Which memory to go with the X38 motherboard?

[Warchief]

Hey!

I'm buying a X38 motherboard and I've been wondering if these sticks are a good choice :

http://www.ocztechnology.com/products/memory/ocz_ddr2_pc2_8500_reaper_hpc_4gb_edition

And is 1066 worth it?

 

[halcyon]

Hey War. I've read that going with DDR2 1066 is not a really smart choice. ...that its better to go with really good, overclockable DDR2 800, that you can overclock to DDR2 1066 speeds due to the quality of the RAM. Those Reapers look nice in their black tuxedo and all but it would prolly be a good idea to check the mobo manufacturer's Qualified Vendors List (QVL) to see what they've tested with their boards and maybe check NewEgg's reviews for insight as well.

 

[chookman]

^agreed, and unless your overclocking the 1066 will be next to useless atm

 

[halcyon]

I bought a 4GiB kit from G.Skill that I really like. It's one of a few 1066 2x2GiB kits that works well with X38/48 boards (the patriot kit I replaced, for example, didn't work at all even though the RAM tested fine).

As long as you're okay with technically running the RAM out of spec, there's no sense in getting 1066. Nearly all 800 kits are able to hit that speed effortlessly.

Perhaps you can give us a NewEgg link to the RAM you bought?

 

[Warchief]

The motherboard I plan to buy (http://uk.asus.com/products.aspx?modelmenu=2&model=1873&l1=3&l2=11&l3=572&l4=0) has "1066 DDR2 mode". It's probably marketing only, so I guess I'll just buy same reapers, but 800.
The QVL has mostly Kingston sticks, though.

 

[halcyon]

I really wish THG would fix their forum issue, ...click "Post Reply" and it says, "Sorry, this thread does not exist". Anyways, as long as you can RMA the RAM you're prolly safe. My Corsair XMS2 wasn't on Asus' QVL either, on my Striker Extreme or this Rampage Formula and its worked and overclocked nicely in both.

 

[Warchief]

Yeah, I always use quick reply because of that.

So, the shop where I'll be making the purchases has Kingston, Corsair, OCZ, Patriot, GeiL and Transcend. I had Corsair and Geil in the past and both malfunctioned. Yeah, I know RAM sticks are especially prone to this, but still...

Which one would you get?

 

[halcyon]

Well, those seem like good choices to me, I'd go with either the Corsair, OCZ, or GeiL.

 

[halcyon]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231166

It's neither the cheapest nor the most sensible, but it does exactly what I demanded, and does it perfectly

...and that is what counts when it come to this kind of RAM. Cheers.

 

[dagger]

I use 8gb of this with Gigabyte's X38 board, ocs stable to 1066.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820144216

 

[Warchief]

Thiis the memory I'll be going for : http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227267

 

[halcyon]

I use 8gb of this with Gigabyte's X38 board, ocs stable to 1066.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820144216

That looks like a good find. I see your timings, impressive, especially given the price.

 

[halcyon]

Thiis the memory I'll be going for : http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227267

Yeah, the Reapers look nice, I wonder how they'd perform on my Rampage Formula and Striker Extreme.

EDIT: I see in the reviews that somesone's got 8GB on a Rampage...nice.

 

[Warchief]

Isn't 8GB a bit excessive, though?

 

[halcyon]

Isn't 8GB a bit excessive, though?

It truly depends on what you do...and the price. If you have the $$ and its $200 why not max out your mobo and never think about having enough RAM. I use VMWare for running virtual machines and its nice to be able to setup a virtual network, domain controllers and clients or just do testing. The 8GB allows for multiple machines running simultaneously.

If your machine is used exclusively for web browsing, movie watching, and gaming then 4GB may be enough. I think 8GB is cheap enough now that there's no real reason not to seriously consider it.

 

[Warchief]

Fair enough

 

[dagger]

4gb is more than enough for gaming. I got 8gb only because that particular model was at $65 for 4gb kit, and I feel like it. Unforunately they raised the price now for some reason..