandyBridge is all on cpu. No adjustments done to the memory. RAM overclocking appears to be only on offer through SB-E and IB (neither out yet).

 

[marlinman]

Oh dear - a NZ$107 Kingston HyperX T1 kit has now caught my eye, but I'm unsure whether it will physically fit height-wise (thanks to its tall heatsink) in the system I'm building (which includes an ASRock Z68 Extreme4 motherboard, and a Thermalright Ultra-120 eXtreme LGA775 heatsink w/ 120mm fan). If worst comes to worst and it does not fit, would breaking/sawing/... one of the RAM modules' heatsinks off be feasible? Bit extreme perhaps, but the RAM seems suitable in all other regards (price included).

 

[FishAk]

The heat-sink is only for looks. If you don't cut too far down and actually hit the PCB, and you don't generate too much heat or create/transfer static electricity than it won't hurt.

However, it means you can never send it back or have it repaired under warranty, and the resale value will be shot.

Also, it should be noted that the heat-sinks are just glued on. So one could heat the stick to something less then the max operating temp, and carefully pull the two halves apart and off the module. This would allow for reconstruction if required.

The only reason to consider that option is if the memory is considerably cheaper than memory without the height problems. If you buy the modules because you like the look- but then getto the things, well...

The important thing to watch for is the voltage. The lower the better, with 1.5v the absolute upper limit.