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3X2GB X2 or 6X2GB

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Cyborg

Cyborg

Member
​
Joined
Oct 4, 2002
I'm a little confused about this:
if I buy 3X2GB memory, http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227365 it says:

Cas Latency: 8
Timing: 8-8-8-24
Voltage: 1.65V
Multi-channel Kit: Triple Channel Kit

and costs $149.99 at the egg.

however, if I want 12GB of memory and go with this:
6X2GB http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227422

Cas Latency: 8
Timing: 8-8-8-24
Voltage: 1.65V
Multi-channel Kit: Hexa-Channel Kit

and costs 335.99 at the egg.
the only difference is the Hexa-Channel.

Any reason to pay $35.00 more or can I just buy 2X the 3X2GB?

Thanks
 
Hexa Channel? I guess that was like quad channel for an x48/p45 platform. lol.
And the premium you pay for a 6 stick set over a 3 stick set would be somewhat worth it due to the fact that they are already tested to work optimally together. I would probably go that route if for any reason I needed 12GB of RAM, which I never will.
 
I agree with bad, but essentially all they do is take two of the 3x2 packs and test them together and if all works they ship them. you will still get "hexa-channel" its just essentially different packaging. I would go with whats cheaper since they are identical. plus if ones dead you only have to ship 6gb back (and keep going on the other 6gb) rather than shipping all 12 and having to sit w/o a comp...
 
SkiBum1207 said:
I agree with bad, but essentially all they do is take two of the 3x2 packs and test them together and if all works they ship them. you will still get "hexa-channel" its just essentially different packaging. I would go with whats cheaper since they are identical. plus if ones dead you only have to ship 6gb back (and keep going on the other 6gb) rather than shipping all 12 and having to sit w/o a comp...
Click to expand...

Pretty much. Chances are very good that if you buy two 6GB sets they will work perfectly together. And good point about being to ship one discrete set back if you happen to fry a stick, and have one for backup.
 
yep, that's what I thought they do.
So I'll get the 2X 3X2GB and save the $$$$$
Now, if you ask why I would want 12GB, that's simple, - because I can LOL

Thanks guys.
 
I'd advise against it for unless you absolutely need 12GB. It's always been a rule of thumb to make sure you have enough, but not more than you need. Particularly if it means installing more sticks than necessary.
 
baditude_df said:
I'd advise against it for unless you absolutely need 12GB. It's always been a rule of thumb to make sure you have enough, but not more than you need. Particularly if it means installing more sticks than necessary.
Click to expand...

I understand what you mean, but my thought goes like this:
I'd have 6 sticks and install 3 of them.
At the point where I start to oc the memory, I'll get to the limit those three can go.
Then I'll replace one of the chips and see if the oc goes any further, stays the same or gets worse.
After I do this with all 3 originals, I'd know which the 3 best to oc are.
If they all turn out to go to the same limit or very close, I'd keep them all and have 12GB.
Otherwise I just sell 3 sticks on the bay.
If the 6 sticks oc the same as 3, there wouldn't be any harm in having 12GB of memory, would there?
 
I wouldn't say "harm" per say, it's just that the more DIMMs you fill, the more stress you impose whether it be a Northbridge or an IMC. More memory to address and more voltage to supply.
What you've mentioned about switching out sticks to find the best 3 of the 6 is fine if you have the money to burn I guess. But I think that you would be giving yourself a better chance at reaching a stable, low voltage, low temperature overclock if you just used 3.
Someone who's actually overclocked with both 6 and 12GB would have to chime in here and give you the real skinny though, as I have only gone as high as 3x2GB with an i7.
 
baditude_df said:
Hexa Channel? I guess that was like quad channel for an x48/p45 platform. lol.
And the premium you pay for a 6 stick set over a 3 stick set would be somewhat worth it due to the fact that they are already tested to work optimally together. I would probably go that route if for any reason I needed 12GB of RAM, which I never will.
Click to expand...

640K of ram is more than enough for him :) :chair:

heh heh




OP: Your idea of running three and swapping them out and seeing if they all OC the same then running all 12GB, you most likely will not be able to clock all 6 sticks as well as only three.

A nice low latency 6GB kit will give you the results you want with plenty of addressable ram for future needs
 
ok, you guys convinced me.
I always thought more is better.
I'll go with 3 then and see my favorite stripper for the rest of the money lol

Thanks again for the help.
 
Yes, just buy the 3 and be done with it, your train of thought is going to cost you more money in the end, besides with ratio's such you can easily slow down your ram so it isnt being overclockedand will likely hit a CPU wall long before your ram craps out.
 
It's also easier to keep 3 sticks cool, whereas with 6 they are all crammed together and tend to heat up quicker warranting IMO a fan directly over the dimms.
 
^^ DDR3 isn't that hot to begin with though. I haven't heard of any heat related issues with the modules. Also remember that temperature doesn't play as much of an important part as the mem controller. It will be weaker with 12 GB (6 sticks) because it has to distribute more volts to control all of it.
 
^^ DDR3 isn't that hot to begin with though. I haven't heard of any heat related issues with the modules.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I read that too somewhere too, but it's pretty much BS. DDR3 might not get to the same heat levels as DDR2 did, but load things up with no direct cooling and it get's hot to the touch just like DDR2. Since heat is the enemy no matter what PC part it is, it's only going to help to OC further or just keep your system happier.
 
That's intense!!! I wouldn't be able to deal with the noise though. I'm just speaking from personal experience so the mileage will vary but my RAM gets just slightly warm to the touch - I use mushkin DDR3-1600 if that makes any difference. It's all up to how comfortable you are with temps. It's winter now too so I can just pop open a window. :D
 
I run Rosetta 24/7 so mine my memory is constantly at work. I can let it go about 5 minutes b4 it gets hot to the touch. That's probably where the difference lies.
Also, the fans over the ram and Mosfet sinks are just 38mm Yate Loon lowspeeds. You can hardly hear them. It's the denki's over the GFX cards that can get loud at full speed, but they're wired into my controller at ~7v so they're quiet too.
 
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