RAM TIMINGS: any difference between CL7 & CL9 DDR3 @ 1600mhz?

[poohbear]

Hey all, would i notice a real world difference in minimum FPS or how responsive/snappy the system is with $110 CL7-8-7-24 DDR3 1600mhz RAM vs $43 CL9-9-9-24 DDR 1600mhz RAM?(8gb kits)

I just saw the article on anandtech for Sandy bridge which concluded that there was virtually no difference in gaming @ 1920x1080 (my resolution) for avg FPS, but what about minimum FPS & general system snappiness or responsive? Also, does the PhenomII handle differently with tighter ram, or is it also so minimal so as not to be noticed?

Thanks in advance!

 

[razel]

No difference to be worth the $80. To put it in perspective, I recently spent $45 on 16GB DDR3 1600 CL7 RAM from Corsair. If anything, you can probably buy cheaper RAM and tweak the RAM timings in your BIOS to get better performance. Keep memtest+ handy when you do this.

 

[noblemo]

No difference to be worth the $80. To put it in perspective, I recently spent $45 on 16GB DDR3 1600 CL7 RAM from Corsair. If anything, you can probably buy cheaper RAM and tweak the RAM timings in your BIOS to get better performance. Keep memtest+ handy when you do this.

+1 :thumbsup:

 

[BTRY B 529th FA BN]

you want to cut down in your input time in all areas you can.. the three places people talk about most are a monitor, keyboard, and mouse..

 

[poohbear]

you want to cut down in your input time in all areas you can.. the three places people talk about most are a monitor, keyboard, and mouse..

huh? what do monitor KB & mouse have to do w/ ram timings?

Razel, have you tested CL7 vs CL9 and noticed a difference?

can anyone else comment from their experience if CL7 effects minimum FPS or general system responsiveness vs CL9?

 

[fffblackmage]

There's no discernible difference between CL7 and CL9. Get whatever that runs on 1.5V and is cheaper.

 

[razel]

huh? what do monitor KB & mouse have to do w/ ram timings?

Razel, have you tested CL7 vs CL9 and noticed a difference?

can anyone else comment from their experience if CL7 effects minimum FPS or general system responsiveness vs CL9?

Yes I've tried. There's no discerable real world difference except in benchmarks. The point of buying the cheaper RAM with CL9 is that your motherboard can more likely override it to run at CL7, if you're lucky.

 

[Kristijonas]

What is the difference between these? One of them is marked as 1.55v and the other 1.65v. Does it make any difference?

http://www.skytech.lt/adata-4gb-kit...911927-165v-xpggaming-v20-series-p-61613.html

http://www.skytech.lt/ddr3-adata-4g...gaming-series-radiatorius-retail-p-57857.html

 

[lehtv]

The lower the voltage, the better.

 

[Kristijonas]

Why?

 

[BrightCandle]

1.65V is the maximum for the platform, beyond that and there is potential damage to the CPU. The Sandy Bridge controller was designed for RAM running on a voltage of 1.5V. The lower voltage should result in lower power consumption and it leaves headroom for overclocking when you have an effective maximum of just 1.65V.

 

[Blain]

Why?

Because memory that can run stable at a lower voltage indicates higher quality.

 

[Kristijonas]

Thank you, it's interesting however that 1.65v costs more than 1.55 while everything else seems to be the same.

 

[bryanW1995]

That memory is probably "better" in that it can run at tigher timings at 1.65 while the other can't, but as stated on an intel board you can't tell the difference. I've heard different stories on amd, however.

 

[Suspicious-Teach8788]

CL7 vs CL9 is like 1333 vs 1600 mhz.

 

[poohbear]

Yes I've tried. There's no discerable real world difference except in benchmarks. The point of buying the cheaper RAM with CL9 is that your motherboard can more likely override it to run at CL7, if you're lucky.

you're telling me 2 things;

1. RAM timing doesnt matter,

2. but if i can buy cheaper RAM and run it @ CL7 i would be "lucky".

Why should i even try if RAM timing doesnt matter? And why would i be lucky if RAM timings dont effect performance?

CL7 vs CL9 is like 1333 vs 1600 mhz.

what do you mean? one is timing and the other is bandwidth. care to elaborate?

 

[masteryoda34]

It does not matter.

 

[razel]

Just buy the cheaper RAM.

 

[Blain]

Buy quality memory that's rated for the DDR3 standard of 1.5v (or less voltage rated if you can afford it).