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Tom's Hardware > Forum > Motherboards & Memory > Memory > [Solved] Which 6GB RAM is better? G.SKILL PI CAS7 or Corsair Dominator XMS?

[Solved] Which 6GB RAM is better? G.SKILL PI CAS7 or Corsair Dominator XMS?

Forum Motherboards & Memory : Memory [Solved] Which 6GB RAM is better? G.SKILL PI CAS7 or Corsair Dominator XMS?

Best answer from shortstuff_mt.

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Hey everyone. I'm trying to finalize my build, and I have two remaining parts left. First, I will try to choose the RAM. I have some questions regarding the compatibility of RAM with my motherboard.

Here's what I currently have:

CPU: i7 930
Mobo: Asus P6T SE
GFX Card: PowerColor HD5850 OC
HD: Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB
DVD-RW: An Asus DVD-RW
Case: Antec 900
Power Supply: Antec TruePower 650W

So I still need some RAM. I was hoping to get a 6GB triple channel kit (3 x 2GB) to maximize my CPU and motherboard. However, I was not sure which RAM would work. The motherboard states that it can support frequencies of the DDR3-2000, DDR3-1866, DDR3-1800, DDR3-1600 under "OC" (ticked asterisk on the mobo specs), and normally without OC DDR3-1333 & DDR3-1066. My questions are then as follows:

1) I wanted to know if I am not overclocking anything (leaving the CPU & RAM @ stock, just planning to build the computer and go), would I still be able to use the DDR3-1600 speeds? Looking at the RAM prices, there is not much of a difference between DDR3-1600 vs DDR3-1333. It almost seems like everyone is using the 1600 speeds nowadays. I've heard of XMP profiles that can be set in the BIOS, but some ppl say it can also be risky to the motherboard (I've read a case where the mobo was destroyed due to incorrect XMP settings?). The other thing is that would the 1600 speeds always be able to revert back to 1333 speeds in case it doesn't work? Should I get the 1600 or 1333 speeds if I am not OC'ing at all? Are the 1600 speeds future proof if I do any OC later on?

2) The next thing is: what RAM do you recommend for my system specifically? I have heard stories where RAM is not compatible with certain mobos while other mobos are very picky. Please help me choose some RAM. My budget is probably a max of $180 (or so) including cashback/rebates for the RAM.

Thank you!


Message edited by StridingCloud on 04-22-2010 at 11:13:02 AM
Reply to StridingCloud
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1. You can buy faster RAM .... as to whether it will do anything for you, I'd say very little.

Stock:
133 BCLK x 21 CPU Multiplier = 2.80 Ghz
133 BCLK x 8 Memory Multiplier = 1066 Mhz

25% Memory OC:
133 BCLK x 21 CPU Multiplier = 2.80 Ghz
133 BCLK x 10 Memory Multiplier = 1333 Mhz

50% Memory OC:
133 BCLK x 21 CPU Multiplier = 2.80 Ghz
133 BCLK x 12 Memory Multiplier = 1600 Mhz

However what most peeps are looking for .....

25% System OC:
167 BCLK x 21 CPU Multiplier = 3.50 Ghz
167 BCLK x 8 Memory Multiplier = 1333 Mhz

50% System OC:
200 BCLK x 21 CPU Multiplier = 4.20 Ghz
200 BCLK x 8 Memory Multiplier = 1600 Mhz

The latter setup OC's your entire system . If you are not going to OC, I'd just get 1066.

If you think you might OC in the future, get DDR3-1600, lowest CAS # you can afford. See the THG sample builds, they include RAM modules that have been found to perform better than their labels would indicate.

------------------------------ If a man speaks in the forest and no woman hears him, is he still wrong ?
Reply to JackNaylorPE

Ah. That makes much more sense. Thank you for the clarification.

Anyhow, I'm thinking at getting the Corsair Dominator 6GB XMS series rated at DDR3-1600. Do you think this would be good even if I didn't OC the CPU and either: let the DDR3-1600 run at its lower speed OR manually configure the BIOS for XMS/increased speed to its 1600 potential?


Message edited by StridingCloud on 04-19-2010 at 10:49:09 AM
Reply to StridingCloud

The Corsair Dominators are very good and will be ample for your setup. You can easily set the bios to run these modules at 1600. You should have no issues.

------------------------------ Intel Core i7-920@2.66GHz | Asus Rampage II Extreme | 2xSapphire ATI Radeon HD 5850 | 6X2GB Mushkin 9-9-9-24@1600MHz | 2xWD Velociraptor 300GB (Raid 0) & 2xWD Green 2TB (Raid 1) | Corsair TX950 psu | Cooler Master 690 II Advanced | Windows 7 Pro 64Bit
Reply to deweycd
Best answer

Corsair Dominator's are good, but they're overpriced. Here's an excellent CAS 7 DDR3 1600 RAM kit that runs at 1.5v.

G.SKILL PI Series 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL7T-6GBPI $189.99

Reply to shortstuff_mt

Wow! That price is amazing that runs at a lower CAS & lower voltage.

However, I had bought the Corsair Dominator series already for about $9 more. They are already shipped.

It seems my motherboard can support both memories although the Corsair Dominator is on it's qualified memory list. G.SKILL may just be newer.

Nevertheless, what is the difference between this G.SKILL and the Corsair Dominator series? How are the G.SKILL able to have a lower CAS + voltage at the same speed? Which one is better in your guys' opinion?

Reply to StridingCloud

The lower timings at a lower voltage is an indication of higher quality chips being used in the RAM. There's certainly nothing wrong with the Corsair RAM, but G.Skill seems to get chips that are binned very well for a lot of their RAM. I have been picking G.Skill over Corsair lately because they offer high quality RAM with tight timings at low voltages and at a lower price. I've used G.Skill RAM in many builds and only had to RMA one kit so far.

Corsair makes excellent RAM too, but you pay for the name.

Reply to shortstuff_mt

Would I be at a disadvantage NOT to get the G.SKILLs since they are running at lower CAS + a lower voltage? Lower voltage would mean less heat production, correct?

Reply to StridingCloud

The corsair dominator isn't a bad choice, but one more thing... Using JackNaylorPE values, i'd recommend 25% System OC (167 BCLK x 21 CPU Multiplier = 3.50 Ghz
167 BCLK x 8 Memory Multiplier = 1333 Mhz)... This way you can underclock your ram at a lower volatage and better timing... After 1333mhz, you'd barely see an increase in performance at increase speeds, and that's when timing becames increasingly substantial... I own an i7 920, and efficiency with regards to heat dissipation and performance is seriously reduced after you exceed 3.8 ghz, with 3.6ghz being the most efficient... With better cooling at hand, that shouldn't matter as much... Hope that could help you with your i7 930...

------------------------------ Asus P6X58D Premium/I7 920 DO @4.14Ghz/Prolimatech Megahalems/Supertalent Chrome DDR3 2000(PC-1600) 1645Mhz @ 6-6-6-16/2x XFX ATI Radeon HD6970 CrossFireX /3x OCZ Vertex 30G Raid0 Win7 Ult.X64/Intel X18 80G-Games/1.5T-Programs & Media
Reply to chefboyeb

Awesome. What I had in mind originally was: leave everything at stock with the exception of the RAM. I would most likely have to bump up RAM at either 1333 speeds or 1600 speeds. I would leave my i7 930 at 2.8 until later when I decide to add a CPU cooler and truly OC it. So I was not sure if the G.SKILL were superior in this case...

Reply to StridingCloud

The Dominator's are fine, especially since you already bought them.

Reply to shortstuff_mt

In a high-end gaming rig (I am not sure if I consider my system one) or under intensive applications, would the lower voltage and lower latency mean a sure difference?

Also, is it true that if you indeed have a lower voltage on your RAM, your CPU cores also runs cooler? I was under the assumption that this was the case. If this is, by how much cooler would you think changing the memory voltage from 1.65V to 1.5V gives?

Reply to StridingCloud
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