DDR3-1600 7-7-7-20 vs 9-9-9-24 worth the extra money?

[Tekka]

I'm upgrading my system and need to know if the lower CAS is worth the extra $25

I already have the following parts

Phenom II X4 805 with unlocked 6mb L3 Cache

ATI 4870 512mb

power supply, 1TB 7200 Harddrive

anyways

I still need a motherboard and RAM, I gave up on DDR2 because i tried 2 different boards and 2 different RAM brands and could never get the them to run stable at 1066mhz so i decided to move onto DDR3


I'm looking on Newegg right now and I see 2 combos that i'm interested in

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.250635

Gigabyte AMD 785 based motherboard and DDR3 G.Skill 1600mhz at 9-9-9-24

for $160 + shipping and tax = $184

or


http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.251441

Asus 785 AMD based motherboard but with Mushkin DDR3 1600mhz at 7-7-7-20

for $185 + shipping and tax = $209


I'm planning on overclocking my 2.5GHz Phenom to 3.0Ghz and I will be playing maining Left 4 Dead 2 and Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2

 

[rand_79]

That video card is probably the most marginal part..

id go with the slower ram and put the 25$ towards the crossfire fund.

 

[Maziar]

Well since u want to OC,i would go for the second option which has lower timings,for $20 its worth it since lower timings are better for OC'ng
BTW none of your links work,it said the combo deal has ended

 

[Mongox]

I don't think you can link to any combo deals at Newegg - try posting the individual links to the product.

In addition, I wouldn't ever base my motherboard or RAM choice on what is bundled with it that week. Make the decision on the motherboard based upon your past preferences and do good research. Then find some RAM with low voltage and low CL. If that's how you chose your board and DDR2 RAM, I can see why you had problems. The only issue I've had with DDR2 1066 RAM running at specs is providing enough voltage to get it there - my 785 board won't go over 2.1V leaving out some choices.

 

[sminlal]

Of all the tweaks you can make to your system, memory is the one that has the least effect on actual performance. I'd put your $25.00 toward something else, perhaps a better heatsink or video card.

 

[Mongox]

Well, I disagree, I think spending a few dollars more for CL=7 rather than CL=9 is well-spent. What I wouldn't do is base my motherboard choice on anything but it being the one I like the best - and price is a feature there. And considering this poster has already returned 2 motherboards he didn't like - he needs to find one he DOES like, and good RAM to go with it. Remember, he didn't say the RAM cost $25 more, that's the combo discount. Let's say the RAM only costs $10 more...

 

[sminlal]

Well, I disagree, I think spending a few dollars more for CL=7 rather than CL=9 is well-spent.

Fair enough. Just be aware that improving the raw performance of your memory by, say, 20% will likely only net you a 1 or 2% improvement in overall system performance. The payback of improving memory performance is very small, so it's really something you should only worry about after you've dealt with all the other opportunities.

 

[Crashman]

I'm upgrading my system and need to know if the lower CAS is worth the extra $25

I already have the following parts

Phenom II X4 805 with unlocked 6mb L3 Cache

ATI 4870 512mb

power supply, 1TB 7200 Harddrive

anyways

I still need a motherboard and RAM, I gave up on DDR2 because i tried 2 different boards and 2 different RAM brands and could never get the them to run stable at 1066mhz so i decided to move onto DDR3


I'm looking on Newegg right now and I see 2 combos that i'm interested in

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.250635

Gigabyte AMD 785 based motherboard and DDR3 G.Skill 1600mhz at 9-9-9-24

for $160 + shipping and tax = $184

or


http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.251441

Asus 785 AMD based motherboard but with Mushkin DDR3 1600mhz at 7-7-7-20

for $185 + shipping and tax = $209


I'm planning on overclocking my 2.5GHz Phenom to 3.0Ghz and I will be playing maining Left 4 Dead 2 and Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2

None, don't buy performance RAM because it's all a rip-off. Read the latest System Builder Marathon and notice what type of RAM was put into the most expensive system: DDR3-1333 CAS 9. It runs DDR3-1600 CAS 8 pretty easily. Then look at the system comparison, the more expensive RAM wouldn't go as far, but the system still won because it was overclocked using a higher reference clock. So tuning your system is even more important than buying "better" RAM, especially when that "better" RAM is actually worse.

 

[dark_lord69]

I'm with Crashman on this one.