Upgrading memory - do I keep the same speed or go with a new kit?

[sugalum]

current setup:
Intel Core i7-920 2.66GHz
4 x 1GB DDR3 1066MHz

I'm looking to double my RAM to 8GB...should I add 4GB of DDR3 1066MHz to match the current memory speed or spend the extra money (approx. $20) and replace all the old RAM with a new, faster kit?

 

[C12Friedman]

The recommended way to upgrade ram is by purchasing a complete 'kit'. This will ensure stability between the two modules and also ensure dual channel function. Those are not guaranteed if adding a module to a system (even an identical ram module may not be compatible).

 

[sedona]

For a system with Intel Core i5-3470 and ASRock B75M-DGS motherboard, do I go for the cheapest 1600MHz memory kit or buy the most expensive 1600MHz memory kit? There are only two slots on this motherboard so it will be 2x4GB. For the same 1600MHz speed, why are some kits so expensive than others?

 

[C12Friedman]

@Sedona: When looking to purchase a ram kit, there is a balance between budget and performance. RAM performance is measured both by Frequency (speed) listed in MHz and CL (CAS Latency) listed as a number representing a delay, the lower the number, the less the delay (i.e. the quicker the ram is).
A kit of 1600MHz ram with a CL of 11 is actually slower overall than a 1333MHz kit with a CL of 7. There is a formula for determining the resultant delay in nanoseconds if you're interested. As you get into the higher speeds and lower CL numbers, the prices start jumping quick. Sometimes it's simply a matter of marketing (okay, in the case of ram, supply and demand are very influential in pricing)
I'd think a kit like this http://pcpartpicker.com/part/gskill-memory-f312800cl8d8gbxm would be very nice in there (as an option)

 

[sedona]

@Sedona: When looking to purchase a ram kit, there is a balance between budget and performance. RAM performance is measured both by Frequency (speed) listed in MHz and CL (CAS Latency) listed as a number representing a delay, the lower the number, the less the delay (i.e. the quicker the ram is).
A kit of 1600MHz ram with a CL of 11 is actually slower overall than a 1333MHz kit with a CL of 7. There is a formula for determining the resultant delay in nanoseconds if you're interested. As you get into the higher speeds and lower CL numbers, the prices start jumping quick. Sometimes it's simply a matter of marketing (okay, in the case of ram, supply and demand are very influential in pricing)
I'd think a kit like this http://pcpartpicker.com/part/gskill-memory-f312800cl8d8gbxm would be very nice in there (as an option)

The G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB CL8 1600MHz memory kit you suggested has a large heat spreader. So compared to a "value" kit with CL11 1600MHz, can I say that the Ripjaws X can be overclocked to 2133MHz? I noticed that all Ripjaws X has large heat spreader while other "value" brands are low profile with exposed DRAM chips. But they are all 1600MHz spec.

 

[C12Friedman]

I'd doubt you would find much more performance from them than what they are spec'd at. Any increases in frequency would likely need to have an equivalent latency offset and possibly voltage adjustment (which I don't think your board will let you do). You would be able to run at 1600MHz with a CL of 8 which is pretty impressive in and of itself IMO but now I'm wondering what is going on with the Geil kit in your sig... it looks to be pretty good also

 

[sedona]

I'd doubt you would find much more performance from them than what they are spec'd at. Any increases in frequency would likely need to have an equivalent latency offset and possibly voltage adjustment (which I don't think your board will let you do). You would be able to run at 1600MHz with a CL of 8 which is pretty impressive in and of itself IMO but now I'm wondering what is going on with the Geil kit in your sig... it looks to be pretty good also

The Geil Evo Leggera CL9 1600MHz 2x4GB memory kit was the cheapest in the shop when I bought the parts to assemble the new PC. Previously I was using Intel Pentium E5200 on Gigabyte EP43-DS3L motherboard with Kingston DDR2 800MHz 2x2GB memory kit and Windows XP. I'm 5 years behind the technology curve and catching up on this forum.

I noticed that there are more expensive 1600MHz and 2133MHz memory kits with super large and colorful heat spreaders compared to my low-profile "light-weight" Geil Evo Leggera CL9 1600MHz so I was wondering if I should go and buy one of those Ripjaws X and learn about memory overclocking. I thought I had bought a lousy one since all the expensive ones out there are "optimized for gaming" while mine is just .... cheap.

 

[C12Friedman]

The general consenses is that heat sinks on RAM are more a confidence trick than anything else, the Geil stuff looks pretty good to me, I'd play around with it a bit perhaps before getting something else but judging by the latencies shown at JEDEC#6 vs what XMP is showing, I think I might be content with XMP.
I think in order to get any kind of halfway appreciable performance increase from ram you'll need to look at higher frequencies with correspondingly higher prices (and even then, your observable performance difference would likely be minimal - if at all)

 

[sedona]

I don't even know how good or bad my Geil memory is, looking at those JEDEC numbers. Doesn't make sense to me because my CPU and motherboard can support 1333/1600MHz so the XMP profile is correct. The JEDEC profiles of 685/761/838 look weird to me and not like the "1866MHz" or "2133MHz" I see on memory over-clocking articles. At this point I know that I would need a X79 or Z77 motherboard to over-clock the memory, so it's just for knowledge quest. Thanks for your time.

What puzzles me is why people buy expensive motherboards to over-clock the expensive memory kits, if the performance difference is minimal. I decided to skip the Haswell architecture and bought the ASRock B75M-DGS Ivy Bridge motherboard because it was the cheapest in the shop for the features I need (compared to H81 Haswell and H71 Ivy Bridge) and just spend a little more on the better i5-3470 instead of Haswell i3. As I mentioned earlier, I got the Geil Evo Leggera because it was the cheapest in the shop at that time. I guess I still have a lot to read up about whether this Geil part can be over-clocked to 2133MHz, but then, how can the CPU and motherboard both rated at 1333/1600MHz work with the 2133MHz memory? I better read more.

No more questions.

 

[Tradesman1]

If running a 920 then you are on a 1366 mobo, so would look for at least a three stick set to be able to use the tri-channel memory architecture - either 3x2GB or 3x4GB