Is my DDR3-1600 RAM (16GB) supported by the ASRock H110M-DVS/D3?

taple

Commendable
May 23, 2016
2
0
1,510
I'm sorry if this is a stupid question.

I have read different opinions about Skylake and DDR3 compatibility. Does this Main board (ASRock
H110M-DVS/D3) support DDR3 RAM? PCP says it does, does it?
 
Solution
The motherboard vendors allow regular DDR3 to work, but they're not responsible for the CPU's memory controller, so they don't really care if you burn that out, that's Intel's problem. Intel has stated that only DDR3 sticks running at 1.35V is officially supported on Skylake CPUs and anything running at a higher voltage risks damaging the memory controller.

Really though, DDR4 support is one of the big things Skylake adds, so buying an LGA 1151 board that only supports DDR3 is kind of defeats the purpose of going with Skylake, as the performance difference between Haswell and Skylake isn't that big, and the only other big difference is Skylake's improvedI/O, most of which is actually stripped out on the H110 chipset, neutralizing that...
Is it DDR3L (low voltage 1.35V)? If it isn't, the RAM will probably work, but you do run the risk of damaging the CPU's memory controller over long term usage. For that reason, it's strongly recommended you go with DDR4 for a Skylake build, otherwise you might be better off getting an older Haswell build if you absolutely have to re-use your old RAM.
 

taple

Commendable
May 23, 2016
2
0
1,510
Well, I got the DDR3 RAM at half the price. But I guess I could sell it and make a profit. Should I sell the RAM and buy some DDR4? I ask because ASRock says the Motherboard supports DDR3.

Should I keep the Skylake and upgrade the RAM, or should I go for Haswell?
 
The motherboard vendors allow regular DDR3 to work, but they're not responsible for the CPU's memory controller, so they don't really care if you burn that out, that's Intel's problem. Intel has stated that only DDR3 sticks running at 1.35V is officially supported on Skylake CPUs and anything running at a higher voltage risks damaging the memory controller.

Really though, DDR4 support is one of the big things Skylake adds, so buying an LGA 1151 board that only supports DDR3 is kind of defeats the purpose of going with Skylake, as the performance difference between Haswell and Skylake isn't that big, and the only other big difference is Skylake's improvedI/O, most of which is actually stripped out on the H110 chipset, neutralizing that advantage.

If you can afford to get DDR4, that's what I would get if I wanted to go with Skylake, I'd also move up to at least an H170 board just to get some of the I/O improvements, but that might not be a huge deal for you if you don't plan on getting a really high performance SSD or something like that. If you really need to save some money and want to keep the RAM, Haswell is still quite capable.
 
Solution

Geekwad

Admirable
As said above, it may be able to be made to work (please list specific make/full model number of RAM), but the h110 chipset is really not the first choice for Skylake:

https://www.pugetsystems.com/labs/articles/Z170-H170-H110-B170-Q150-Q170---What-is-the-Difference-635/

It only supports single channel RAM, has the older DMI 2.0, is light on chipset lanes to boot, as well as USB's....and is best for lower 'normal' users.

B150 has some good upgrades, and to me is the starting point for Skylake gamers. I'd sell it, if possible, if you really want to go Skylake, or go with a Haswell build....which is still more than capable.

Xeon 1231v3 has absolutely great price to performance, and if close to a Microcenter, at $209 is a steal:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=usvHezHmCJ4