Can I Use DDR3 Ram with Intel Core i5 6600k?

[Isack]

I am soon going to upgrade my ASRock 970 Extreme 3 R2.0 and FX 6300 to an ASUS Z170-P D3 and an i5 6600k. I know that the motherboard supports DDR3 memory, hence the D3 in the name, but was wondering if I can use my Corsair Vengeance 1600 MHz RAM with the 6600k. Thanks and all responses are highly appreciated.

 

[utgotye]

Yes, you should be fine but part of the reason to upgrade to Skylake is DDR4.

 

[Isack]

Yes, you should be fine but part of the reason to upgrade to Skylake is DDR4.

Ok, thank you.

 

[Steel_Nugget]

Yes, you should be fine but part of the reason to upgrade to Skylake is DDR4.

Ok, thank you.

Wait a second. I don't think DDR3 Ram would fit in a motherboard made for DDR4 memory. The slot is different isn't it? DDR2 memory doesn't fit in a motherboard made for DDR3 memory, and vis versa same for DDR.

 

[utgotye]

Skylake supports both, even if the motherboard doesn't. He asked if Skylake supported it, not his motherboard, if he has one.

 

[Steel_Nugget]

Skylake supports both, even if the motherboard doesn't. He asked if Skylake supported it, not his motherboard, if he has one.

Oh okay.

 

[capt_taco]

Very few motherboards for Skylake support regular DDR3; a fair number support DDR3L (1.35V and lower), which almost nobody has. Most are DDR4 only.

This one and a very similar variant, both by Asus, are the only ones I have heard of claiming to support regular DDR3 up to 1.65V:
https://www.asus.com/Motherboards/Z170M-E-D3/

As of right now, DDR4 is not an "upgrade" from DDR3. They have increased the speed but also doubled the latency, with the net effect being that the faster kits of DDR3 and even some mid-range ones will perform as well or better.

I am going through almost exactly the same dilemma - wondering if my old DDR3 set will work with the new i5-6600k and the motherboard mentioned above. And of course mine is 1.7V by default, making it even more complicated. The issue is that anything over 1.35V could allegedly burn up the memory controller according to some people; according to others it's not much to worry about. Not many straight answers out there. I've even written to Asus but haven't heard anything back.

But if you have DDR3 of 1.5V-1.65V, that board mentioned above is likely the one for you.

 

[mistermafia2889]

I am going through the same exact dilemma right now as well. I have the Asus Z170-P D3 Mobo. I was thinking about using Crucial Ballistix Tactical or Sport DDR3L Ram. I am trying to figure out if those will work.

 

[capt_taco]

I can report with confidence that my i5-6600k system has been working with that motherboard and ordinary 1.5V DDR3 with no issues for the past few months:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231628

There of course is the issue of whether this will shorten the CPU's lifespan by stressing the memory controller with higher voltages, but fundamentally it is no different than overclocking it. So - I'll get back to you on that in a few years.

I've found that with an SSD, the time it takes this system to boot into Windows is not appreciably different from coming out of sleep mode; the limiting factor is the time it takes the monitor to be recognized. So I've just been shutting it off entirely instead of sleeping it; that may save the memory controller several hours of low-level activity per day. Haven't found any definitive answers on whether that actually helps anything, but still researching it.

 

[Davor95]

i have kingston 4 gb x2 1333 mhz and 1.5V, is this enough to be used for this procesor and on MB LGA1151 Z170 ASUS Z170-P D3, PCIe/DDR3/SATA3/GLAN/7.1/USB 3.0? or should i buy some faster ram because i dont want to have any problems or to damage mobo or even CPU?

 

[Isack]

i have kingston 4 gb x2 1333 mhz and 1.5V, is this enough to be used for this procesor and on MB LGA1151 Z170 ASUS Z170-P D3, PCIe/DDR3/SATA3/GLAN/7.1/USB 3.0? or should i buy some faster ram because i dont want to have any problems or to damage mobo or even CPU?

That RAM will not damage the MOBO or CPU, but it will kind of defeat the purpose of getting that processor. One of the main reasons for getting that processor is because it supports DDR4 RAM. Anyway, back to your question, yes that is enough RAM, but you will notice a lack in speed when multitasking heavily. I recommend 8GB, I've experienced gaming(I assume that is what you will do with the PC) with both 4 and 8 GB of ram, and the 8GB was noticeably faster.

 

[Davor95]

i have kingston 4 gb x2 1333 mhz and 1.5V, is this enough to be used for this procesor and on MB LGA1151 Z170 ASUS Z170-P D3, PCIe/DDR3/SATA3/GLAN/7.1/USB 3.0? or should i buy some faster ram because i dont want to have any problems or to damage mobo or even CPU?

That RAM will not damage the MOBO or CPU, but it will kind of defeat the purpose of getting that processor. One of the main reasons for getting that processor is because it supports DDR4 RAM. Anyway, back to your question, yes that is enough RAM, but you will notice a lack in speed when multitasking heavily. I recommend 8GB, I've experienced gaming(I assume that is what you will do with the PC) with both 4 and 8 GB of ram, and the 8GB was noticeably faster.

first, thank you for answer
i decided to get ASUS Z170M-PLUS, PCIe/DDR4/SATA3/GLAN/7.1/USB 3.0 and Kingston Fury Black DDR4 8GB 2400MHz, it gonna cost me around 50-60 euros more (70-80$) but looks like its worth it

 

[Isack]

i have kingston 4 gb x2 1333 mhz and 1.5V, is this enough to be used for this procesor and on MB LGA1151 Z170 ASUS Z170-P D3, PCIe/DDR3/SATA3/GLAN/7.1/USB 3.0? or should i buy some faster ram because i dont want to have any problems or to damage mobo or even CPU?

That RAM will not damage the MOBO or CPU, but it will kind of defeat the purpose of getting that processor. One of the main reasons for getting that processor is because it supports DDR4 RAM. Anyway, back to your question, yes that is enough RAM, but you will notice a lack in speed when multitasking heavily. I recommend 8GB, I've experienced gaming(I assume that is what you will do with the PC) with both 4 and 8 GB of ram, and the 8GB was noticeably faster.

first, thank you for answer
i decided to get ASUS Z170M-PLUS, PCIe/DDR4/SATA3/GLAN/7.1/USB 3.0 and Kingston Fury Black DDR4 8GB 2400MHz, it gonna cost me around 50-60 euros more (70-80$) but looks like its worth it

Good choice, and yes, I would agree heavily that it's worth it.