Which ram? 8 GB DDR3 2400 mhz or 16 GB DDR3 1600 mhz

[nadz953]

The first 2400 mhz: DDR3-2400 PC3 19200, 8GB (2x4GB), 10-12-12-31-2N
http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=20093

or
G.Skill Ripjaws X F3-1600C9D-16GXM (2x8GB) PC3-12800 (1600MHz) DDR3 dual channel channel RAM, 240-pin DIMM, non ECC unbuffered, 9-9-9 2N
http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=186_538_913&products_id=19895

Bear in mind I will be using a Noctua NH-D14 CPU Cooler. I believe the 2400 mhz ram you can remove the coolers, not sure about the ripjaws.
http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=13232


EDIT: THIS IS FOR GAMING.
I5 3570K processor.

 

[manofchalk]

For gaming, 8GB of 1600Mhz RAM. Only need 8GB for gaming.
http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=186_538_913&products_id=19632
Low profile RAM, so it wont conflict with the Noctua.

Only in some very specific situations does faster RAM make a difference, and not by much. For the hardware you have and usage, faster RAM wont benefit you. Having more than 8GB is also pointless.

 

[nadz953]

For gaming, 8GB of 1600Mhz RAM. Only need 8GB for gaming.
http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=186_538_913&products_id=19632
Low profile RAM, so it wont conflict with the Noctua.

Only in some very specific situations does faster RAM make a difference, and not by much. For the hardware you have and usage, faster RAM wont benefit you. Having more than 8GB is also pointless.

A friend of mine has the 2400 mhz ram and simply removed the coolers on the ram for the noctua to fit. He said its the fastest and best for money at the moment. Running an ASROCK z77 Extreme 4 board and from what I've read the Noctua doesnt block the outer two ram slots, seeing as I will only be using two sticks of ram, could I use the high profile ram?

 

[manofchalk]

He's wrong. 1600Mhz CL9 is about the sweet spot between price and performance right now.
This was done on Sandy Bridge, but it hasn't changed for Ivy.
http://www.anandtech.com/show/4503/sandy-bridge-memory-scaling-choosing-the-best-ddr3/8

If you run the sticks in the far two slots, you lose the benefit of dual channel, which will decrease performance a bit.

Also consider that on Intel systems you cant have RAM that runs above 1.5v, that that 2400Mhz kit is at 1.65v.

 

[themirror]

get 8 gb @ 1600mhz ...that's more than enough for gaming(atleast for me). If you still want to stick to your options, get the 16gb@1600mhz. you won't see much difference between 1600mhz and 2400mhz.Any thing you get after 1600mhz gives you decremental benefit(if any) for the price

 

[nadz953]

For gaming, 8GB of 1600Mhz RAM. Only need 8GB for gaming.
http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=186_538_913&products_id=19632
Low profile RAM, so it wont conflict with the Noctua.

Only in some very specific situations does faster RAM make a difference, and not by much. For the hardware you have and usage, faster RAM wont benefit you. Having more than 8GB is also pointless.

whats the difference bewteen the ares and the ripjaws? The ares are alot cheaper and I really do want high performance ram for gaming. I want this rig to last me a long time.

 

[manofchalk]

If you removed the heatsink on them, I bet you would find the same chip beneath.

The Ares are a low profile kit, they don't have as large heat-spreaders (which are useless btw, RAM doesnt get hot) as the Ripjaws RAM. This means it can fit under large coolers like the Noctua without modification.

Oh, and the Ares I posted is a 2x4GB kit, while the ripjaws you posted is a 2x8GB. Thats why the price difference is so much, as its an 8GB vs 16GB kit. This is a closer comparison.
http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=186_538_913&products_id=16510

 

[nadz953]

If you removed the heatsink on them, I bet you would find the same chip beneath.

The Ares are a low profile kit, they don't have as large heat-spreaders (which are useless btw, RAM doesnt get hot) as the Ripjaws RAM. This means it can fit under large coolers like the Noctua without modification.

Oh, and the Ares I posted is a 2x4GB kit, while the ripjaws you posted is a 2x8GB. Thats why the price difference is so much, as its an 8GB vs 16GB kit. This is a closer comparison.
http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=186_538_913&products_id=16510

If 1.65 volt is not compatible with Intel then why does it say its designed for a z77 chipset?

 

[manofchalk]

Marketing speak. RAM isn't optimized to work on any particular chip-set (except on the X58 platform or Server hardware) over another, its literally just a matter of whether its DDR3 or not.

1.65v will work on Intel chips, but will put added strain on the CPU memory controller, which wasn't supposed too take more than 1.5v. Can lead to less of a lifespan on the chip.
It will also invalidate the warranty on the Intel CPU.

 

[nadz953]

what about this stuff?
http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=186_538_913&products_id=17731

 

[manofchalk]

It will work, but you are paying almost double for only a negligible boost in performance (which is likely offset by the higher timings).

If you want to spend an extra $50, sink it into the GPU and go up a performance tier. $50 is the difference between a 7870 and a 7950 for example, and the performance difference between the two is actually noticeable.

 

[nadz953]

Because it is slightly faster, presumably can overclock harder and has the Corsair Dominator name on it.
But again, that added cost can be spent in much better places.

So the 8 gb ares is the way to go? thank you for all your help and helping me understand everything.

 

[manofchalk]

Yep, thats the way I see it.

 

[nadz953]

Best answer selected by nadz953.

 

[cats_Paw]

The Ram is by far the least afecting component as far as i know... for gaming that is.
Im still running my desktop on ddr2, and i dont have numbers that are lower than benchmarks out there.
Thou you do need a minimum of ram. For me its 4 gb to 8 gb. If you REALLY use a ton if programs at the same time, 16 GB.