Difficulty choosing RAM

[CANADIAN BLOKE]

Hi guys its my first post here and I have my eye on the Corsair Dominators for obvious reasons. Problem is I'm having difficulty choosing between 1600/7, 1600/9 or 1866/9. Can someone give me a little information on which one is a better choice.


Cheers


4790K
Asus Maximus VII Hero
Swiftech H240X
Asus Strix GTX 980 OC
Corsair AX1200i
Phanteks Enthoo Luxe

 

[Mandrake4565]

Why the Dominators?
For the money I'd get these and call it a day. Corsair Vengeance 2133 Cl9

 

[CANADIAN BLOKE]

Why the Dominators?
For the money I'd get these and call it a day. Corsair Vengeance 2133 Cl9

Because they look pretty and my eyes want to be happy. I don't need high frequency RAM. Would you please help with the original question. I don't care about the price. Im editing this reply because my other comment was a little snarky. Let me be honest about this. I have been to 5 different forums about the same question and not one person was capable of answering original question. I have been recommended every kit ever produced but still no answer on the original question. If you really care about my bank account that much then I will tell you I don't intend on buying for a month or two but it is because they look classy and nice. Just as Linus says spending more money on a particular RAM kit that looks nice with my build or has a lighting feature that I like is a good enough reason for me to spend more.

 

[Pepi93]

Hey here's a few things you should consider when choosing RAM.

Is your CPU water cooled or air cooled? If air cooled, will the sticks you're looking at fit under an aftermarket CPU cooler such as a Noctua NH-14.

Are you overclocking? I'm assuming yes since it's unlocked, it would be silly not to.

Haswell, from what I read years ago when OC'ing my chip likes 1600mhz. I also personally like tighter timings and I go with sticks that run at the MOBO specified voltage. In my case 1.5v sticks, 1600mhz, fairly tight timings but I was only looking for an average OC.

I personally like your 1600/9 choice but I would go with whatever has a nicer discount.

Post pics when you're done.

 

[tachi1247]

If you don't care about performance and solely about looks then get the cheapest kit. The difference between them will be minimal.

If they are the same price, then get the fastest speed.

If you're deciding between the 1600/7 & 1600/9 and they are the same price then get the 1600/7 as it is lower latency.

As your are already aware from everyone else's posts, you're paying a lot of money for fancy heat spreaders on memory that won't preform as well as other kits you could get for far less money.

 

[Mandrake4565]

Because they look pretty and my eyes want to be happy. I don't need high frequency RAM. Would you please help with the original question. I don't care about the price. Im editing this reply because my other comment was a little snarky. Let me be honest about this. I have been to 5 different forums about the same question and not one person was capable of answering original question. I have been recommended every kit ever produced but still no answer on the original question. If you really care about my bank account that much then I will tell you I don't intend on buying for a month or two but it is because they look classy and nice. Just as Linus says spending more money on a particular RAM kit that looks nice with my build or has a lighting feature that I like is a good enough reason for me to spend more.

Relax Canadian I was just trying to not have you buy something you do not need. A lot of people buy Dominators because they are perceived as better. For the majority of people who aren't looking to Oc memory, they aren't any better then other sticks with the same timings.

Back to your original question, I totally get it if you want to buy something for aesthetic reasons. What are the uses for the PC? There really isn't one true answer which is likely why you're getting so many different responses. In simple terms the DDR3 1600 Cl 7 sticks will likely outperform the Cl9 1600 sticks and be about the same as the 1866 Cl9. This also depends on the program it's being used for, as well as the type of sticks themselves, meaning if they are double sided or single sided sticks. Certain programs will respond better to the 1866 Mhz sticks over the 1600 Mhz others will not. If gaming depending on the game, again some may respond better to the higher frequency vs lower with tighter timings. These differences we are talking about are minimal at best, we are talking like 1-3 Fps difference. Unless one is doing real world number crunching or video converting for hours upon end you'll never see the difference between the three. For me, if money is not taken into account, I would just get the 1866 Cl 9 sticks and call it a day.

 

[Nebulous]

OP doesn't care about speed/performance, but asks what is the better choice. Doesn't care about costs, but wants bling. Here you go:

http://www.corsair.com/en-us/domina...ual-channel-ddr3-memory-kit-cmd16gx3m2a1600c9

Done

 

[RollingThunder]

Because they look pretty and my eyes want to be happy. I don't need high frequency RAM. Would you please help with the original question. I don't care about the price. Im editing this reply because my other comment was a little snarky. Let me be honest about this. I have been to 5 different forums about the same question and not one person was capable of answering original question. I have been recommended every kit ever produced but still no answer on the original question. If you really care about my bank account that much then I will tell you I don't intend on buying for a month or two but it is because they look classy and nice. Just as Linus says spending more money on a particular RAM kit that looks nice with my build or has a lighting feature that I like is a good enough reason for me to spend more.

How is anyone supposed to know what looks pretty to YOU?
No one here has a reliable crystaL ball so when you see something
that turns you on then buy it.

 

[Mandrake4565]

No one here has a reliable crystaL ball

Damn RT I though you of all people would have one

 

[Woomack]

Dominators look better on the photos than in real. If money isn't an issue then change platform to DDR4. X99 with 8x TridentZ or Crucial Elite looks great

 

[ATMINSIDE]

Closing per CANADIAN BLOKE's request.