ASUS P8P67 PRO REV 3.1 - RAM Upgrade Query

[norrehlienad90]

Hi,

I've googled and read through other threads on the forum, but I'm lost, and I would really appreciate some help! I am looking to upgrade the memory on my P8P67 Mobo to 16GB (2x8GB). According to the ASUS site, the motherboard can take the following:

4 x DIMM, Max. 32GB, DDR3 2200(O.C.)/2133(O.C.)/1866(O.C.)/1600/1333/1066 Hz Non-ECC, Un-buffered Memory

I have no experience with Overclocking, and so I'm trying to figure out what speed I can safely buy for my build. The speeds listed above with (O.C.) afterwards - are those the speeds I should be looking for on the RAM? Or should I be looking for the speeds without (O.C.) after them, which can then be overclocked to the higher speeds?

I was thinking of buying Corsair 16GB (2x 8GB) PC2400 CL11 Vengeance Pro VenPk DDR3 DIMM RAM: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Corsair-PC2400-Vengeance-Memory-Module/dp/B00FMRV8I4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1507069490&sr=8-1&keywords=corsair+16gb+pc2400+cl11+vengeance+pro

So my questions are:
1. Should I select the 1600Mhz, or the 2400Mhz?
2. Is there no chance my system will run with the 2400Mhz?
3. How noticeable is the difference between 1600Mhz and 2400Mhz?

My current build is:
Mobo: Asus P8P67 PRO REV 3.1
CPU: i7 2600k
Memory: 2x4GB DDR3 1333Mhz (Don't have time to open the machine to confirm, but I'm 90% sure it's Corsair)
GPU: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 6GB

Thank you in advance for your help!
D

 

[MeanMachine41]

Hi norrehlienad90

Your Asus P8P67 PRO REV 3.1 does support what you say however you also have to consider the CPU.
Your i7 2600k officially supports DDR3 1066/1333/MHz DIMMs so anything above is considered an OC.
As OC ram is not the JDEC standard your RAM would default to 1333Mhz.

What this means is that any XMP profile above 1333MHz would not be recognised and would require changes in Bios to DIMM Timing control and voltage with no guarantee they would work.
It comes down to the strength of the chips IMC (Integrated memory controller).

Unless you have a very good understanding of Bios control and prepared to spend considerable and perhaps frustrating time then choose a kit of RAM that have been tested at 1333MHz and listed on the MB QVL.