CAS Latency Considerations - Need Your Expertise!

[hatman5700]

Hi all - Looking to buy some ram for my next in line super gaming rig!

GOAL:
The generic goal here is to have the "best" RAM for gaming.

CONSTRAINTS:
Aiming for 16GB and hoping to pay under 200$ (should be more than enough I assume).

ASSUMPTIONS/PRIORITIES:
1. Just got an i7 3770k and read that ivy bridge works best with 1.5V
2. Next up, I heard that overclocking was best on 2x8 vs 4x4 because of less stress on the memory controllers
3. I heard that lower CAS = Better RAM; Quick searches showed me that CAS 7 is some of the fastest available RAM with the above 2 constraints
4. And the "obvious" goal is to have DDR3 1600MHz at least. (More is better I suppose but generally deemed "unnecessary?")

QUEST START:
My quest began: Find 1.5V 2x8GB DDR3 1600MHz CAS7 Ram
But then that quest ended abruptly as I couldn't find anything.

WHAT I FOUND:
I could only find 1.5V 4x4GB CAS7 in the following:
$129.99 - G.SKILL Ripjaws Z Series 16GB (4 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL7Q-16GBZM
$144.99 - CORSAIR Vengeance 16GB (4 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model CML16GX3M4X1600C7
$171.99 - CORSAIR DOMINATOR 16GB (4 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model CMP16GX3M4X1600C7


VERDICT?:
Should I just go for the 4x4 GSKILL or should I pursue a 2x8 setup with higher CAS numbers (I can easily find 1.5V CAS10 2x8 buys all over the place).
Is there something else that is more important that I should consider in my priorities for buying RAM here?

Please assist me in my quest!

 

[hatman5700]

Another note:
My soon to be CPU is

CPU: i7 3770k
GPU: GTX 680 MSI Lightning
PSU: ULTRA POWER 750 Watt
MBO: Asrock Extreme 6
Case: Cooler Master CM690
RAM: Need to upgrade
SSD: Samsung 840 Pro 256MB

I'm hoping to OC my 3770k to the 4.5 area
Still in process of getting a water cooler (fighting urge to buy a H100 and actually do my own research / leg work)


The more and more I read about RAM the less and less it seems that it really matters what i get.

But at the end of the day i'm wanting maximum FPS on Battlefield 3 @ 1900x1080!

 

[Newf]

There are plenty of 8 GB sticks listed by Asrock as compatible with the Extreme 6.

http://www.asrock.com/mb/overview.us.asp?cat=Memory&Model=Z77%20Extreme6

Pick the fastest you are willing to pay for, but stick to that list.
On this platform memory multipliers are separate from cpu multipliers, so you have a lot of leeway.
Higher capacity ram does have slower latency as will higher clock speed ram.
The system you build with those listed parts will be fast enough for a 24" monitor without any overclocking.

Newf.

.