Dont know what ram to pick for gaming

[kcosta]

im gonna build my pc for gaming but i just have one last question before i do and its that i dont know what kind of mem to use 1333 1600 and whatnot, my motherboard is >> http://www.microbytes.com/computer/ordinateur/product_info.php?products_id=34400
i dont usually multi task during gaming at the most might have explorer open, ill be playing crysis bf2bc and WoW
i prefer to buy my parts from http://www.microbytes.com/
thanks in advance

 

[gracefully]

At least 1333MHz DDR3 modules would suffice. Tom's Hardware proved, with an article, that faster RAM adds only miniscule performance while decreasing the longevity of the RAM module. I suggest you get a 2x2GB 1333/1600 Mhz module. You'll want at least 4GB of RAM for those games at max settings. COD:MW2 would lag my setup after exiting when I still had only 2 GB of RAM.

 

[kcosta]

so the lower the frequency the better it is ? or vice versa

 

[gracefully]

No. Generally, the faster, the better, as long as your motherboard and CPU support it. 1600 > 1333.

Here's the TH article on memory speed. It's an article in 2008, but it features DDR3 up to 1600.

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/ram-speed-tests,1807.html

 

[duk3]

Faster ram will be faster, but only by a very small amount.
More ram>Faster ram, but 4gb should be fine for all games.

 

[JRom_246]

What about latency?
What is the best RAM for all i want is to use my computer to play WoW
manage my music and work on microsoft office apps n occasionally browse the internet.

 

[gracefully]

Any will suffice. Latency won't affect your performance much. As long as your modules run at CAS9 or lower (which is pretty much every single module out there that runs at 1333-1600MHz), that's fine. Don't spend a boatload on 2000MHz CAS7 modules (if there are even such things) if your processor can't match the performance of the RAM.

 

[Psychoteddy]

This mumbo jumbo about memory timings and frequencies above 1600 MHz is a crock. Beyond 1600 MHz, you'd be better suited to burn the money and dance around the crimson inferno that is money that would have been even more wasted on 2100 MHz OMFG EDITION WTF -1 CAS TIMING SUPERMEGADOUBLERAM JAPAN EXTREM! DDR3 Kit.

It's great for benchmarks, but real-world performance is what counts.

Go with some good DDR3 1600 Mushkin, Patriot, or G.Skill memory and you can't go wrong.

 

[JackNaylorPE]

Use 1333 for up to a 25% CPU overclock
Use 1600 for up to a 25% CPU overclock

CAS 6 is faster than CAS7 which is faster than CAS 8 which is faster than CAS 9. Most of the time, there's very little price premium for CAS 7 but this changes with demand so it's worth checking when your buying.

Starting here....

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=100007611%20600006050%20600006066%20600006127&IsNodeId=1&name=DDR3%201600%20%28PC3%2012800%29

Ya can look at each of the offerings for each CAS (DDR3-1600 2 x 2GB) by clicking on the left hand side.

CAS 6 starts at $90 from a brand I'd be comfy with
CAS 7 starts at $75
CAS 8 starts at $50
CAS 9 starts at $50

Given the above the Corsair CAS 8's are obviously a better choice than the CAS 9's. After that, it's matter of economics.