Memory speed question.

CPUs are only guaranteed to run at the speed that they are rated at

Many will run faster but the chances of instability increase the farther above the native speed you go. A motherboard may support a 2800 Mhz memory IO bus but the CPU that has to do all the work will probably choke horribly without significant fine tuning if it will even run at all. It's mostly a marketing thing

OK, If I were to get a processor like this:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

Which states the RAM controller supports this:
Dual Channel DDR3-1066/1333


Is getting RAM like this of any benefit? (PC 2133
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

That would be fine, but it can run @ 1600MHz with XMP enabled.

And the performance gained is next to nothing, but it surely cost more : )

And the gain in the games.

I recommend CORSAIR Vengeance 99% of the time, quality RAM and low profile with XMP profile. And if u will get an aftermarket CPU cooler, low profile is the worry free remedy with perfect fit with any large cooler.
CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
Vengeance Low Profile heat spreaders have a reduced height of 1.03" (26.25mm). They're designed for high-performance systems with extra-large CPU coolers, small form factor system builds, or any other space-constrained application where standard Vengeance memory might not fit.

Thanks for all the help!

What about the timing on the RAM? Does that make much of a difference? I see the RAM you linked is 9-9-9-24.

How does that compare to something like this with 7-7-7-24?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

The Corsair Vengeance lineup uses standard JEDEC DDR3 voltages, timings and operating speeds.

The mushkin redline lineup does not. 7-7-7-24 @1.65 volts is not a standard DDR3-1600 profile (8-8-8-24 @ 1.5 volts is the lowest) and thus operation is not guaranteed by Intel

Thus, the Redline modules will run a tad bit better. However, sine they are out of spec they may require additional tweaking by the user. I use Mushkin Redline in my PC and they work great.

Wrong voltage. For the 2600K u need the 1.5V RAM, the 1.65V is voiding the RAM warranty.

The IMC, the internal RAM controller works best with 1.5 or less.

But in the end,

the RAM will be almost identical in the performance with the other RAM : )

Check those pictures.

Thanks again!

Best answer selected by rs2k.

You're welcome : )

This topic has been closed by Nikorr