Memory for current (soon-to-be) set up

[Guest]

Hello,

I'm building up a new gaming rig with decent OC'ing possibilities and SLI connectivity. Current set up is going to be:

Mobo: ASRock P55 Extreme4
CPU: Intel i5-760 2,8GHz
CPU-cooler: Scythe Mugen 2 rev. B
Graphics: MSI nVidia GFX 460 Cyclone 1GB
Case: Fractal Design R2
PSU: Corsair 750HX ATX 2.3

But I'm stuck wheter I should buy 2x2GB A-Link 2000MHz Xtreme CL9 for 109 euros or 2x2GB Kingston HyperX 1600MHz CL9 for same price. Only main differences are the warranty (Kingston unlimited vs A-Link 3 years) and the clocks. Is the A-Link with faster clocks worth it? I have no experience on A's memorys. Why the A-Link is so instanely cheap when comparing clocks to other manufacturers? 4 gigabytes of Kingston and G.skill, for instance, @ 2000MHz are nearly 50 euros more expensive.

Or should I spend my money more on lower latency? E.g. 4GB of Kingston HyperX @ 1600MHz CL8 is 20 euros more, around 129 euros.

P.S. Oh, sorry I had to put this to CPU & components category as Mobo's & Memory didn't have A-Link or Kingston as sub-category choices.

 

[jefe323]

the kingston ram is probablly more expensive because it is "name-brand" memory

though it may be more expensive, i'd go with kingston

 

[17seconds]

I would go with the Kingston as well. The rated speed does not mean that you can't overclock to a higher speed, and I have seen tests showing that the Kingston HyperX modules overclock well.

Perhaps more important than speed, however, is the amount of RAM and the latency. I would definitely go for the CL8 if possible. If you are running 64-bit Windows, I would opt for more RAM.

Lastly, make sure that the RAM is rated at 1.65 volts or lower. Sometimes cheaper RAM is actually 1.7-1.9 volt RAM designed for the older LGA775 sockets and may damage your P55/i-5 setup.

 

[Guest]

Lastly, make sure that the RAM is rated at 1.65 volts or lower. Sometimes cheaper RAM is actually 1.7-1.9 volt RAM designed for the older LGA775 sockets and may damage your P55/i-5 setup.

That was actually what I hadn't noticed... Thanks for warning. A-Data's memories worked at over 2 volts default

What I still have as a problem, is that I think this mobo has a narrow area of memory options.

I'm trying to find a good Kingston memory available for it. G-Skill is also an option. Though, there are slight differences in those product codes. E.g like this kingston:

KHX1600C9D3K2/4GX
but mobo supports according to that list: KHX1600C9D3UK2/4GX

Does this slight difference break the compatibility? G.Skill memories don't have any differentiations in their product codes, so should I go them instead? They are tens of euros more expensive though...

 

[jefe323]

i use g.skill and i have yet to run into any problems with them

 

[wolfram23]

If you can get 1600mhz CL8 RAM you'll be good to go. That Kingston seems a little slow at CL9.

 

[Guest]

If you can get 1600mhz CL8 RAM you'll be good to go. That Kingston seems a little slow at CL9.

Well, from stores I would get two pairs of that, but that list doesn't show actually any CL8 1600mhz memories...

For instance, there is this Kingston 2x2GB 1600MHz CL8 KHX1600C8D3K2/4GX, but in the QVL list the last 'X' is missing. Or then, there is Corsair 2x2GB 1600MHz CL8 CMX4GX3M2A1600C8 for reasonable 96 euros price, but I can't tell from the list if it is supported or not.


Am I looking too tightly to the list? ( = am I paranoid? ) Is either of this memory still ok even if the product code is one or few letters different?

 

[duk3]

That corsair should be a good choice, better brand than Kingston IMO and cheaper.

 

[17seconds]

As far as compatibility goes, the voltage max of 1.65 is the key factor for DDR3 in a P55 motherboard. Of course whatever speed you choose, it will run at 1333 mhz by default until you overclock it.

According to your motherboard link, even though its not exactly listed, the Kingston should be compatible. They are low-profile and will fit underneath a tower type cooler, like the Scythe. Kingston Hyper X us a good brand and they look cool with blue and brushed silver heatspreaders.
http://www.kingston.com/hyperx/products/khx_ddr3.asp#dual

The Corsair is what I use, it's also very good, and considered very compatible with most motherboards, but watch out for the tall heatspreaders. They will get in the way of a tower-type CPU cooler, but you can remove the heatspreader easily with two screws.