Corsair Vengeance difference between 2xdual and quad

[Ant_Man]

Ok I am looking at getting 2
Corsair - Vengeance 2-Pack 4GB DDR3 DIMM Desktop Memory Kit
CMZ8GX3M2A1600C9B


OR

Corsair - Vengeance 16GB DDR3 SDRAM Memory Module
CMZ16GX3M4X1600C9

They are the same for running them as quad channel right?

 

[geofelt]

What motherboard will you be using?
Normally they only support dual channel, even with 4 sticks.

Ram vendors will support only a single ram kit, even though a mixture of two kits will likely work.
From that point of view, the second kit is a safer buy.

1.5v ram really does not need any heat spreaders at all. It is mostly for marketing. Tall heat spreaders may even be bad if they interfere with an aftermarket cpu cooler. I would pick low profile ram.

If you are buying 16gb because you can use it, fine. Then, I would buy a 16gb kit of 2 x8gb.

 

[Ant_Man]

What motherboard will you be using?
Normally they only support dual channel, even with 4 sticks.

Ram vendors will support only a single ram kit, even though a mixture of two kits will likely work.
From that point of view, the second kit is a safer buy.

1.5v ram really does not need any heat spreaders at all. It is mostly for marketing. Tall heat spreaders may even be bad if they interfere with an aftermarket cpu cooler. I would pick low profile ram.

If you are buying 16gb because you can use it, fine. Then, I would buy a 16gb kit of 2 x8gb.

The ASRock Extreme4 X79
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157282

And ya I figured the heat spreaders where a bit over the top.
I doubt I need the 16gbs now, but for future gaming I think I will. So I wasn't sure if I could just get the 8GB version now and buy the other 8GB later and not have a problem running it in quad mode.

The heat sink I will be using is
Corsair - Hydro Series H100 Dual 120mm Fan CPU Cooler
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Corsair+-+Hydro+Series+H100+Dual+120mm+Fan+CPU+Cooler/2904587.p?id=1218361846954&skuId=2904587&st=%20CWCH100&cp=1&lp=1

 

[geofelt]

That motherboard is one of the few that is quad channel; you will want a 4 stick kit. But the memory controllers are so good that dual or quad channel is not significant to real app performance.

What will you be using this rig for? If it is for gaming, then a ivy quad would be better.

I am not much in favor of the all in one coolers. They are expensive, noisy, less reliable, and really don't cool any better than a good air cooler in a decent case.

 

[Ant_Man]

That motherboard is one of the few that is quad channel; you will want a 4 stick kit. But the memory controllers are so good that dual or quad channel is not significant to real app performance.

What will you be using this rig for? If it is for gaming, then a ivy quad would be better.

I am not much in favor of the all in one coolers. They are expensive, noisy, less reliable, and really don't cool any better than a good air cooler in a decent case.

I already got the CPu an i7-3930K for a sweet deal on it and I got the water cooler for basically free. I will be using it for gaming. Case is CM Stacker 830. I have a 25.5' and a 22'.

But there actually is a difference between just getting 2 dual channel kits and an actual quad channel kit? Guess I need to look into it more. Thanks for the info.

 

[geofelt]

I already got the CPu an i7-3930K for a sweet deal on it and I got the water cooler for basically free. I will be using it for gaming. Case is CM Stacker 830. I have a 25.5' and a 22'.

But there actually is a difference between just getting 2 dual channel kits and an actual quad channel kit? Guess I need to look into it more. Thanks for the info.

Ram is sold in kits for a reason.
Ram from the same vendor and part number can be made up of differing manufacturing components over time.
Some motherboards can be very sensitive to this.
That is why ram vendors will not support ram that is not bought in one kit.
Although, I think the problem has lessened with the newer Intel chipsets. Still,
it is safer to get what you need in one kit.

You want documented ram compatibility. If you should ever have a problem, you want supported ram.
Otherwise, you risk a finger pointing battle between the ram and motherboard support sites, claiming "not my problem".
One place to check is your motherboards web site.
Look for the ram QVL list. It lists all of the ram kits that have been tested with that particular motherboard.
Sometimes the QVL list is not updated after the motherboard is released.
For more current info, go to a ram vendor's web site and access their ram selection configurator.
Enter your motherboard, and you will get a list of compatible ram kits.
While today's motherboards are more tolerant of different ram, it makes sense to buy ram that is known to work and is supported.

 

[Ant_Man]

Ram is sold in kits for a reason.
Ram from the same vendor and part number can be made up of differing manufacturing components over time.
Some motherboards can be very sensitive to this.
That is why ram vendors will not support ram that is not bought in one kit.
Although, I think the problem has lessened with the newer Intel chipsets. Still,
it is safer to get what you need in one kit.

You want documented ram compatibility. If you should ever have a problem, you want supported ram.
Otherwise, you risk a finger pointing battle between the ram and motherboard support sites, claiming "not my problem".
One place to check is your motherboards web site.
Look for the ram QVL list. It lists all of the ram kits that have been tested with that particular motherboard.
Sometimes the QVL list is not updated after the motherboard is released.
For more current info, go to a ram vendor's web site and access their ram selection configurator.
Enter your motherboard, and you will get a list of compatible ram kits.
While today's motherboards are more tolerant of different ram, it makes sense to buy ram that is known to work and is supported.

Well that does make a lot of sense. I guess I have just gotten lucky, my current build runs fine with what ever RAM I put in it.
http://www2.corsair.com/configurator/product_results.aspx?id=2400110

Quad channel kit it is, tomorrow I will order my set, after I see if I get a discount on the red ones or not.

Thank you again.

 

[Ant_Man]

Best answer selected by Ant_Man.

 

[nikorr]

This topic has been closed by Nikorr