[Help] Choosing RAM for GA-P55A-UD4

[Fiztandantibus]

Hi everyone,

I am currently planning out my new PC and I have settled on the Gigabyte GA-P55A-UD4 Mobo with a Core i7 860. Now my problem is in choosing the RAM, most sites as well as the GB mobo manual (on the GB site) say that this motherboard only supports 2200, 1333, 1060 and 800MHz RAM and not 1600MHz, however the page for the GA-P55A-UD4 on the Gigabyte Site says it DOES support 1600MHz as well.

Does anyone know which is right?

I had my heart set on going for a 6GB (3x2GB) 1600GHz CL7 kit for this Motherboard. Is this a decent choice? Or should I just go for 1333? Any help and opinions would be welcome.

Thank you for your help

 

[aford10]

It will support 1600MHz RAM. The motherboard may downclock the RAM to 1333, but a few BIOS tweaks and that's fixed.

That's a dual channel motherboard, not triple channel. Check out this kit.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231303&cm_re=g.skill_ripjaw_4gb_ddr3_1600-_-20-231-303-_-Product

 

[Fiztandantibus]

Thank you for your quick reply and suggestion, so in the long run it would be good to get another kit of the same ram to bump it up to 8GB

 

[aford10]

That's an option. However, you'll be hard pressed to use more than 4GB.

 

[Fiztandantibus]

That is true for the current time. But maybe in the coming years 4GB will no longer be the standard requirement so its good to always know i can upgrade to more without having to rebuy all the kits.

Does the added ram always have to be the exact same model? In the sense if i were to add an extra 2 bars, do they necessarily need to be the same as the 2 in the other slots?

 

[aford10]

If you decide to add another kit of RAM, you'll want to get one very similar. Kits with different voltages and timings don't always work well together.

 

[Fiztandantibus]

Thanks again for your fast and reliable help I will be going with the G.Skill mem, it is pretty much exactly what i needed

 

[aford10]

You're welcome,
Good luck.

 

[Fiztandantibus]

Hi again aford10, i would be really grateful if you would have a peak at the full rig I plan to build and give your valued opinion on the below thread. Thank you

My rig thread

 

[aford10]

It's a solid build.

That's a nice CPU cooler. You must be planning on a little overclocking.

That's a beast of a PSU. That will run a dual card setup with no problem.

It wouldn't be my choice of case, simply because the front door covers the air intake fans. There are vents in the door to allow some air movement through, but it will restrict much of the airflow when closed. If you choose that case, and you do OC, keep an eye on your temps.

Overall, It's a nice setup.

 

[Fiztandantibus]

Thank you very much for your opinion, I do plan on doing a little OCing on the CPU and GPU, what mid tower case would you recommend for a similar budget?

If I do stay with that case i will be going for the Antec CP850 850W Modular PSU which is only compatible with antec cases since it comes in a nice bundle deal

Do you believe the ASUS P7P55D-E PRO may be a better choice to the GA-P55A-UD4 for the sata 6GB/s feature being able to be used in conjunction with an eventual dual graphics setup?

 

[aford10]

Cases come in so many designs, it really depends on your preference. Here are a few of my favorites.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119160
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119223
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811133086
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129043
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129058&cm_re=antec_900-_-11-129-058-_-Product

For similar prices, the Asus is also a great buy.

 

[Fiztandantibus]

The thermaltake had caught my eye too I'm just worried about my computer filling up with dust again. But it is undoubtably a sweet case

 

[aford10]

With any case, it's important to clean it out on occasion. Even if it has dust filters, the filters can get clogged.

 

[Fiztandantibus]

True say, at least having them will stop most dust intrusion which in my case is a problem until i build a little support to lift the case about 20cm off the ground I have a limited area where I can place the PC at the moment.

 

[aford10]

The cases were just suggestions. It really comes down to which catches your eye, and if it has the features you like or not.

 

[Fiztandantibus]

Indeed the case has a lot of personality and taste as a choice factor, I think I will go for the ThermalTake Element G after seeing some good reviews and seeing that it is indeed £10 less than the antec as well as cooler.

Thanks again infinitly for your expertise next in line after buying will be learning to operate the bios to maximise the RAM output and then overclocking without being foolish.

 

[aford10]

There are guides out there to help advise overclocking. However, it's kind of a trial and error to see how far you can push it and keep it stable. If you push it too far, you can always load the BIOS defaults and try again.

Good luck.

 

[Fiztandantibus]

Hey there aford10, just writing to let you know that i got my rig and it is now up and running with the Core i7 860 clocked to 4.1GHz with very little effort. Here are some pictures of how it came out to look

Thanks for all your help

 

[aford10]

It looks nice!

Thanks for the update