Advice on Upgrading RAM

[wilson6488]

Hello everyone, and thanks for taking a look at my thread!

Back in 2010, I built my very first homebuilt Gaming PC with the assistance of everyone here at Toms Hardware! Now I'm back for some advice on upgrading my PC.
Here's a link to my thread containing my complete system specs.:
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/forum2.php?config=tomshardwareus.inc&cat=31&post=286981&page=1&p=1&sondage=0&owntopic=1&trash=0&trash_post=0&print=0&numreponse=0&quote_only=0&new=0&nojs=0

So I'm here because I want to upgrade my RAM. Of course my biggest concern is: Do I have a large enough PSU to make this upgrade? (I'm running a 650w)

I did a comparison on Newegg so you guys could see the different Memory packs i'm looking at:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Productcompare.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=100007611&IsNodeId=1&page=6&bop=And&ActiveSearchResult=True&CompareItemList=147%7C20-231-486%5E20-231-486-TS%2C20-231-478%5E20-231-478-TS%2C20-231-315%5E20-231-315-TS%2C20-231-429%5E20-231-429-TS%2C20-231-456%5E20-231-456-TS

I'm leaning most heavily towards this:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231478

However, part of me wonders if maybe I'd be better off to purchase another 4GB of Memory to match the 4GB I already have:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231277

Any advice/suggestions/criticism is GREATLY appretiated!
Thank you for your time!!

 

[r0aringdrag0n]

You definitely have enough RAM...in fact, RAM doesn't take too much power...I would recommend 8GB of RAM since 16GB is extreme OVERKILL, most gaming computers have 8GB. 8GB is good because games rarely use more than 3GB of RAM, and even then, most only use 2GB. Then the other programs normally don't run over 1GB of RAM...so 4GB of RAM is enough for your system, although more is always good, so 8GB should be more than enough. I would buy this RAM if you want to go new:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231417
or just buy another 4GB pack to add to your system:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231303

 

[wilson6488]

Thanks r0aringdrag0n! You've convinced me to go for 8GB, but I think I'd like to cough up some more dough for faster speeds...what do you think of these?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231476

 

[Nparbs]

If you want speed get 1600 if ur mobo supports it or 1333

 

[AMutedScream]

Thanks r0aringdrag0n! You've convinced me to go for 8GB, but I think I'd like to cough up some more dough for faster speeds...what do you think of these?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231476

Hey, the RAM you have linked there, while good ram, is just about the definition of massive overkill in terms of clock speed. Anything over 1600 on DDR3 really isnt going to be noticeable by anything other than a benchmarking program. Real world application, you'll never notice any difference in performance. You'd be better off saving the money for something else. Here are a link to some good Corsair Vengeance RAM for a decent price.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233144

If Vengeance's heat spreaders are too tall for your application, Mushkin Blacklines are going for a similar price.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820226191

 

[r0aringdrag0n]

Don't go with 2133 RAM, the performance is not noticeable from 1600 RAM

 

[wilson6488]

Well, I may have messed up... (I should've done my homework first!)

I went ahead and purchased the 8GB G-Skill Ripjaws at 2133 before checking back here :C (but haven't opened them), and now I'm not sure if my Motherboard is even compatible with them!

My MOBO:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131621

The RAM I want to install:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231476

I was reading my MOBO manual and it says a few things:

"Due to intel spec definition, X.M.P. DIMMs and DDR3-1600 are supported for one DIMM per channel only"
Does that mean my MOBO is incompatible with DDR3-2133?
Because then it says:
"According to Intel CPU spec, CPU's with a core frequency of 2.66G (which is what I have) support the maximum DIMM frequency of up to DDR3-1333. To use DIMMs of a higher frequency with a 2.66G CPU, enable the DRAM O.C. Profile feature in BIOS."
So I guess I'm ok... and that seems like a pretty straight-forward operation, but i'm nervous about messing with BIOS or overclocking for that matter...

"According to Intel CPU spec, DIMM voltage below 1.65V is recommended to protect the CPU."
This new RAM is exactly 1.65V......am I in trouble here?

So I will hold off on actually installing these until I get some feedback. If I've messed up and bought incompatible RAM I will have to return these and re-purchase.

Thanks for your time!

 

[wilson6488]

Damn, I just found this:
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/274782-28-problem-core-ddr3-1600

Not sure if I'm understanding it, but it sounds like bad news for me!

Let me know what you guys think/know. Thanks again!

 

[AMutedScream]

Well, unless some uber-guru poster would like to correct me, you're not going to damage anything sticking those cards in your mobo. Your motherboard should automatically select RAM speeds and voltages based on what it accepts and supports. What should happen is you'll plug those sticks in and they'll get downclocked to 1333, and I'm guessing something around 1.5 volts. You'll have to go back into BIOS to ratchet up the clock speed and voltage, which is where you may start running into problems.

What "Due to intel spec definition, X.M.P. DIMMs and DDR3-1600 are supported for one DIMM per channel only" means to me is that you should be able two use two sticks, one per channel, at 1600, though as the article you posted states, enabling XMP on a lot of motherboards also cranks up the bclk, essentially overclocking your computer as a side effect.

Honestly imo you can stick with the ram you have, but you're paying out the rear for memory capable of far higher clock speeds than you'll run them, which is just a waste of money. If you can return them scott-free, it may be a better decision to bank the savings. Here are some sticks at half the price your paying, and rated at 1333 (cas9), one sticking with G.Skill, the other Mushkin (my two favs).

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231426
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820226095

 

[wilson6488]

Thanks for the help AMutedScream!!

I spoke with newegg and they're going to let me return the RAM at a full refund minus shipping. (Love you Newegg!)

What do you think of these?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231477

I'm willing to pay the extra $8 for 3 reasons: It's blue (which matches my pc), It's low voltage (1.35V), and it's 1600 (which is the speed my current RAM runs at, no problems).

 

[AMutedScream]

Well if you've already got XMP enabled (from the sound of it), and are having no problems, those sticks are a pretty good choice. If you're willing to pay extra to keep a color scheme, go for it. I wouldn't get too hung up on the "low voltage" moniker on some ram though. It's rarely a bad thing, but the energy savings and extra life promised by the manufacturers when they make low voltage sticks is rarely realized in the functional world. 1.5v is the generally accepted standard, with 1.65 being considered on the high side for p55 based boards (being acceptable on x58, p/h67, and z68).

The only other thing to consider is clearance high for the ram. Ripjaws is fairly low as heat spreaders go, but some big-ass CPU coolers still have trouble, in which case you'd want to consider a low-profile ram like this:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233196

Other than that, G.Skill makes solid ram, it's what I use in my PC's at home (with Corsair being my go-to ram at work).

 

[wilson6488]

Best answer selected by wilson6488.

 

[Mousemonkey]

This topic has been closed by Mousemonkey