Ivy Bridge (3770k) questions.

[Iamazn]

-Is 1.6v-1.65v RAM safe for Ivy Bridge?
-Let's say I want 32GB RAM. If I were to buy 16GB (2x8GB) now and buy another 16GB kit (same make/model as first), would there be any compatibility issues or anything?
-If I am looking for 32GB 1866MHZ RAM, would this be my best choice?
-If I am looking for 32GB 2133MHZ RAM, would this be my best choice? (Is v1.6 safe for IB?)

 

[redduc900]

Intel only shows a "Typical" Vddq (DRAM voltage) of 1.50V w/ a Vddq tolerance (TOLddq) of ±3% = 1.545V max. for the 3rd gen. chips. But companies like Mushkin and G.Skill say that 1.65V is safe to use and won't harm the memory controller. G.Skill even offers TridentX series kits designed specifically for Ivy Bridge and Z77, w/ rated speeds from DDR3-2400 to DDR3-2800 at 1.65V.

 

[Iamazn]

Intel only shows a "Typical" Vddq (DRAM voltage) of 1.50V w/ a Vddq tolerance (TOLddq) of ±3% = 1.545V max. for the 3rd gen. chips. But companies like Mushkin and G.Skill say that 1.65V is safe to use and won't harm the memory controller. G.Skill even offers TridentX series kits designed specifically for Ivy Bridge and Z77, w/ rated speeds from DDR3-2400 to DDR3-2800 at 1.65V.

Is there anything official supporting or disproving this?

 

[hokiealumnus]

You won't see anything more official than the image redduc supplied, which is from the Intel whitepaper on the IVB CPUs. I think it's pretty safe to say 1.65V is fine to run 24/7, especially considering manufacturers are producing lots of RAM at that voltage.

 

[Iamazn]

You won't see anything more official than the image redduc supplied, which is from the Intel whitepaper on the IVB CPUs. I think it's pretty safe to say 1.65V is fine to run 24/7, especially considering manufacturers are producing lots of RAM at that voltage.

Would using RAM with 1.6/1.65v hurt the 3770k's lifespan?

 

[Janus67]

Very highly doubtful. As many companies are marketing RAM made for those chips and the chipset it shouldn't cause any issues at all in the grand scheme of things.

 

[hokiealumnus]

Anything is possible, but the real question is one of usable lifespan. Say the cpu can operate at recommended voltage for ten years. It wouldn't, but say running ram there reduced thew cpu's life by twenty percent. Will it matter if the cpu can only run eight years?

My point is, for all practical purposes, no, it won't hurt the cpu. Another component will die or your hardware will become horribly obsolete long before you ever notice a problem from running 1.65V on the ram.