Hi everyone, I think this is my second post, though I don't remember even making an account!
Anyways, I've been doing some upgrades to my gaming PC but it's turning into an entire system rebuild. I think I'm a little anxious about some future game releases and want to insure myself against low frame rates.
My current setup:
ASUS Crosshair IV Formula
AMD Phenom II X4 965 BE
AMD Radeon HD 6970
2 X 2GB Crucial Ballistix DDR3 @ 1333 MHz w/ 6-6-6-20 timings @ 1.8v (high voltages, I know, but runs stable)
I'm ready to go beyond that measly 4GB memory. I understand that denser sticks will, almost without exception, have higher timings, which generally results in slower memory-access times, but that limitation is more than made-up for by the higher availability (please correct me if I'm wrong here).
I'm shooting for 8GB, or even 12GB if the performance gain is significant, but I have a few questions/concerns that I've had trouble getting direct answers to using google.
First of all, I want to know if it would be a better idea to go with a 2 X 4GB setup or a 4 X 2GB setup. I've heard that populating all four memory slots can put a strain on the memory controller (would that be the NB, in my case?) essentially causing the memory to run at lower-than-advertised speeds, so using fewer sticks to achieve the desired total density is the preferred method, as opposed to populating all slots with lower-density sticks. I understand that in either case they will run in dual-channel mode.
Second, the Crosshair IV Formula is advertised as supporting "DDR3 2000(O.C.)/1800(O.C.)/1600(O.C.)/1333/1066" - but does the "O.C." refer to having to overclock the NB or CPU? Or does it refer to having to overclock the memory itself? It seems weird that a motherboard advertisement would refer to overclocking memory, so I assume it's referring to NB or CPU OC'ing, but I just don't really get it.
Third, I'm open to any specific suggestions as to what memory I could/should purchase, especially from those of you who might happen to have a similar setup as me. I'm not using *any* aftermarket cooling options, but for what it's worth, I'm using a Cooler Master HAF 942 case.
Thanks in advance! I'm looking for an educational discussion..
Anyways, I've been doing some upgrades to my gaming PC but it's turning into an entire system rebuild. I think I'm a little anxious about some future game releases and want to insure myself against low frame rates.
My current setup:
ASUS Crosshair IV Formula
AMD Phenom II X4 965 BE
AMD Radeon HD 6970
2 X 2GB Crucial Ballistix DDR3 @ 1333 MHz w/ 6-6-6-20 timings @ 1.8v (high voltages, I know, but runs stable)
I'm ready to go beyond that measly 4GB memory. I understand that denser sticks will, almost without exception, have higher timings, which generally results in slower memory-access times, but that limitation is more than made-up for by the higher availability (please correct me if I'm wrong here).
I'm shooting for 8GB, or even 12GB if the performance gain is significant, but I have a few questions/concerns that I've had trouble getting direct answers to using google.
First of all, I want to know if it would be a better idea to go with a 2 X 4GB setup or a 4 X 2GB setup. I've heard that populating all four memory slots can put a strain on the memory controller (would that be the NB, in my case?) essentially causing the memory to run at lower-than-advertised speeds, so using fewer sticks to achieve the desired total density is the preferred method, as opposed to populating all slots with lower-density sticks. I understand that in either case they will run in dual-channel mode.
Second, the Crosshair IV Formula is advertised as supporting "DDR3 2000(O.C.)/1800(O.C.)/1600(O.C.)/1333/1066" - but does the "O.C." refer to having to overclock the NB or CPU? Or does it refer to having to overclock the memory itself? It seems weird that a motherboard advertisement would refer to overclocking memory, so I assume it's referring to NB or CPU OC'ing, but I just don't really get it.
Third, I'm open to any specific suggestions as to what memory I could/should purchase, especially from those of you who might happen to have a similar setup as me. I'm not using *any* aftermarket cooling options, but for what it's worth, I'm using a Cooler Master HAF 942 case.
Thanks in advance! I'm looking for an educational discussion..