DDR3 1600 Memory Might Not Run at 1600

$SOLID$Necro said:

If your motherboard has the abilty to run XMP memory profiles (You have to enable it in the Bios) then you don't have to fiddle with anything...some boards will even detect that you have the 1600MHZ ram and set it right out of the box.

If it doesn't, then you just have to set the voltage, Memory speed and timings..it's not too difficult.

Unless you run a benchmark test, using a CL7 kit won't realy be much faster (I doubt you will notice) then a CL-9 kit.

You might want to consider a similar product though if you don't plan on overclocking the CPU, or going any higher on the memory speed, it uses lower voltage (1.5v)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231277

You can also use one that runs with 1.35v! (Though one user review said he had to raise voltage to 1.37 for complete stability) and you will save a few bucks on your electric bill over the years.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231319

Overclocking with the MSI board is pretty good according to the reviews, and has software that can do it for you if you want. Ovverclocking through the bios is usually more precise, but requires a bit more time to experiment and has a bit of a learning curve.

If you plan on overclocking the CPU and going for max performance, then your original choice for memory is pretty good, it will get some good benchmark numbers. But in real world apps or games, it's hard to notice the difference between fast DDR1600 at low timings and regular old 1333MHZ memory! (1 or 2 FPS at most in games, unless your getting like 100FPS to begin with..but then who cares!)

Read this article and decide for yourself..there are SOME benefits to fast memory with low latency, but the cost of it is sometimes hard to justify....read the whole article, this is the page that shows some benefits though.

http://www.anandtech.com/memory/showdoc.aspx?i=3589&p=6

For 85$ this kit is hard to beat! (same as one of the kits above I listed) and put the money you save towards a better video card (Best place to spend money if you play games!) faster CPU etc...or just put back in your wallet!

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231277

As to it voiding your warranty, that is a gray area...1333MHZ is default memory speed for the CPU, and 1600MHZ is theoritically overclocking, even though the CPU speed remains the same. Intel or MSI or GSKILL won't be able to tell if you did though, so I wouldn't worry too much unless you have and ethical issue.

If you run the Memory voltage above 1.5-1.65v then you may damage the CPU according to Intel and early reports of people using the old style high speed overclocking DDR3 that ran at 1.8-2.0v or more did have problems.

http://www.anandtech.com/memory/showdoc.aspx?i=3426

The memory you have chosen runs right at the top of the Intel limit (1.65v) and should be fine. I myself would stick with the lower voltage kits just because I like to save energy these days. (I used to be an extreme overclocker and my old philosophy was if it's not melting..add more volts!)

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Neillithan said:

Woo thanks for the reply! Very informative with great links. I haven't read the entire article yet, but after looking at the benchmarks, I can definitely say that the 1600 C7 is not worth the additional $30 compared to the 1600 C9. I think I'm going to take you up on that offer and get the 1600 C9 instead and save some bucks. Since I'm getting 2 sets, you're essentially saving me $60. Thank you!



Hopefully you're right and the ram autoclocks and achieves 1600 out of the box, but from what I understand, it's not too difficult to make the ram achieve 1600.

At the present moment, I don't plan on overclocking the CPU, but if that's easy, I just might do it. I'm going to be purchasing an Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 heatsink fan.

Link: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835186134

Oh, which brings me to another question. I noticed the ram is slightly taller than conventional ram. With the CPU heatsink's fan looming over regular ram, will that pose a problem for taller ram, specifically the ripjaws you selected? In other words, will the fan occupy the space of the ram or will I be able to fit the ram without issue?

Also, regarding the videocard. I'm getting the GTX 275 because the price vantage falls right between $2-300. I'm trying to keep the video card under the $350 mark, preferably under $300. If you were to get a different card (regardless of price), which would you get and why?

Thanks again for the detailed replies. You guys rock.
-Neil

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$SOLID$Necro said:

Welcome to the wonderfull world of "Caught between upgrade cycles"

Yes the new NVIDIA card is due out in March...but you can bet it will be expensive and hard to find at first....the prices and availability won't get decent till a few months later.

You said your not quite ready to buy hardware yet, so all you can do is have a look around at whats in your price range when your ready to order.

Just remember that the GTX260 is overclocked quite a bit...if you overclock the GTX275 or the 5850...they jump ahead too.

You can get nearly the same performance from a regular GTX 260 by overclocking it yourself and save a few bucks if you want also....they are just doing it for you is all and charging you a few more bucks.

Don't know much about the HDMI and DVI stuff since I use headphones (USB) for gaming and a CRT still...don't like LCD's!

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