DDR2 or DDR3... Please help

[markgerazzi]

My system:

MOBO: GA MA 790XT UD4P
CPU: Phenom II X3 720 Black Edition

I have 8 gigs of ram right now but it is not enough for my music work station.
Im unsure if my CPU and MOBO even can handle more than 8 gigs of ram, OR can handle DDR3. I'm reading mixed reviews.

DDR3 16gb 8 x 2 is much cheaper than DDR3

Please let me know, thanks! I also need the fastest ram.

UPDATED:

Just installed this x2 16gbs.... http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231445&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-RSSDailyDeals-_-na-_-na&AID=10521304&PID=4176827&SID=kp9ox5xb6cei


PC won't boot up now, now it sounds like it's trying to start over and over again, I don't even get a screen

 

[markgerazzi]

Now I am reading I will need 4 x 4gb DDR3, four slots

 

[k1114]

Straight off the gigabyte website. Your motherboard is ddr3 and can support up to 16gb. So 4x4gb would be idea.

http://www.gigabyte.com/products/product-page.aspx?pid=3010#sp

 

[markgerazzi]

Thanks! and will my cpu read DDR3? right now I tihnk I have ddr2

Also, could you please link me to the fastest ddr3 ram? not sure if 1066 is the fastest, would it be DDR3 1666?
Thanks!

 

[hunter315]

That board is AM3 socket so its DDR3 only, and it will support up to 4 4GB sticks for a total of 16GB of memory, quite excessive for 99.99% of tasks.

You will want to buy them in an even number of sticks, either 2 or 4 since thats all the slots your board has. Right now you can pick up a 2x4GB kit for $50, ram is super cheap right now.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231424

If you want higher speed RAM like some CAS 8 DDR3 1600MHz, that ups the price tag to about $80,
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231445

thats about as high as i would suggest going as memory provides significantly diminishing returns as you go above DDR 3 1600MHz and the price ramps up significantly. I also wouldnt get more than 8GB unless you are planning on running multiple heavy 64 bit programs, if its not a 64 bit application then it cannot use more than 2GB of memory at a time anyway.

 

[markgerazzi]

I am running cubase 64x, My ideal machine is a 12core dual processor with 40+ gigs of ram. Sample libraries utilize logs of ram, one string sample right now is using 1gig of ram, not having a ssd isn't helping. This is just to hold me off for the next year or so until i can afford a power house.

 

[markgerazzi]

Also, what do you mean by diminishing returns?

 

[geotek]

I am running cubase 64x, My ideal machine is a 12core dual processor with 40+ gigs of ram. Sample libraries utilize logs of ram, one string sample right now is using 1gig of ram, not having a ssd isn't helping. This is just to hold me off for the next year or so until i can afford a power house.

are there some kind of computers out there ive never heard of? 12 core dual processors? 40 gigs of ram???

 

[k1114]

He means there is very little performance increase but a huge rise in price.

 

[markgerazzi]

dual 6 core processors in the new 12 core mac pros, most server motherboards can do loads of ram.

Thanks K, this is a little off topic, but I'm taking my motherboard to get overlocked properly at the shop, what is the safest to get OC's to just using fans?

 

[k1114]

I've seen most people go to 3.6 but OCing is the luck of the draw. As stated in your other thread, even with water you most likely will not even get to 4ghz.

The "new" macs have processors that came out over a year ago, they're always slow to upgrade and it's still much cheaper to build yourself or even buy parts and let someone else build it. And you can even install mac and pc if you want. Intel currently has 10 core cpus (20 threads) and amd has 12 cores(12t). Each cpu gets its own ram slots. Newegg isn't really the place for server stuff, I think, but just an example. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813151219

Now I'm really going off topic but this just reminded me of this vid I saw last year. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zbokPe4_-mY

 

[markgerazzi]

if sandy bridge 2600k was server cpu I would be golden, two quad cores would be nice, and they are very cheap. Actually no I wouldn't because I don't like how the ram is set up with the mobo, I'll need sticks of 8 to get the most out of it which is a fortune.

Intel has 10 cores? I thought the highest was 12 (2 x 6core) in the mac pros, commercially speaking.

I am thinking of waiting for the bulldozer and getting 2 8 core server cpus, not sure how much that will be.

 

[k1114]

There are sandy bridge xeons (e3 series) but currently do not support multi socket. http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=100008494%20600126647&IsNodeId=1&name=LGA%201155

The e7 series are westmere-ex and are 6, 8 and 10 core. And they support up to 8 cpu configs.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Intel_Xeon_microprocessors#.22Westmere-EX.22_.2832_nm.29
Here's the intel link if you don't trust wiki. http://ark.intel.com/products/family/59139

You might also want to see how intel's new sb-e fairs to bd, when they both come out of course.

 

[markgerazzi]

Yeah so no dual cpu's with the sandy then, that would have been great.
the xeons are retardedly priced

 

[markgerazzi]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820231445

About to order this ^ are you guys absolutely sure its compatible with both my cpu and mobo?

Right now my speed says 8192mbytes in cpu-z, so this will be double the speed!

 

[markgerazzi]

Hey you guysssssssssss

 

[k1114]

Speed? You mean size right? Ram will downclock to the lower speed which your other ram will most likely be slower. You could OC the old ram but timings will still be different. Can you find out what ram you currently have?

 

[markgerazzi]

yes sorry size, and you lost me on the downclocking, whats the scenario here?

Sure my current pysical memory according to PC Wizard is:

Physical Memory : 8192MB (4 x 2048 DDR3-SDRAM )

it is DDR3 1600

And is that ram he linked me to correct? I don't see it on the QVL ftp://download.gigabyte.ru/memory/motherboard_memroy_ga-ma790xt-ud4p.pdf

 

[hunter315]

Right now you have a 4x2GB kit which means that in order to add in the 2x4GB kit you will have to remove two of the sticks and replace them with the new kit bringing you up to 12GB, not 16GB.

 

[markgerazzi]

What? Why can't I remove all my ram and add 4x4gb for 16gb? I plan to buy 4 sticks

 

[hunter315]

You can, i wasnt sure how many of those kits you were planning to get, 4x4GB would work, and would be much better than trying to mix kits.

 

[markgerazzi]

So then I should be golden with 4 of these like you stated
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231445&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-RSSDailyDeals-_-na-_-na&AID=10521304&PID=4176827&SID=8xh7lfx4asxy

is there a program that can tell me my ram speed? not sure if mines the same speed as those

 

[k1114]

Well then your old ram is irrelevant.

 

[markgerazzi]

well that settles, it I'm ordering it now

 

[markgerazzi]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231445&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-RSSDailyDeals-_-na-_-na&AID=10521304&PID=4176827&SID=kp9ox5xb6cei

That just arrived, I installed it, but now my PC won't power up, sounds like it's trying but keeps failing. What the hell? I installed it correctly, a chimp could do it, much easier than installing laptop ram i installed last month.

Help please!