Need help configuring new RAM with old mobo / brand selection

DJohnson · Sep 17, 2014

Hey guys, I've got a somewhat outdated CPU/Mobo but they're still running well (my bottleneck is my 4 GB of RAM and aging video card) and so while I am upgrading my Graphics and RAM I wanted to leave the board/CPU alone for now if I can. Hoping for some quick advice on potential problems I may find with this setup:

Mobo: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131646&cm_re=M4A88TD-V_EVO-_-13-131-646-_-Product // http://www.asus.com/Motherboards/M4A88TDV_EVOUSB3/

CPU: AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition (not currently OC'd) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103674&cm_re=Phenom_II_955_black-_-19-103-674-_-Product

Graphics: Just got this on a sale: XFX R9 290 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150697

RAM I'm looking at is Crucial Ballistix Sport http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148545

My concerns are:
- I've never used Crucial... mostly good reviews but a few reviewers say the stock voltage being unstable
- Do you think this will downclock easily for my old mobo? If the freq goes down to 1333, do I need to go in and lower the CAS Latency too? (or should I, anyway?)

I know the mobo is aging, but if I don't have to replace it yet I'd rather not until I need a new processor. If I get 1600 RAM now it'll be ready to run at that speed once I DO get a new mobo/CPU down the road.

Thanks for any help!

geofelt · Sep 17, 2014

All the ram vendors are good and usually have lifetime warranties.

You want documented ram compatibility. If you should ever have a problem, you want supported ram.
Otherwise, you risk a finger pointing battle between the ram and motherboard support sites, claiming "not my problem".
One place to check is your motherboards web site.
Look for the ram QVL list. It lists all of the ram kits that have been tested with that particular motherboard.
Sometimes the QVL list is not updated after the motherboard is released.
For more current info, go to a ram vendor's web site and access their ram selection configurator.
Enter your motherboard, and you will get a list of compatible ram kits.
While today's motherboards are more tolerant of different ram, it makes sense to buy ram that is known to work and is supported.

I think all 1600 ram will have a default 1333 speed so you can boot into bios and change it.

jjs0891 · Sep 17, 2014

If your mobo doesn't support 1600 it should automatically set the it to 1333/1066 etc.

Make sure your power supply is good enough to run all that.

Tradesman1 · Sep 17, 2014

The mobo is rated up to 2000 sticks, which you don't want to do....The CPU is the primary factor in what DRAM you can run as it holds the MC (memory controller) which is the determining factor....in this case, with your 955 I'd suggest dropping to 1333 sticks, the 965 Rev 3C was the first AMD CPU to reliably be able to run 1600 sticks, some 955's can, but don't count on it and it will take a decent OC to do so.

On the otherhand if thinking a CPU upgrade down the road could get the 1600 sticks now and have them, but simply drop and run them at 1066 (8-8-8-24) or 1333 (9-9-9-27) and could possibly tighten those timings at either freq for a performance increase

And don't worry about the QVL, those are pretty worthless, it basically means those on the list were popped in and booted to the mobos default

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Need help configuring new RAM with old mobo / brand selection

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