2x2 or 4x1? 12Gb or 24Gb?

cheiftiger · Jan 28, 2009

Hello, i am looking at parts for a new extremely fast gaming pc, and I just had a few quick questions.

I am hoping to get the Gigabyte GA-EX58-UD5 Motherboard, which supposedly holds 24Gb of RAM.

Question 1. Is this a good motherboard for SLI technology and maxing out the RAM? Does it have problems?

Question 2. should I get 6 2Gb sticks of RAM to equal 12Gb of total RAM or 6 4Gb sticks to equal 24Gb? I will be getting a 64bit OS so that's not a problem. Also, would having 24Gb of RAM with SLI be too much for the motherboard? I am looking to get a 1200W power supply so I don't think that will be an issue.

Question 3. Who should I buy my RAM from?

Cost is not a problem.

Priv · Jan 28, 2009

Do you really need all that memory? That is the first question. 4GB sets are still not as common.

cheiftiger · Jan 28, 2009

I suppose not right now, but it would be good in the long run. It would be a shame to buy something then it be obsolete within the next 2 years.

scottw182 · Jan 28, 2009

Even 12GB is extreme overkill and will not be obsolete in 2 years.

Gunlance · Jan 28, 2009

if you know of something that won't be obsolete in 2 years, I'll buy it NOW. Everything will be obsolete way before the 2 year mark. Don't buy expensive parts because you think they will be "futureproof" because nothing is future proof. Some higher priced tech will just last longer before the new tech completely blows it away.

cheiftiger · Jan 28, 2009

Well, that's ok that means it will last even longer. XD I also am getting Windows Vista Ultimate which can hold up to 128Gb or RAM so the OS will be good. I know it's overkill but at least I'll never have to worry about RAM! XD

OldSkool · Jan 28, 2009

cheiftiger said:
I know it's overkill but at least I'll never have to worry about RAM! XD

Sure ya will. You'll spend a small fortune on all this ram only to find out that next year, or the year after, they've come out with DDR4 and now you are not only outdated, but the ram you do have is basically brand new and unused because programs still haven't been written to make use of all that excess nor the 8 cores on Nehalem.

jamesgig · Jan 28, 2009

You want to put 12-24gb of ram in a gaming rig?

Unless you are running some other memory intensive applications (which you are obviously not as you are asking this silly question) you do not need, nor will you ever use that much ram, even if you tried. In the general continuum of things, gaming is not that intensive. 4gb should run every game out now and for a few years to come, 6gb should give you enough overhead to "never have to worry about RAM".

terran2k · Jan 28, 2009

6GBs now, upgrade to 12GB when DDR3 prices drop, 6GBs will hold you till that day comes.

Archer0915 · Jan 28, 2009

I am also running 6 gigs want more but always have ~2-4.5 gig free-on win7.

go with 12

nealric · Jan 28, 2009

if you know of something that won't be obsolete in 2 years, I'll buy it NOW. Everything will be obsolete way before the 2 year mark.

Depends on what you consider obsolete. There are 10+ year old server power supplies that will still run modern hardware (with enough adapters).

My laptop is over two years old. It's got a core2 duo. Hardly obsolete for anything but gaming (and it's not a gaming machine anyways).

saltytheseagull · Jan 28, 2009

I too vote for 6 until prices come down, although there have been some 6gb kits for $125 after rebate.

Hipcrostino · Jan 28, 2009

well i know anandtech have been having trouble getting most of the x58 boards they test to even run stable at stock speed with 12GB of ram. One manufactuer even said "why would anyone run 12gb of ram?" when they asked about it (they didn't say which one). Anand maintained that if the board with spec'd to do it, it bloody should! I would go with 6GB, as any more than that your are bound to have issues this early in the game. Even if you run standard speed. If you want more, research motherboards to see how they handle lots of ram. personally, i would get less ram and invest the money in solid state drives from intel. 2 or more and raid 0 them. then your computer will fly. and use a 1tb mechanical drive for storage. Also you probably wont need 1200W PSU.

anadtech said:
Even more depressing was the fact that several of our technical contacts did not have the necessary components to recreate our problems in a timely manner. The biggest item was memory, specifically 12GB of memory. All of the boards had some type of problem with a 12GB installation, ranging from overclock performance to non-POST situations. Granted, 98% of the 12GB problems have been addressed now, but it took close to a month, dozens of phone calls, hundreds of messages, and constant pressure for this to happen.

See http://www.anandtech.com/mb/showdoc.aspx?i=3471

scottw182 · Jan 29, 2009

Gunlance said:
if you know of something that won't be obsolete in 2 years, I'll buy it NOW. Everything will be obsolete way before the 2 year mark. Don't buy expensive parts because you think they will be "futureproof" because nothing is future proof. Some higher priced tech will just last longer before the new tech completely blows it away.

There's a big difference between something being obsolete and something simply not being the best, fastest hardware currently available. 12GB will not be obsolete in 2 years. Yes, there will be faster memory available. But the amount of 12GB will still be plenty, and the speeds will still hold up fine. I built my computer 2 years ago. I didn't even buy the top of the line stuff that was out then, I bought the "next best" stuff, and my system is still very current. It runs everything I need it to great, and is still faster than most computers. It's nowhere near obsolete.

But, to agree with what others have said, I would go with 6GB and wait to upgrade until more is really needed. You'll probably spend the same amount either way, if you buy 6GB with some of the best specs now, wait a year or two, then buy 12GB of the best specs available then, instead of buying 12GB of the best specs available now. This way, you'll be able to get some with much better specs than if you purchased them now, and you will not have payed more for them.

Kayden · Jan 29, 2009

If you have a ton of cash to blow, just ignore us and get 24GB of RAM just to say you have it.

6GB is more than practical for the foreseeable future.

Brandontw · Jan 29, 2009

cheiftiger said:
Well, that's ok that means it will last even longer. XD I also am getting Windows Vista Ultimate which can hold up to 128Gb or RAM so the OS will be good. I know it's overkill but at least I'll never have to worry about RAM! XD

Off topic, but what the heck is XD ?

Is it like a smiley or something... you know we have smileys built right into the reply system here... I'm looking at them right now... right over there ------->

:shrug:

On topic:

Really, what do you do with your computer? I'll bet you a hundred bucks youll never need 12 or 24gb of ram, with current software at least.

Zhut · Jan 29, 2009

What game or games do you play? I know that running multiple sessions of a game will eat at your ram. It is not uncommon for me to be using 5.75-6ish gigs of ram while gaming. 8 has been plenty of ram for me so far.

Kayden · Jan 29, 2009

Well... I can see running multiple instances of WoW munching RAM, but most people run only one instance of one game at a time.

2x2 or 4x1? 12Gb or 24Gb?

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