Hey guys. Title is the short version, this is the long version.
So here's the backstory: Around 5 years ago I built my first $500 budget computer, aimed at being able to at least play games comfortably with no lag. Got the parts, and within the hour I had built my first and only computer. And it played great.
During a heatwave, the PSU died (OCZ ModXtreme Pro, in case anyone's wondering), so that's been replaced by a 700W PSU (overkill I know but it was $50 and hasn't failed yet).
Then, just these last holidays, I replaced my old GeForce 9800 GT 512MB because the fan fell out of alignment, and frankly the card was barely cutting it for the games I'd moved on to. The new GPU was a steal.
But as we all know, everything keeps advancing, and I'm on the brink of becoming obsolete in other areas when you take 2014's upcoming games into consideration. I will most likely have to replace my Motherboard and CPU within a couple years, but right now I come to you concerned about RAM.
Current Build:
- Antec Three Hundred Black Steel Mid Tower Case
- MSI NF750-G55 ATX AM3 Motherboard
- AMD Athlon II X4 620 @ 2.60 GHz
- A-Data XPG Gaming Series 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 1600 RAM @ 9-9-9-24 CL9
- Gigabyte GeForce GTX 650 Ti BOOST 1GB GDDR5 Windforce OC Edition
- CoolMax 700W Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply
I absolutely love these 2 sticks of RAM I have dual channeled, not once in all these years have they given me any issues. But to prepare for upcoming games, I'd like to expand to 8GB total. I know this MoBo can handle 16GB total, and I know it's running-and-therefore supports dual channeling.
THE QUESTION: How should I go about doing that? The 2x2GB Dual Channel Kit I have now is years old and is no longer sold on sites such as Newegg, Tigerdirect, or Amazon. So I'm thinking of trying to find 2 more reliable, solid priced sticks of 2GB @ 9-9-9-24 & CL9, to fill my final 2 slots and complete my second Dual Channel.
However I'm wondering, is there any more or less harm in going that route as opposed to my other options? As far as I know, if I do something such as opting for a reasonably priced single stick of 4/8GB, I'll lose my Dual Channeling, which I've heard might be noticeable when I'm running some more taxing programs and games...
Then there's the 2x4GB route, but frankly that seems to cost a bit more than I'd like at the moment, and results in 12GB, which I doubt I need...
*Things to bear in mind, despite my enjoyment of technology, I'm not an engineer. I've never overclocked anything, and I don't plan to. My extent of knowledge on the subject essentially ends at the two little switches that make up the "Easy OC Switch"on my MoBo.
I'm hoping though, despite the HEFTY system requirements for upcoming games such as "Watch Dogs," I'll be able to comfortably play (read as: skate-by on Medium settings) even with my current MoBo and CPU for a bit longer.
So there you have it, that's all the information I've got. Looking for ideas, feedback on anything posted, or generally just looking to get schooled on the pros/cons of the different possible RAM setups for Non-OCing old fashioned people like myself who still enjoy a good game session.
Thanks for reading.
So here's the backstory: Around 5 years ago I built my first $500 budget computer, aimed at being able to at least play games comfortably with no lag. Got the parts, and within the hour I had built my first and only computer. And it played great.
During a heatwave, the PSU died (OCZ ModXtreme Pro, in case anyone's wondering), so that's been replaced by a 700W PSU (overkill I know but it was $50 and hasn't failed yet).
Then, just these last holidays, I replaced my old GeForce 9800 GT 512MB because the fan fell out of alignment, and frankly the card was barely cutting it for the games I'd moved on to. The new GPU was a steal.
But as we all know, everything keeps advancing, and I'm on the brink of becoming obsolete in other areas when you take 2014's upcoming games into consideration. I will most likely have to replace my Motherboard and CPU within a couple years, but right now I come to you concerned about RAM.
Current Build:
- Antec Three Hundred Black Steel Mid Tower Case
- MSI NF750-G55 ATX AM3 Motherboard
- AMD Athlon II X4 620 @ 2.60 GHz
- A-Data XPG Gaming Series 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 1600 RAM @ 9-9-9-24 CL9
- Gigabyte GeForce GTX 650 Ti BOOST 1GB GDDR5 Windforce OC Edition
- CoolMax 700W Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply
I absolutely love these 2 sticks of RAM I have dual channeled, not once in all these years have they given me any issues. But to prepare for upcoming games, I'd like to expand to 8GB total. I know this MoBo can handle 16GB total, and I know it's running-and-therefore supports dual channeling.
THE QUESTION: How should I go about doing that? The 2x2GB Dual Channel Kit I have now is years old and is no longer sold on sites such as Newegg, Tigerdirect, or Amazon. So I'm thinking of trying to find 2 more reliable, solid priced sticks of 2GB @ 9-9-9-24 & CL9, to fill my final 2 slots and complete my second Dual Channel.
However I'm wondering, is there any more or less harm in going that route as opposed to my other options? As far as I know, if I do something such as opting for a reasonably priced single stick of 4/8GB, I'll lose my Dual Channeling, which I've heard might be noticeable when I'm running some more taxing programs and games...
Then there's the 2x4GB route, but frankly that seems to cost a bit more than I'd like at the moment, and results in 12GB, which I doubt I need...
*Things to bear in mind, despite my enjoyment of technology, I'm not an engineer. I've never overclocked anything, and I don't plan to. My extent of knowledge on the subject essentially ends at the two little switches that make up the "Easy OC Switch"on my MoBo.
I'm hoping though, despite the HEFTY system requirements for upcoming games such as "Watch Dogs," I'll be able to comfortably play (read as: skate-by on Medium settings) even with my current MoBo and CPU for a bit longer.
So there you have it, that's all the information I've got. Looking for ideas, feedback on anything posted, or generally just looking to get schooled on the pros/cons of the different possible RAM setups for Non-OCing old fashioned people like myself who still enjoy a good game session.
Thanks for reading.
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