Compatible RAM DDR3 Max Speed? Which to buy?

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AS85

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Dec 31, 2009
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How do I tell what RAM I need to buy? I downloaded the Crucial scanner and it shows that I have DDR3 on an Intel HM77 Chipset. However, it doesn't tell me the max speed the motherboard supports. How do I tell?

Crucial's scan results show that speeds of 1600 and 1860 MHz are compatible but I suspect that 1600 is probably the max and the 1860 is just being listed because it's more expensive and I'll never to use that extra 260 MHz. Again, how to tell?

My computer is: Acer Laptop Aspire V3-771G-9441 Intel Core i7 3630QM (2.40 GHz) 8 GB Memory 1 TB HDD NVIDIA GeForce GT 730M 17.3" Windows 8

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834314005

http://ark.intel.com/products/64339/Intel-BD82HM77-PCH
 
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dark_lord69

dark_lord69

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Jun 6, 2006
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"because it's more expensive and I'll never to use that extra 260 MHz."
Lower MHz ram can be faster because of latency.

My ram for example is 1600 with a Latency of 8.
Which calculates out to the "First Word" at 10 nanoseconds.

With 1860 Ram and a Latency (aka CAS Latency or CL) of 10.
It may seem faster because of the higher number but when you do the math you find it's actually a bit slower. The latency at that speed would have to be 9 or lower to beat my ram.

At 2133 the latency would have to be 10 or lower to be faster than mine.

Bottom line: The number you see doesn't really represent the speed of the ram although it plays a big part. Latency can hold you back.
Also, I would bet that the 1600MHz memory is supported and if your worried about it 1333 was a standard speed for DDR3 motherboard compatibility.

"...scan and saw the following specs for the preinstalled memory Hyndai 4GB DDR3 1600"
Well you know 1600 works...
 
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AS85

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I read that in the FAQ about CL and I have been looking at CL9. I suppose you're telling me to get the 1600 with the lowest CL? No way to tell if my mobo does support higher freq?
 
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Tradesman1

Tradesman1

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Most laptops have rather generic DRAM, and they seldom put much time into the BIOS to support higher end (tighter CL) sticks, generally a good idea to stick with what the spec for the laptop, might find yourself spending extra for CL9 1600, only to find the BIOS will only allow it to run at CL11
 
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AS85

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For some reason, the following RAM upgrade didn't work too well on my computer. The fan was on constantly even with my computer idling - very loud, not normal at all. I reinstalled the OEM RAM and the computer is normal now. Weird.

My existing RAM has the exact following label. What do the numbers after 10600s mean? Referring to "9-10-F2"? 9 must be CL, what about the 10 and F2?
1920px-4GB_DDR3_SO-DIMM.jpg


 
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AS85

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There was no option in my BIOS to find/adjust the speed settings. That's why I originally asked if anyone knew depending on my CPU or chipset. And you're right about sticking to the original specs because the "upgrade" definitely failed on me.
 
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