Best Memory Pairing for Phenom II X4 955 Deneb

[bosey85]

Hi guys, I am a newbie to Tom's forums and I have one question about my new build im getting into. I already picked my processor and motherboard. I am going with the [AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition Deneb 3.2GHz Socket AM3 125W Quad-Core Processor] and an [MSI NF980-G65 AM3 NVIDIA nForce 980a SLI HDMI ATX AMD Motherboard ]. The question is what type of memory pairing do I use? I am trying not to spend over 150 bucks on memory. I have heard people talking about intel cpu's being best paired with 3GB and 6GB of ram and AMD cpu's being paired in 2,4 and 8GB pairs (DDR3 Memory). I am not sure if this is true though, if you know please enlighten me. Also, is better to get 4-1GB sticks, 2-2GB sticks? Any suggestions on brand and type? I am trying to get the best performance out of my rig, as I am using it for extreme gaming (Crysis and upcoming Crysis 2) and Hi-Def movie playback. I am using 2 gtx 260's in sli in my current rig and am going to transfer to the new rig. Please, I need all the help and knowledge I can get. Thank you guys in advance .

 

[saint19]

Hi newcomer and welcome to the Tom's hardware forum.

What is your budget?

1- My firts advice, change the mobo for one with AMD chipset. THIS is a very good mobo.

2- The 6GB is for some i7 series, that can support tri-channel. AMD 'till now don't support the tri-channle. So, with 4GB (2x2GB) is fine for now. With 2x2GB, you have the posibility to add another 2x2GB in the future.

Brands: Corsair, Crucial, OCZ, G.Skill. Those are the best.

3- You can get a 5850, or like me, wait 'till Fermi comes out.

 

[mfarrukh]

For $150 here are some best choices:

OCZ Reaper HPC 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500)

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


G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231277

 

[bosey85]

Thanks for the input that clears a whole bunch up for me. However, I am on a pretty tight budget so I am not in the market for a new video card as of yet. Also I have nothing against ATI, but I am a Nvidia guy. So, I need a motherboard that supports Nvidia SLI because of the 2 gtx 260's I am going to transfer from my old rig. I like the fact also that the motherboard I chose incorperates tri-SLI so I can purchase another Nvidia gtx 260 later if I wanted. Again thank you for your input. So given what you said, 2-2GB sticks would opperate the same as 4-1GB sticks? And also can I get some recomended DDR3 ram for a high-performance gaming rig? Thank you soo much again for your input saint19. Anymore feedback? Thanks in advance .

 

[saint19]

^The 1st option is DDR2, that don't work in an AM3 mobo.

THIS is a good option for you.

Good, I also prefer nVidia, in fact, I have a GTX260 too.

With 2x2GB you have the option to add more memory in the future, both opperates at the same speed.

 

[mfarrukh]

^The 1st option is DDR2, that don't work in an AM3 mobo.

Extremely Sorry for that

 

[bosey85]

Thank you mfarrukh! Very Much!!!

 

[saint19]

Extremely Sorry for that

Don't worry

Thank you mfarrukh! Very Much!!!

The 2nd option that mfarrukh says have CL9 that is high for DDR3. Get a CL7 or CL8, the link that I post up is a very good memory.

 

[mfarrukh]

Get a CL7 or CL8, the link that I post up is a very good memory.

Yeh, its a good one too.

 

[bosey85]

Guys, mfarrukh and saint19 you are the greatest. Thank you soo much for your help!

 

[bosey85]

Best answer selected by Bosey85.

 

[saint19]

Any time, that's why we are here. If you have another question, feel free to ask it.

P.D. Sorry for my english, isn't my native language.