Suggestions for some DDR3 for Z77 chipset and i7-3770K

[RedDwarf]

I am building a new system around a high end Z77 chipset motherboard and Core i7-3770K CPU and I need some memory to go with it. I intend overclocking the CPU and memory as far as I can within the Intel max voltage and temperature limits.

I do a fair bit of video encoding from HD sources and fast memory gives a few percent extra fps encoding speed. Providing that I am not paying for premium memory, a small increase in cost over the basic 1600MHz memory is acceptable.

I'm thinking about 2400MHz PC3-19200 memory, preferably some which has a bit of headroom for further overclocking and would like some suggestions on modules to look at.

The last requirement is that I would prefer something without a large heatsink to avoid any clearance issues with the CPU heatsink. Heatsink fins which can be removed like I have seen would be okay.

I know about the Samsung Green memory but it seems a bit of a lottery how far it can be overclocked, many can get it to around 2100MHz but it seems more limited getting to 2400MHz. 2600 would be a bonus.

Therefore, if you know of some decent memory then please make a suggestion.

 

[Woomack]

to the OCF

All depends if you want 8GB or 16GB or maybe more.
You won't get 2400 kits near 1600 price. All worth to buy 8GB DDR3-2400 cost 70-80$ while for ~$90 you can get 16GB 1600.
Near 1600 are usually 1866.

some 8GB 2400 kits:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231621
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231585
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820313348
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA0ST09D6459
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231587
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820313323

not many good 2400 16GB kits and better is to get 2x8GB:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231589

 

[RedDwarf]

to the OCF

Thank you!

All depends if you want 8GB or 16GB or maybe more.

Doh! I forgot to mention that. I was thinking about 8GB, 2x4GB. I currently have 2x2GB and don't usually get near to using that much.

You won't get 2400 kits near 1600 price. All worth to buy 8GB DDR3-2400 cost 70-80$ while for ~$90 you can get 16GB 1600.
Near 1600 are usually 1866.

some 8GB 2400 kits:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231621
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231585
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820313348
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA0ST09D6459
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231587
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820313323

not many good 2400 16GB kits and better is to get 2x8GB:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231589

Thanks for the recommendations. I did look at the G Skill Trident memory and I have seen the Ripjaw Z mentioned in a number of places. I'm in the UK so have to pay more for PC hardware than you do in the US. $70 is about £46 and the cheapest place I can find the Trident X costs £58 ($87) so a fair bit more expensive.

I did read good things about the Samsung memory, however it looks like many people last year, when it was first discovered, were only managing to get them to around 2100+ MHz with a few managing 2400MHz. It's a question of how much the chips have changed since last year and whether they are now speed binning them to sell to the memory manufacturers such as G Skill, Corsair etc at a price premium.

The Samsung modules cost only £44 ($66) but they do seem much more a gamble.

I did see the G Skill Trident memory at an online store, One set were Trident F3-2400C10D-8GTD and another were Trident X F3-2400C10D-8GTX but I cannot see what the difference between them is. Do you have any idea of the difference? The Trident X is very slightly cheaper for some reason.

 

[dtrunk]

aim for low CL or low cas latency, 2133 is fast enough, 2400 is even more overkill; low voltage would be a plus too.

 

[Woomack]

Thank you!


Doh! I forgot to mention that. I was thinking about 8GB, 2x4GB. I currently have 2x2GB and don't usually get near to using that much.

Thanks for the recommendations. I did look at the G Skill Trident memory and I have seen the Ripjaw Z mentioned in a number of places. I'm in the UK so have to pay more for PC hardware than you do in the US. $70 is about £46 and the cheapest place I can find the Trident X costs £58 ($87) so a fair bit more expensive.

I did read good things about the Samsung memory, however it looks like many people last year, when it was first discovered, were only managing to get them to around 2100+ MHz with a few managing 2400MHz. It's a question of how much the chips have changed since last year and whether they are now speed binning them to sell to the memory manufacturers such as G Skill, Corsair etc at a price premium.

The Samsung modules cost only £44 ($66) but they do seem much more a gamble.

I did see the G Skill Trident memory at an online store, One set were Trident F3-2400C10D-8GTD and another were Trident X F3-2400C10D-8GTX but I cannot see what the difference between them is. Do you have any idea of the difference? The Trident X is very slightly cheaper for some reason.

All samsungs are a gamble. Most HYK0 will make 2400 but only some can make more. HYK0 is what you can find in these Samsung Green 1600 kits but also in newer TridentX and some other series. For example TridentX 2400 CL9 should be HYK0.
Team Group kits 2133+ should be also on Samsungs. Avexir will be mainly on Hynix.

Difference between F3-2400C10D-8GTD and F3-2400C10D-8GTX is only heatsink design. X are TridentX series while D are these. RipjawsZ should be on similar chips and also only different heatsink.
Blue ARES or RipjawsX 2133 9-11-10 should be good for OC too. Both were on Hynix CFR but newer ARES can be also on other IC like Micron ( I'm not sure if G.Skill changed it only for 1600/1866 or also 2133 ).

Btw. I'm from Poland and here prices are nearly the same as in UK. Less popular brands like Team or Avexir cost much more than G.Skill. Also high speed memory is usually collecting dust in the warehouses and their price is not changing till next delivery so depends from store it can be even some months.

 

[RedDwarf]

aim for low CL or low cas latency, 2133 is fast enough, 2400 is even more overkill; low voltage would be a plus too.

For my main application, 2400 is optimal which is why I wanted it. Any slower or faster performs worse. Low voltage is always welcome.

All samsungs are a gamble. Most HYK0 will make 2400 but only some can make more. HYK0 is what you can find in these Samsung Green 1600 kits but also in newer TridentX and some other series. For example TridentX 2400 CL9 should be HYK0.
Team Group kits 2133+ should be also on Samsungs. Avexir will be mainly on Hynix.

Thank you for the information. Do you know whether the TridentX 2400 that use Samsung ships will operate at low voltages when clocked@1600MHz? From what I have read, there are two different sets of Samsung chips, one runs at low voltage and the other at 1.5V

Difference between F3-2400C10D-8GTD and F3-2400C10D-8GTX is only heatsink design. X are TridentX series while D are these. RipjawsZ should be on similar chips and also only different heatsink.
Blue ARES or RipjawsX 2133 9-11-10 should be good for OC too. Both were on Hynix CFR but newer ARES can be also on other IC like Micron ( I'm not sure if G.Skill changed it only for 1600/1866 or also 2133 ).

Ah, thanks for clearing that up. Some people do seem to like those crazy assed heatsinks on their memory. Personally, they are just a waste of space and only tend to cause issues with heatsinks.

Btw. I'm from Poland and here prices are nearly the same as in UK. Less popular brands like Team or Avexir cost much more than G.Skill. Also high speed memory is usually collecting dust in the warehouses and their price is not changing till next delivery so depends from store it can be even some months.

So I now see, after looking at your location. I recently ordered something from a company in Poland selling a Manta manufactured device. The women I spoke to on the phone sounded nice.

Initially, I assumed you were in the US after you posted newegg links. I have had blinkers on for days and not noticing anything but an ever growing number of browser tabs and memory.

I have to get the memory ordered tonight so I have to make a decision in the next couple of hours. I have my i7-3770K CPU, I received it on Monday. I received the new backplate for my Venomous X heatsink today, the latest revision, which I am hoping will work better than the original version I have. I should have my Motherboard, an Asus P8Z77-V Premium on Friday and therefore I need the memory by Friday so I can begin the build over the weekend. I just hope the CPU is a good one, assembled in Costa Rica. A nice cool running low voltage version is what I need. The heatsink isn't the best available but unfortunately I cannot afford to spend any more ATM.

In Europe, we pay a much higher level of sales Tax than they do in the US, which adds to the prices. It's at least three times higher at around the 20% mark, varying slightly with Country.

Do you know of anyone who recently purchased the Samsung green memory? I am considering it but the overclock is certainly not guaranteed which is the only thing that is holding me back. Looking at a post on hardwareluxx and about 50% of the Samsung memory will overclock to 2400MHz speeds from the numbers that are posted there. However, what I don't know is how long ago those purchased the memory. What is not known is when the memory was purchased so we know whether the process has improved or worsened or whether the memory being used is what's left over after the memory manufacturer's have taken the better chips.

http://www.hardwareluxx.de/communit...600-cl11-11-11-28-lp-oc-geheimtip-890763.html

The reviews from last year used differing hardware, some 39xx CPU's and others 2600K's. The motherboards could of held things back as well in some cases. There are so many variables that it's hard to know what to do because of there being so many unknowns.

 

[Woomack]

Samsung Greens are on about the same chips as most new 2400 CL9/10 kits. These IC are designed for lower voltages and even if they can run @2400 9-11-11 1.60-1.65V then some of them are not scalling above that 1.65V ( I actually have one kit like that ).

I see no special difference between 1.35, 1.50 and 1.65V kits. All are generating nearly the same heat ( read : low temps with max up to 40-50*C without any special airflow ) and no matter what people say these all kits have similar wattage ( or you really care about +/- 0.5W ).
I even have Crucial kit that running @1.8V has ~42*C without any fan ( there is thermal sensor so it's easy to check ).

Team Group is making about all their kits on Samsungs and no matter if it will be HYK0 or HCH9 you can count on similar results. The only difference is that most HCH9 are scalling higher with voltage.
About the same is with G.Skill 2400 kits. I would actually get G.Skill Trident/TridentX/RipjawsZ 2400 CL10 as you won't see any difference between 9-11-11 and 10-12-12 but it will be ~25% cheaper.
Team Group kits are good too but probably cost more as all of less popular brands in Europe. If you decide on Team's then there are good 2400 9-11-11 or 2400 10-12-12 kits ( so the same as TridentX ) but CL9 price is already ridiculous -> http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MY-013-TG&groupid=701&catid=8&subcat=2429

You can of course pick Samsung Greens and you probably also make 2400 on them but it's not guaranteed ... at least it will be much cheaper

Here is my TridentX 2400 CL9 review and some tests that are showing almost no difference between 2133 and 2400 kits. Biggest difference is between 1333/1600 and 1866 , above that it's hard to notice anything unless you have 4.5GHz+ cpu ( or even better 5GHz+ ).

There is some info here too if you wish to read more about memory performance/overclocking.

 

[RedDwarf]

Samsung Greens are on about the same chips as most new 2400 CL9/10 kits. These IC are designed for lower voltages and even if they can run @2400 9-11-11 1.60-1.65V then some of them are not scalling above that 1.65V ( I actually have one kit like that ).

I see no special difference between 1.35, 1.50 and 1.65V kits. All are generating nearly the same heat ( read : low temps with max up to 40-50*C without any special airflow ) and no matter what people say these all kits have similar wattage ( or you really care about +/- 0.5W ).
I even have Crucial kit that running @1.8V has ~42*C without any fan ( there is thermal sensor so it's easy to check ).

I read a comment by a G Skill employee, that they use a variety of different chips in their modules, whatever they have available that meets the required specification at the time. Sometimes Samsung and sometimes others such as Hynix?

I have a T Balancer with piles of sensors and currently two on my Dimm modules so I can see the surface temperature.

Team Group is making about all their kits on Samsungs and no matter if it will be HYK0 or HCH9 you can count on similar results. The only difference is that most HCH9 are scalling higher with voltage.
About the same is with G.Skill 2400 kits. I would actually get G.Skill Trident/TridentX/RipjawsZ 2400 CL10 as you won't see any difference between 9-11-11 and 10-12-12 but it will be ~25% cheaper.

I think it comes down to a choice of either the Tridents or the Samsung. I do a fair bit of video encoding and that is what I want to improve as much as possible. I did see an article on memory and speed which showed that 2400 gave the highest encoding speed, it tailed off after 2400 and was lower at lower frequencies. Therefore I want something which will work well, provide the highest encoding speed, without being too expensive.

Team Group kits are good too but probably cost more as all of less popular brands in Europe. If you decide on Team's then there are good 2400 9-11-11 or 2400 10-12-12 kits ( so the same as TridentX ) but CL9 price is already ridiculous -> http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MY-013-TG&groupid=701&catid=8&subcat=2429

Overclockers are expensive and I wouldn't shop there, unless it wasn't available anywhere else.
Prices like that I cannot afford. I would prefer a 1/3 to a half of that.

You can of course pick Samsung Greens and you probably also make 2400 on them but it's not guaranteed ... at least it will be much cheaper

Here is my TridentX 2400 CL9 review and some tests that are showing almost no difference between 2133 and 2400 kits. Biggest difference is between 1333/1600 and 1866 , above that it's hard to notice anything unless you have 4.5GHz+ cpu ( or even better 5GHz+ ).

There is some info here too if you wish to read more about memory performance/overclocking.

Thanks for the overclockers link, it's very informative and should help a lot when I begin looking at the Bios settings. My current Gigabyte board likes to make up new names and strange and peculiar ways for common settings.

I will have a read of the review you linked in a few moments.

The CL10 Tridents are on the G Skill qualified list for my motherboard, whereas the CL9's are not.

A Big thank you for all your help. I have now got to make the decision. Find the best prices I can.

 

[Woomack]

I can only say that no matter what you pick, Samsung or Hynix then results will be similar. I can even say that Hynix is easier to overclock on most boards.
Almost all newer G.Skill Trident/TridentX/RipjawsZ 2400 CL9/CL10 4GB/stick kits are on Samsungs. Most new 8GB/stick kits from almost all brands are on Hynix MFR from what I see.
At the beginning TridentX were on Hynix BFR/CFR later they switched to Samsung HCH9 or similar and now there is mix of HCH9 and HYK0 ( or similar Samsungs ).
From other brands there are some that base almost only on Samsung or Hynix so for example Team and most of the G.Skill = Samsung; Avexir, Patriot, Geil = Hynix; Crucial = Micron but also Samsung/Hynix in some 2133 kits that are probably not available anymore, Corsair = mixed everything with Micron, Nanya, Hynix, Samsung or whatever they get that fits to current SPD/XMP and clock.

Don't look at qualified memory list for your board. TridentX 2400 CL9 are quite new series and were unavailable when Gigabyte was testing that board. In real it looks like everything that is compatible with JEDEC should run and all memory is compatible with JEDEC now. The only issues can cause bad XMP read or when producer makes some mistakes in programming SPD ( and it happens sometimes ). Then you can correct timings or voltages manually that you usually have to make anyway while overclocking.

 

[RedDwarf]

It was the G Skill qualified list and not the motherboard makers QVL that I was referring to. My current mobo is Gigabyte but for the new one I have returned to Asus, P8Z77-V Premium. If I never, ever use another Gigabyte board then I will be happy and pleased.

 

[RedDwarf]

I've ordered the Samsung Greens. There was a £16+ difference between the Samsung and Trident X CL10 including a little cashback available for purchasing on the site.

I'll take my chances with them. Hopefully I should receive them tomorrow. Just waiting for the motherboard delivery which should be on Friday.

Thanks again Woomack for all your help and assistance, it's much appreciated.