Which RAM to Purchase for System Upgrade?

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bzowk

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Feb 19, 2009
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Hey Guys -

I do a wide variety of things on my home computer. It hosts many services, media files, VMs, and even play a game on occasion. Currently, it baselines at ~65% RAM usage - even after an OS re-install two days ago, restart, and no VMs running. I am planning on going from 16gb to 32gb, but after reviewing the wide variety of RAM specs and prices, thought it would be a good idea to post here for suggestions first.

Below are my current system specs as well as some of the kits I've considered. Basically, I'm just trying to see if paying more would be be worth it or not.

Current System Specs
- Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z77X-UD5H (32gb RAM Max)
- CPU: Intel i7-3770k
- Memory: 16gb (4x4) DDR3-1300 SDRAM
- Bus Width: 128-bit
- DRAM:FSB Ratio: 20:3
- Dual Channel
- Real Clock: 667Mhz (DDR)
- Effective Clock: 1333Mhz
- Bandwidth: 21333MB/s
- Storage:
- C:\ - Single 55gb mSATA SSD - OS Only
- D:\ - 16tb partition made from x6 Pooled Drives (Using Drive Bender) - Media / File Storage
- E:\ - 500gb Hybrid Drive - App Installs Only
- F:\ - 1tb SATA Drive - Everything I don't want in pool (Ex: App Caches, Download Caches)
- Windows 7 x64 (Fully Patched)

Below are the kits I've found on NewEgg. I am not wanting to spend a lot, but would pay a bit more if truly worth it. I realize that some of the specs would only differ depending on what the computer would be doing. Due to the variety, I'll just say based on overall day to day stuff with lots of multitasking. The options are listed from cheapest to most expensive...

All 3 options are the same brand / manufacturer...

My Current RAM: 16gb (4x4) DDR3-1300 SDRAM

Option #1 - $269.99
- 16gb (4x8) DDR3-1600
- PC3 12800
- Cas Latency: 9
- Timing: 9-9-9
- Dual Channel

Option #2 - $299.99
- 16gb (4x8) DDR3-1866
- PC3 14900
- Cas Latency: 10
- Timing: 10-11-10-30
- Quad Channel

Option #3 - $339.99
- 16gb (4x8) DDR3-2133
- PC3 17000
- Cas Latency: 9
- Timing: 9-11-11-31
- Quad Channel

My Questions
1. What's the best kit for the money and my system?
2. The first kit is dual channel and the other two are quad channel. Is there a big difference there?
3. I would think that the speed (1333/1600/1866/2133) would be relative to the numbers stated. How much of a difference do they make? One you'd only notice if running side by side?

Thank Guys!
 
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EasyLover

EasyLover

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Dec 30, 2013
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16 gigs are plenty for your requirements. Save some bucks and buy only 16 gigs KIT with good speed and tight timing.

Answer 1: Here are my recommendations:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233536
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231627
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231617

Answer 2: It depends if the mobo has support for quad channel or not. In your case get dual channel kit because your mobo supports dual channel memory architecture.

Answer 3: Speed or the bandwidth is not the only thing that matters. Latency (Response time of the RAM to the request) timings of the RAM matters as well. When buying aim for high speed but with lower latency. However, loose timings can be compensated with high speed. For example speed of 2133MHz with CAS of say 10 or 11 is a good match because high speed will compensate for loose timings of 10 or 11.

If you are still in mood of buying 32gigs KIT then here are some options:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231572
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233546
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231616

Please also note that if you are planning to upgrade/change your system in near future then don't buy RAM now because DDR4 is on the horizon with Intel announcing Haswell-E with DDR4 support.

Regards,
 
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bzowk

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Thanks for the suggestions. You mentioned going with a 16gb kit because it would do - but - I am already using a 16gb kit (4x4). That's why I'm going to 32. I've even considered going to just 24 for now due to the amount.

I'm glad you brought up two other things, though - that my motherboard only supports dual channel and that DDR4 is on the horizon. Obviously, I'd need a new motherboard for DDR4 or to use quad channel.

Question
Lets say I had a motherboard with the same specs as mine except that it supported quad channel. Would the difference of quad over dual channel be enough to notice a difference in use or only in benchmarks? If no, what about DDR4 over DDR3? I do care about benchmarks, but don't want to sink $500 into a new MB and RAM if it's only a small difference that would only really show up in numbers. What do you think?

Thanks for your thoughts...
 
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B

bzowk

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Feb 19, 2009
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Thanks! They now have X and Z series with only about a 5% difference in cost. Specs seem to be similar, but can't find the difference between them. Did find a post in random forum saying that the only difference was the heatsink. Any ideas? Thanks!
 
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