[Memory] Need to add memory to a overclocking build

[giovanni86]

I just wanted to ask and see if anyone could help me out. I built a PC about a 1 1/2 years ago and a few months ago one of my memory modules fried. It fried because the heatsink on it kept coming off and i got tired of taking off my case and reinserting back in place. So now I'm stuck with 2Gb's of memory in Vista 64 and anyone knows thats just a nightmare. My PC is overclocked and this memory from the looks of it isn't being sold anymore. Here's some screenshots of my OC

My question is, i didn't overclock this PC myself, i had someone i met at Frys overclock it for me over the phone. So i was wondering do i have to change all my settings to auto or is there anyway i just perhaps change my timings and my volts and once i have the new memory installed i just bump the timings to that memory's set timings and set volts for that memory as well. And if anyone has any recommendations on memory from like newegg or frys please let me know. I currently have OCZ Reapers DDR3 1600 in my PC. Any help would greatly be appreciated. Thanks.

 

[giovanni86]

My guess is i have to downclock and some how think i can re-overclock my PC to that again without ******* it all up. Anyone on here can help me, i got about 1-3 days left before i have to make my purchase, i noticed newegg has similar OCZ reapers on there website just that the (tras) is set to 24 instead of the 20 i have on mine. Beyond that the timings are the same and the volts as well. I'm looking to take out the 2Gb's i have and add 4Gb's of new memory then possibly adding another 4Gb's to be on the safe side. Any help i would love to hear from someone with the knowledge to help me out of this dark hole. Thanks.

 

[ekoostik]

Some motherboard manufacturers will let you save and load your BIOS settings. Is there an option for that on your main BIOS screen? If so, save the settings, change them however you like, then when you need to revert back you can load your saved settings.

If you don't need 8 GB of RAM, I wouldn't add another 4. Adding them "just in case" could cause more stress on your system. Sometimes to get 8 GB to run you have to lower timings or increase V. Of course it depends on the hardware.

You may want to look for RAM that runs on lower V to avoid another over-heating issue. Or better heatspreaders (or even none if they can get the job done without them).

 

[giovanni86]

Some motherboard manufacturers will let you save and load your BIOS settings. Is there an option for that on your main BIOS screen? If so, save the settings, change them however you like, then when you need to revert back you can load your saved settings.

If you don't need 8 GB of RAM, I wouldn't add another 4. Adding them "just in case" could cause more stress on your system. Sometimes to get 8 GB to run you have to lower timings or increase V. Of course it depends on the hardware.

You may want to look for RAM that runs on lower V to avoid another over-heating issue. Or better heatspreaders (or even none if they can get the job done without them).

I believe i do have that feature where i can save them. I was just curious i have a EVGA nForce 790i SLI FTW MB, http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227320 Would this memory be adequate enough, the timings for the [tRAS] is 24 instead of 20 but im not sure how much of an impact that would be. So i take it i save the settings, i then reset my settings to normal boot in possibly run memtest86 for a few hours, do some testing then restart and load up the saved bios settings and hope for a stable OC with the memory. Do i have that right? Or should i do something differently. The memory on the site states it can hit 1.9v, that sounds a bit extreme i am guessing. Also i take it i can keep this overclock, i thought i would maybe have to re-due it considering its a bit different on the [tRAS] timing then my other memory module. Well thanks for the reply "ekoostik" really appreciate it, and hope to hear more from you. Thanks again.

 

[ekoostik]

Definitely save your settings. Also, since you've taken pictures of the BIOS settings, keep them on hand for reference.

After that, change the tRAS to be 24. If that's the only difference in your RAM then you should be able to shutdown your system, take out your old 2GB and put in your new 2 x 2 GB sticks. Boot into BIOS and check your settings. Then run memtest86+ and your other stabilitiy tests.

If you want to proceed more cautiously, after you have saved your settings you can reload BIOS defaults, then shutdown and replace your old 2 GB stick with your new 2 x 2 GB sticks. Then run memtest86+. If all goes well, go back into BIOS and re-load your saved settings, be sure to change the tRAS to 24. Then reboot and rerun your stability tests.

 

[giovanni86]

Thanks for the reply "ekoostik". You've given me some confidence in buying the memory, as soon as i get the memory I'll let you know how it goes, thanks again for your time and knowledge.