Memory is being maxed out... (server mobo).

Hey guys,

So basically the short run end of the story is I built a server PC for the first time back in September of 2013 but I cut corners on the mem. and used some old ram from another PC and it is now being maxed out simply using.... the internet.

RAM G.SKILL PI 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR3 1600MHz:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231351

The motherboard I have is a server mobo (Supermicro X10SAE) so overclocking or using XMP profile (not an option) was out of the question for this ram (any overclock simply got reset). However, for awhile the default speeds were fine as I predicted but things are getting more demanding and it's simply getting maxed out using simple applications (ex. 5 tabs open on Firefox will freeze up any video playing on a particular page.).

Motherboard SUPERMICRO MBD-X10SAE-O ATX Server Mobo:
1) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813182831&cm_re=X10sae-_-13-182-831-_-Product
2) http://www.supermicro.com/products/motherboard/Xeon/C220/X10SAE.cfm


Intel Xeon E3-1245V3:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116909


My question to you gents is what ram would be appropriate for my setup? I'm very experienced with building gaming PC's but this is my first server build and my negligence on the ram (the most picky / finicky part of the build imo) is starting to bite back. I've been looking at ram like this for some time now (don't want / need ECC) aware that I'll only be using default speeds but at this point anything is better than what I got:

RAM Crucial Ballistix Tactical 8GB DDR3 1600 MHz:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...ial_Ballistix_Tactical-_-20-148-655-_-Product


Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Side note: GFX is a GTX 650ti and is not the bottleneck in case anyone was wondering (according to GPU-Z).

Thanks again.

Well, why not just buy a 2x4GB kit from the tested memory list?
You don't need ECC, btw. Just normal RAM is fine.

Out of curiosity, why is a system that you built as a server being used for internet browsing?

ATMINSIDE said:

Well, why not just buy a 2x4GB kit from the tested memory list?
You don't need ECC, btw. Just normal RAM is fine.

Click to expand...

I considered the test list but Supermicro unfortunately tested ram of odd brands (i.e. Hynix for example) which Newegg holds very limited stock of. On top of that, I cannot find any tested ram on Newegg. Either way though I'm in a position where I'd kind of want that ram that pushes the envelope a little (I'd want to max it eventually to 32gb).

ATMINSIDE said:

Out of curiosity, why is a system that you built as a server being used for internet browsing?

Click to expand...

Because I'm a cheapo lol! The motherboard and Xeon combo I bought was about $80 dollars cheaper then the Intel i7 with a LGA1150 mobo and since I knew I wasn't going to overclock... I jumped on the combo deal. I no longer game however (very lightly) so it worked out for me. Unfortunately, I got really cheap and never bought ram.

I'm not sure how a $220 server motherboard was cheaper, but that's neither here nor there.

The vast majority of DDR3 will work. Go get a 1600 CL9 1.5V kit of 2x4GB or 2x8GB and call it a day.

ATMINSIDE said:

I'm not sure how a $220 server motherboard was cheaper, but that's neither here nor there.

Click to expand...

Meh, I never look at motherboards under $150 due to performance problems I've had in the past (but the bulk reason I purchased was the big combo deal I got on it).

ATMINSIDE said:

The vast majority of DDR3 will work. Go get a 1600 CL9 1.5V kit of 2x4GB or 2x8GB and call it a day.

Click to expand...

How do you recommend getting around the default speed though (I see you have yours at 1333MHz)? My motherboard defaults any ram to 1333MHz which is why I ask in regard to higher preforming ram because the cost is quite the jump for 1600MHz... which is what I want.

Thestampede said:

How do you recommend getting around the default speed though (I see you have yours at 1333MHz)? My motherboard defaults any ram to 1333MHz which is why I ask in regard to higher preforming ram because the cost is quite the jump for 1600MHz... which is what I want.

Click to expand...

Because mine is 1333MHz RAM.

You go to the BIOS, and set it to 1600MHz. I see it in the manual, Memory Frequency in the Memory Configuration section.

ATMINSIDE said:

Because mine is 1333MHz RAM.

You go to the BIOS, and set it to 1600MHz. I see it in the manual, Memory Frequency in the Memory Configuration section.

Click to expand...

Alright thank you for the explanation (I really don't overclock...). Time to go blowup the bank account hahaha!

Could always look on ebay for ram as well. I got 32gb of 1333mhz ECC RAM for $150 for my server board.

Hey guys,

So I ended up going with two sticks of this. Price dropped about 4 dollars so I decided to go with it (should arrive Thursday). I'll let you all know how it kicks (or not). Never tried Crucial RAM before.


RAM Crucial Ballistix Tactical 8GB DDR3 1600 MHz:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...ial_Ballistix_Tactical-_-20-148-655-_-Product

Hey guys,

Just wanted to update and say the ram is working awesome (sorry for the delay). Not sure what's up with the speeds / timings though. I am getting 1333MHz and 9-9-9-24 at 1.35V. Voltage is correct but 1600MHz and timings of 8-8-8-24 is what I should be getting (I checked and the Memory Frequency and it's set to 16000MHz in the Memory Configuration section). So I don't believe it's the bios at this point.

Is it possible that it's just down clocking to conserve power?

Also, if anyone's curious Windows Index rating jumped from 5.9 to 7.7.

Can you post a screenshot of the CPUz Memory and SPD tabs?

Memory and SPD:

Have you gone into the BIOS and enabled the XMP profile?

Board does not support XMP. It only reads the JEDEC.
You'll have to enter everything manually if you can.
1600 @ 8-8-8-24-36-2T @ 1.5v

I'd leave the memory stock. Clocking it up isn't going to make it a better server.

Good call there Scott. I forgot that was mentioned in the first post.

Hey guys,

Yes you are correct this is a server mobo (no XMP profile here). These are my full bios options I have for ram that I know of: Chipset configuration (advanced tab) --> System Agent (SA) Configuration --> Memory Configuration --> Memory Frequency Limiter (options are 1333MHz and 1600MHz). Basically, I cannot touch the timings. Also, what's the difference between the Memory and SPD tabs on the CPU-Z tabs because the SPD is showing timings of 8-8-8-24.

Well, just set the speed to 1600MHz and don't worry about the timings.

Yeah...that sucks.
That means you'll be limited to whatever the JEDEC spec is, and most 1600 or better ram is JEDEC'ed at 1333 and loose timimgs.

Alright guys thank you for all the help. Your two posts pretty much sum up what I feared LoL! Man that sucks, good thing I didn't purchase higher frequency ram (I guess that's the price paid for stability)....