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Best RAM frequency for Z87 Sabertooth with i7 4770 (non-OC) system

Tags:
  • Sabertooth
  • RAM
  • Intel i7
  • Memory
Last response: in Memory
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December 25, 2013 4:09:46 PM

Hi all,
I'm very new to PC building and would like some expert advice if possible.

I'm looking to purchase a Z87 Sabertooth with i7 4770 but am unsure on the RAM frequency to select.

The M/B supports 1333/1600/1866MHz but from what I gather the 1866MHz is when OC (which I don't have the experience to do) and I also recall reading somewhere the CPU prefers 1600MHz so I'm a little confused... if I don't plan on OC the CPU or RAM should I be aiming for 1600MHz or is 1866MHz ideal?

I'm thinking about: Corsair Dominator Platinum CMD8GX3M2A1866C9 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3

If I use 1866MHz, do I have to do anything/tweak settings to enable this frequency or should it just work - basically I'd like to just plug it in and have everything work perfectly... ha

Thanks all!

More about : ram frequency z87 sabertooth 4770 system

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a b } Memory
December 25, 2013 6:32:24 PM

I will not recommend Overclocking RAM, as memory intensive programs will cause the RAM to become unusuable. DDR3-1600 is currently the best speed for non-overclocked CPUs and DDR3-1866 is for overclocked CPUs.
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December 26, 2013 3:58:20 PM

Nuclear101 said:
I will not recommend Overclocking RAM, as memory intensive programs will cause the RAM to become unusuable. DDR3-1600 is currently the best speed for non-overclocked CPUs and DDR3-1866 is for overclocked CPUs.

Thank you Nuclear101,

I really appreciate your advice and clarification. I will now look for a 1600MHz rather than 1866MHz considering I won't be OC.

For interests sake, do you have a preferred memory manufacturer/type for 1600MHz?

Cheers
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December 27, 2013 6:50:19 PM

Tradesman1 said:
'cause the RAM to become unusable' ???? Sorry but's that's ridiculous ;)  also Haswell scales to DRAM well and there's no need to OC a 4770 to run 1866.... Take a look at this:

http://www.anandtech.com/show/7364/memory-scaling-on-ha...

Thanks Tradesman1,
The article was very informative, and clarified many points (including XMP).

If I'm reading the article correctly, I need to enable XMP in the BIOS if I purchase either 1600/1866MHz (or above) as the system will default to 1333MHz. So either way I'll need to tweak BIOS (which I was hoping to avoid)... is this correct?

In your experience am I more likely to have success enabling XMP with an unlocked CPU (i.e 4770K instead of 4770) or is there no difference in terms of XMP outcome? I'm just wondering if I should purchase the 4770K to avoid any issues with system setup...

Thanks
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a c 2285 } Memory
December 27, 2013 7:09:15 PM

That's the joy of XMP, simply enable it and select profile 1, the optimal settings for the DRAM are programmed into the SPD of the stick, the BIOS reads that and implements it for you, generally - no muss no fuss, the 4770K is well worth the extra $15 or whatever, will also keep you happier much longer...may not want to OC immediately, but whenever you're ready that can be fairly easy also - the 4770K can usually OC straight to 4.0 with nothing more than a single change of the CPU multiplier to 40
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December 28, 2013 3:33:33 PM

Thank you very much Tradesman1.
I really appreciate your assistance and advice.
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December 28, 2013 4:00:42 PM

I have an Asus Z87-A with 16GB @ 1866MHZ, and the motherboard defaults to 1600MHZ, not 1333. I can enable one of two XMP, for different clocks and timings. I'm running 1866MHZ on CL11, as it's ever so slightly faster than 1600MHZ on CL10.
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December 29, 2013 3:16:00 AM

Morbus said:
I have an Asus Z87-A with 16GB @ 1866MHZ, and the motherboard defaults to 1600MHZ, not 1333. I can enable one of two XMP, for different clocks and timings. I'm running 1866MHZ on CL11, as it's ever so slightly faster than 1600MHZ on CL10.


Thanks Morbus. I really appreciate your response.

Everyone on this forum has been so helpful and I've certainly learnt a lot over the last few days.

Cheers
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!