What ram should I use for a Gigabyte 785G mobo?

[Smoothface]

Ok, so i am looking to change out the ram in my computer and I don't really have much experience with what tends to be more compatible, etc.

If someone could suggest some ram around 100-150$ and 4-6GB that would be easy to install and require little to no tinkering with the bios it would be great. If it will take some changing of bios then let me know and if possible a link to where I can find a guide to it.

Here are a few of the specs of my computer:
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-MA785G-UD3H
CPU:AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition unlocked to 4 cores now reads as an AMD Phenom II X 4 B50
GPU:Radeon HD 4870

Currently I am running 2 x 2GB corsair PC2-6400 ram http://www.corsair.com/products/valueselect/default.aspx

As of writing this I am going to check the timings on this ram because either one of the sticks is faulty or the bios are incorrect (every windows memory diagnostic I run declares that this stick is faulty when I run the sticks separately)

Any suggestions on good ram for this mobo or insight on the current ram would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance, I will check back and give whatever info needed.

 

[Gandalf]

According to ...
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128395&Tpk=Gigabyte%20GA-MA785G-UD3H

Your motherboard supports:
Number of Memory Slots 4×240pin
Memory Standard DDR2 1333(O.C.) / 1066 / 800
Maximum Memory Supported 16GB
Channel Supported Dual Channel

Check this link out...
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227362&cm_re=ddr2_1066_4gb_memory-_-20-227-362-_-Product

DDR3 would be better, but your motherboard doesn't support it. Bummer!

 

[buzznut]

You don't need to unlock an X4 955, it already has four cores available. I find this very confusing.

I would recommend you get DDR2 1066Mhz memory, and a kit that likes to be overclocked. I have a personal favorite:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227289

Of course the reapers are tall so you would need to check the clearance against your cooling device. If not possible I would look at the OCZ gold kits. This ram should allow you to do as much as you can with that mobo. I did see a difference going from ddr2 800 to ddr2 1066 with my X4 940. How significant? Well, enough to know I was getting the most out of my processor.

Particularly since there are brands of 1066 memory that are only overclocked 800 kits, I'd go with the proven overclockers. The OCZ will give you headroom to work with. And there shouldn't be any issues in the BIOS, but I would check your mobo manufacturers website for compatibility. Some ram seem very picky about voltages (motherboards too), but I've run my kit anywhere from 1.8V to 2.1. Another reason I like this kit, flexibility!

 

[Smoothface]

My processor comes with two cores disabled out of the four because the two cores are supposed to be faulty. Some people can get lucky however and go into their bios to unlock one or even two more cores. I got lucky so the dual core became a quad running at 3.1. Pretty sweet deal when trying to save money xP. Oh and i shouldnt have labeled it as quad core my bad, got so used to it being a quad core now...

Thank you for the suggestions, both of those look great. It also looms like ocz makes some pretty solid ram. I have the panzerbox so i have alot of space to work with in it so i will likely go with the reaper. Merry xmas and thanks again!

 

[geofelt]

1) Download and run memtest86+ to test your ram. Run it for at least a full pass. There should be NO failures. If there are any failures, rerun one stick at a time to identify the failed part. You may want to put a known good stick in each slot to verify that all the motherboard slots are full.

2) Most quality ram vendors offer lifetime warranties. Return any failed parts for a replacement.

3) For any ram you are considering, do your own homework.
Go to the ram vendor's web site, and access their configurator.
Corsair, Kingston, Patriot, OCZ and others have them.
Their compatibility list is more current than the motherboard vendor's QVL lists which rarely get updated.
Enter your mobo or PC, and get a list of compatible ram sticks.

Here are a few links:

http://www.crucial.com/index.aspx

http://www.corsair.com/configurator/default.aspx

http://kingston.com/

http://conf.ocztechnology.com/index.php?c=1

http://www.patriotmemory.com/configurator/index.jsp

Cpu performance is not very sensitive to ram speeds.
If you look at real application and game benchmarks(vs. synthetic tests),
you will see negligible difference in performance between the slowest DDR2 and the fastest DDR3 ram.
Perhaps 1-2%. Not worth it to me.
Don't pay extra for faster ram or better timings unless you are a maximum overclocker.

4) If you want to just add ram, look for the exact same part numbers that you already have. Some motherboards will be very sensitive to manufacturing process differences. To avoid such problems, ram is sold in matched multiple stick kits.