- Jul 13, 2008
- 17
- 0
- 18,510
I have a few questions on something that's been bugging me.
I'm finishing up a build, and have pretty much decided on using a GA-X48-DS4 Gigabyte board - mainly because I'm going to get a HD4850, and I may Xfire 2 of them in the future (if it seems worth it).
Anyway - I've got the case, the power supply, a CPU heatsink on the way, and I'm planning on running an E8500 as well.
This will be my primary computer - the extra power is for gaming.
My question is this:
I have seen many build tags on Newegg users as well as here wherein people are using certain memory sticks with Gigabyte boards - and I have also seen where people use memory for a Gigabyte, they have problems, and someone usually mentions they should check the approved vendors list for the board they are buying.
Here's the problem - for every Gigabyte board I've looked at, the approved/tested memory seems like a waste. For instance, on this particular board (the X48), the memory standard listed in the specs is DDR2-1200. There are 4 slots. Well, the only stick listed as approved is a 512MB Kingston KHX9600D2/512. Does this mean if I want to run DD2-1200 memory, I'm limited to 2 GB max?
As a matter of fact, looking at the entire list, the largest chip is a 2GB - but that would equal an 8GB max - pretty far short of the listed 16GB max of the board.
Also, many of the brands I see mentioned in tech forums and on Newegg as being tops (Corsair, OCZ, etc.) are on the list - but not in very high capacities and they are any of the 2GB approved.
I understand that I will never need the 16GB (at least, not during the lifetime of this board), and I would likely be happy with 4GB for a long time. I also understand that "high-end" memory isn't always better than the cheap types.
What I want to know is, can I get some Corsair or OCZ or some cheap G.Skill memory and slap it in this board without worrying too much about the approved vendor list? If not - why? I see many people doing it, so is there something I should be looking at that will help me determine if I can use a certain type of memory?
For specifics - I've got my eye on 4 sticks of this: G.SKILL 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail - mainly because it's cheap, and it's listed on one of the NewEgg users systems as a brand that works with this board.
How can I make sure without damaging my board or screwing something up? What should I be looking at with memory?
Sorry for the long post - this has puzzled me for a while. I'm about to be an ex-Dell owner, so maybe that can shed some light as to why I get so twitchy when it comes to the "right" memory.
Thanks!
I'm finishing up a build, and have pretty much decided on using a GA-X48-DS4 Gigabyte board - mainly because I'm going to get a HD4850, and I may Xfire 2 of them in the future (if it seems worth it).
Anyway - I've got the case, the power supply, a CPU heatsink on the way, and I'm planning on running an E8500 as well.
This will be my primary computer - the extra power is for gaming.
My question is this:
I have seen many build tags on Newegg users as well as here wherein people are using certain memory sticks with Gigabyte boards - and I have also seen where people use memory for a Gigabyte, they have problems, and someone usually mentions they should check the approved vendors list for the board they are buying.
Here's the problem - for every Gigabyte board I've looked at, the approved/tested memory seems like a waste. For instance, on this particular board (the X48), the memory standard listed in the specs is DDR2-1200. There are 4 slots. Well, the only stick listed as approved is a 512MB Kingston KHX9600D2/512. Does this mean if I want to run DD2-1200 memory, I'm limited to 2 GB max?
As a matter of fact, looking at the entire list, the largest chip is a 2GB - but that would equal an 8GB max - pretty far short of the listed 16GB max of the board.
Also, many of the brands I see mentioned in tech forums and on Newegg as being tops (Corsair, OCZ, etc.) are on the list - but not in very high capacities and they are any of the 2GB approved.
I understand that I will never need the 16GB (at least, not during the lifetime of this board), and I would likely be happy with 4GB for a long time. I also understand that "high-end" memory isn't always better than the cheap types.
What I want to know is, can I get some Corsair or OCZ or some cheap G.Skill memory and slap it in this board without worrying too much about the approved vendor list? If not - why? I see many people doing it, so is there something I should be looking at that will help me determine if I can use a certain type of memory?
For specifics - I've got my eye on 4 sticks of this: G.SKILL 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail - mainly because it's cheap, and it's listed on one of the NewEgg users systems as a brand that works with this board.
How can I make sure without damaging my board or screwing something up? What should I be looking at with memory?
Sorry for the long post - this has puzzled me for a while. I'm about to be an ex-Dell owner, so maybe that can shed some light as to why I get so twitchy when it comes to the "right" memory.
Thanks!
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