Are there any Z270 (or just 7th gen) chipset motherboards which support DDR3 RAM?

[Khranos]

I've been looking to upgrade my processor since I received my new graphics card, and have finally narrowed my search down to a 7th gen processor (i5-7600k specifically). However, upgrading from an AMD-8350 of course means a new motherboard is in order, too.

I've been running 12gb of DDR3 RAM on my current motherboard, and I do not want to have to spend another $70-$100 for DDR4 RAM which I've read isn't even that much better, if any better at all. Due to this single restriction, I've been having a hard time finding a board.

I've been browsing PCPartPicker, and it appears there are no supporting Z270 boards (which I'd prefer due to the 7th gen BIOS issues on many 6th gen boards), and there are only 2 currently selling Z170 boards which do not appear to have the 7th gen BIOS update. That said, I'm unsure if PCPartPicker missed a few boards which do have compatibility, and I felt this was just the place to ask!

At this point, I'm willing to settle for any form factor, overclockable or not, any DDR3 speed limit, and just about anything else. Thanks in advance for any help provided!

TL;DR: I need help finding a 7th gen (preferably Z270) chipset motherboard which also supports DDR3 RAM.

 

[Snipergod87]

What is your current RAM model? The Z170 boards that support DDR3 ONLY support DDR3L which has a max voltage of 1.35v, Not 1.5 which is what most DDR3 RAM uses.

 

[Corwin65]

It's not that DDR 4 is better (which it is) it's that the architecture of your new CPU was made for DDR4. That's why you're having trouble finding a board that would support DDR3. If you did find one it would have to be DDR3L which you probably don't have anyway.

Bite the bullet and buy some DDR4, don't try to cheap out due to RAM.

 

[Khranos]

What is your current RAM model? The Z170 boards that support DDR3 ONLY support DDR3L which has a max voltage of 1.35v, Not 1.5 which is what most DDR3 RAM uses.

I believe that I'm just using DDR3, not DDR3L (to be transparent, I wasn't even aware that existed). This is not good news on my search, but I appreciate the info!

It's not that DDR 4 is better (which it is) it's that the architecture of your new CPU was made for DDR4. That's why you're having trouble finding a board that would support DDR3. If you did find one it would have to be DDR3L which you probably don't have anyway.

Bite the bullet and buy some DDR4, don't try to cheap out due to RAM.

That makes sense -- I might hold off on upgrading for a little while then (as RAM prices seem much higher than usual right now). I appreciate the input!

 

[Corwin65]

I know waiting sucks, but its for the best.

 

[Deleted member 217926]

No 2xx series boards support DDR3. A very few early 1xx series boards did. Since you're considering a K sku, unlocked CPU and an enthusiast chipset Z270 board you will need DDR4. Personally I would start looking at DDR4 3200-3600. You can go faster if you want but the gains will be small. Going slower will cripple the new build. You really don't want to use the default DDR4 2400 with a Z270/K CPU.

 

[Khranos]

No 2xx series boards support DDR3. A very few early 1xx series boards did. Since you're considering a K sku, unlocked CPU and an enthusiast chipset Z270 board you will need DDR4. Personally I would start looking at DDR4 3200-3600. You can go faster if you want but the gains will be small. Going slower will cripple the new build. You really don't want to use the default DDR4 2400 with a Z270/K CPU.

I'd probably have gone with the cheapest RAM (2133 or 2400) otherwise due to it being cheaper. Granted, it appears to be only slightly more expensive to go with 3200+. Thanks for the tip.

 

[captaincharisma]

there are no Z2709 let alone z170 boards that support DDR3 memory. the last chip sets that supported it were ones from intel 4th and maybe 5th gen chipsets.

Z170 boards did support a memory called DDR3L but that is a specials kind of DDR3 which means if you have DDR3 lett over from an old system it would not work

 

[Deleted member 217926]

Skylake and Kaby lake scale very nicely with faster RAM. I generally recommend DDR4 3200 for Skylake/Z170 and DDR4 3600 for Kaby/Z270. Both will do faster easily but those speeds will be problem free almost 100% of the time. There are also diminishing returns after those speeds.

 

[Deleted member 217926]

there are no Z2709 let alone z170 boards that support DDR3 memory. the last chip sets that supported it were ones from intel 4th and maybe 5th gen chipsets.

Z170 boards did support a memory called DDR3L but that is a specials kind of DDR3 which means if you have DDR3 lett over from an old system it would not work

DDR3L is just lower voltage ( hence the L for low voltage 😛 ). And regular DDR3 would work but it may very well shorten the life of the CPU by overvolting the memory controller. Official specs call for 1.2v DDR4 or 1.35V DDR3L on Skylake. So 1.35v DDR4, as all fast DDR4 is, is perfectly safe long term. 1.5v DDR3 however or worse 1.65v DDR3 is probably not a good idea.

^ That of course doesn't factor in the performance gains from fast DDR4.