Ram stick for M5A97 EVO R2.0

[guest122]

Hey guys, i'm looking to upgrade the ram of my pc to 8GB... i have the Kingston Hyper X Blu 4 GB 1600MHz DDR3 CL9 that apparently was discontinued and now i'm stuck with it... will it play well with others? Can anyone please point me to a reliable 4GB stick of ram for this motherboard. I want something acessible in terms of price but reliable at same time. I might even try to sell this one and get a matching pair if i can...

Thank you

 

[Harvey]

In the U.S., 8 GB (2 x 4 GB) of DDR3 1600, CL9 RAM is very inexpensive. Here's a list of current offers (prices low to high) from Newegg starting at $35.99 with free shipping.

If you're in the U.S., or you have access to vendors with equivalent pricesyour best bet may be to buy a matched pair of sticks and sell or trade your single stick with a friend.

Be sure to check your motherboard manufacturer's site for their memory compatibility list. If it's an older board, the list may not be current, but you can check the various RAM manufacturers' sites for their models that are compatible with your motherboard, and you can search Google for your motherboard model number + various models of RAM that look intereresting.

Be VERY sure you know the voltages your motherboard can provide (1.50 v, 1.65 v, etc.). The info should be in your user's manual, or you can read the available options in the BIOS. Using lower voltage RAM uses less power and produces less heat.

Hope that helps. Good luck.

 

[LTC8K6]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...cm_re=kingston_hyper_x-_-20-104-503-_-Product

 

[Harvey]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...cm_re=kingston_hyper_x-_-20-104-503-_-Product

The HyperX Savage at your link runs at 1.50 volts. His Kingston Hyper X Blue operates at 1.65 volts so it would not be a good match.

Newegg lists the one 4 GB stick of HyperX Savage for $26.99, and they're selling matched pairs of 4 GB sticks for $35 - $40. For the price difference, he would get a new, guaranteed matched pair, and it shouldn't be hard to find someone who would buy his 4 GB stick for $10 -$15.

 

[LTC8K6]

Yeah, he would need to buy two sticks.

I didn't see the pair the first time I checked newegg.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...cm_re=kingston_hyper_x-_-20-104-503-_-Product

 

[Harvey]

That pair is $49.99. They have a good selection of PC1,600 MHz CL9 RAM for less, and I think Newegg's user reviews are pretty honest so he can get an idea of which models are good candidates for his needs.

 

[LTC8K6]

But he asked for a recommendation... :whiste:

 

[tweakboy]

Don't trust newegg. They sell defecitve items.. gl

 

[guest122]

Hey guys thank you for the info and links. I think i'll buy that HyperX Savage pair i was checking on store here in my country and its about the same price.
Now what if i used those two plus the one i have making a total of 12GB, since they have different voltages it would mess things up right?

 

[Harvey]

Hey guys thank you for the info and links. I think i'll buy that HyperX Savage pair i was checking on store here in my country and its about the same price.
Now what if i used those two plus the one i have making a total of 12GB, since they have different voltages it would mess things up right?

You should not mix RAM spec'd to operate at different voltages. There is a slight chance that your Kingston stick will work at the lower voltage, but I wouldn't count on it for reliability. Conversely, forcing your 1.5 volt RAM to operate at 1.65 volts could damage it due to overvoltage or overheating.

Another reason not to add the odd stick is if your motherboard supports operating your RAM in dual channel mode. This interleaves the access between two channels, which is faster than single channel mode. Dual channel operation requires an even number of matched RAM sticks. In your case, either 2 x 4 GB (8 GB total) or 2 x 8 GB (16 GB total). The only case where three sticks of RAM is optimal is for Intel based boards that support three channel interleaved RAM operation.

Check online reviews for your motherboard. There have been cases where some models have problems with some models of RAM when trying to use four sticks, even when the motherboard is spec'd to do so.

In any case, as I noted, above, someone should be able to use your 1.65 volt 4 GB Kingston stick. Your best bet is to sell it or trade it to help pay for your new RAM.

 

[JimKiler]

The OP could get G.Skill Sniper 2x4GB for $45 on newegg

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231460

I ran this in my M5A97 EVO R1 until my CPU died. It is 1866 (PC3 14900) which is faster than the current stick he has.

 

[guest122]

Thank you Harvey that pretty much sums up all my doubts about memory. I went ahead and bought the hyperX savage pair. Thank you LTC8K6 for pointing it out. JimKiler i just saw your post it would probably be a better alternative but its done i already bought them. Thanks guys

 

[Harvey]

Thank you Harvey that pretty much sums up all my doubts about memory. I went ahead and bought the hyperX savage pair. Thank you LTC8K6 for pointing it out. JimKiler i just saw your post it would probably be a better alternative but its done i already bought them. Thanks guys

You're welcome. :thumbsup:

< sniff > I love happy endings.