[SOLVED] Is ddr3 enough

[ISAnsw]

Is ddr3 1333Mhz enough for gaming?
I may upgrade my ram but I don't want to waste money on that, I would like to upgrade my PSU and GPU at first time I will upgrade it to 8gb but I won't waste money to increase the speed.

Is my choice good?

The games I'd like to play are Rainbow Six, CS:GO, GTA V and etc.
Thanks!

 

[Third-Eye]

Is ddr3 1333Mhz enough for gaming?
I may upgrade my ram but I don't want to waste money on that, I would like to upgrade my PSU and GPU at first time I will upgrade it to 8gb but I won't waste money to increase the speed.

Is my choice good?

The games I'd like to play are Rainbow Six, CS:GO, GTA V and etc.
Thanks!

Faster ram is almost always better for gaming. I personally wouldn't want to try any serious gaming below DDR3 1600, but 1333 is still fine if it's the only ram you have access to. Just don't expect great performance with 1333.

What are you current system specs?

 

[ISAnsw]

Faster ram is almost always better for gaming. I personally wouldn't want to try any serious gaming below DDR3 1600, but 1333 is still fine if it's the only ram you have access to. Just don't expect great performance with 1333.

What are you current system specs?

Intel i5 650 and I want to spend my money on Nvidia gtx 950
I will upgrade my ram to 8gb ddr3 1333Mhz

 

[COLGeek]

Intel i5 650 and I want to spend my money on Nvidia gtx 950
I will upgrade my ram to 8gb ddr3 1333Mhz

The gains achieved by having faster memory on that old system are quite limited. I would suggest saving your money to build a modern system in the future, rather than spending money on your old (obsolete) tech.

 

[geofelt]

If your processor is intel, I would not worry about ram speed unless you are using integrated graphics.
You are looking at perhaps a 1% difference in fps between 1333 and 1600.
Running in dual channel is the most important thing to do.
Ram quantity is apt to be more important.
Here is an older study:
https://www.anandtech.com/show/7364/memory-scaling-on-haswell

 

[Third-Eye]

Intel i5 650 and I want to spend my money on Nvidia gtx 950
I will upgrade my ram to 8gb ddr3 1333Mhz

If you are upgrading to 8GB make sure you get 2x4GB or 4x2GB assuming you have 4 slots so you can run dual channel mode. Dual channel mode is better for faster overall system performance.

 

[ISAnsw]

The gains achieved by having faster memory on that old system are quite limited. I would suggest saving your money to build a modern system in the future, rather than spending money on your old (obsolete) tech.

I don't want to get a ultimate pc, that's the reason I want to spend the money on GPU, so I can run the most games at low settings, I don't want a high fps ☺️

 

[COLGeek]

I don't want to get a ultimate pc, that's the reason I want to spend the money on GPU, so I can run the most games at low settings, I don't want a high fps ☺

Understood. As others have stated, the difference between 1333 and 1600 is minimal. Regardless of the speed, install memory in matching sets for the best performance (2x4GB, for example).

By the way, what is the make/model of your motherboard?

 

[ISAnsw]

If you are upgrading to 8GB make sure you get 2x4GB or 4x2GB assuming you have 4 slots so you can run dual channel mode. Dual channel mode is better for faster overall system performance.

Understood. As others have stated, the difference between 1333 and 1600 is minimal. Regardless of the speed, install memory in matching sets for the best performance (2x4GB, for example).

By the way, what is the make/model of your motherboard?

Currently have 2x2, so I will get 2 more 2x2gb and I will have 4x2 gb, is that good?

 

[COLGeek]

Currently have 2x2, so I will get 2 more 2x2gb and I will have 4x2 gb, is that good?

Maybe. It depends on the motherboard and its chipset. What make/model is your motherboard?

 

[ISAnsw]

Maybe. It depends on the motherboard and its chipset. What make/model is your motherboard?

Asus P7p55-M

 

[COLGeek]

You would be better served with 2x4GB of matched, compatible memory rather than 4x2GB of matched, compatible memory. Those old chipsets often had some performance issues when all memory slots were used (increasing voltage a bit was the usual solution).

For the best results, all installed memory needs to be the exact same make/model.

 

[geofelt]

Ram is sold in kits for a reason.
A motherboard must manage all the ram using the same specs of voltage, cas and speed.
The internal workings are designed for the capacity of the kit.
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.
This is more difficult when more sticks are involved.

If you do buy more disparate sticks, they should be the same speed, voltage and cas numbers.
Even then your chances of working are less than 100%
I might guess 90% success.
What is your plan "B" if the new stick/s do not work?

If you want 8gb, my suggestion is to buy a 2 x 4gb kit that matches your current specs.
Then, try adding in your old 4gb,
If it works, good; you now have 12gb.
If not, sell the old ram or keep it as a spare.

 

[ISAnsw]

You would be better served with 2x4GB of matched, compatible memory rather than 4x2GB of matched, compatible memory. Those old chipsets often had some performance issues when all memory slots were used (increasing voltage a bit was the usual solution).

For the best results, all installed memory needs to be the exact same make/model.

Is it possible to remove the 1 2gb ram and leave the other one there, then add the new 2x4gb and my ram will be 10gb, is that okay?

 

[ISAnsw]

Ram is sold in kits for a reason.
A motherboard must manage all the ram using the same specs of voltage, cas and speed.
The internal workings are designed for the capacity of the kit.
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.
This is more difficult when more sticks are involved.

If you do buy more disparate sticks, they should be the same speed, voltage and cas numbers.
Even then your chances of working are less than 100%
I might guess 90% success.
What is your plan "B" if the new stick/s do not work?

If you want 8gb, my suggestion is to buy a 2 x 4gb kit that matches your current specs.
Then, try adding in your old 4gb,
If it works, good; you now have 12gb.
If not, sell the old ram or keep it as a spare.

I asked a question up ^, please check it and answer if you can.

 

[geofelt]

I don't know why you might want 10gb when 12gb is possible.
To answer your question:
Assuming the extra 2gb allows you to run, the 2 x 4gb sticks will run in dual channel mode.
The odd 2gb will run in single channel mode.
That is ok, 10gb is better than 8gb.
To test your ram,
Run memtest86.
It boots from a usb stick and does not use windows.
You can download the free edition here:
https://www.memtest86.com/download.htm

If you can run a full pass with NO errors, your ram should be ok.

 

[COLGeek]

Is it possible to remove the 1 2gb ram and leave the other one there, then add the new 2x4gb and my ram will be 10gb, is that okay?

As we keep telling you, that is not a good idea and could cause problems.

 

[lga1156_ftw]

1333mhz or 1600mhz will somewhat bottleneck you but i always got my ddr3 running at atleast 2000mhz, 2133 to 2250 mhz as the sweat spot. This all depends on the motherboard which we dont know you have.

 

[bryanc723]

At this point, those obsolete components are going to start climbing in price. It would be the better choice to get a more current platform. You could probably find more recent used components in good shape for the same price or even less than the legacy stuff you are working with currently.

 

[lga1156_ftw]

i7 cpu for that platform is 7$ shipped from china. That just depends on hes motherboard is it compatible, im talking about x3440. 2x4gb of ddr3 shouldnt be more than 10-20$ used if he finds a good deal.

Just bought 2133mhz ddr 2x4 set for 27.5 euros so 1600mhz should be way less.

EDIT: sorry i actually missed he has Asus P7p55-M and yes it supports xeon and i7-870 example.
That board starts giving hard time after you hit 2250mhz on the ram, so i suggest up to 2133mhz kit if you find cheap, 1866 is fine too.

x3440 (7$) : https://www.aliexpress.com/item/326...earchweb0_0,searchweb201602_,searchweb201603_

x3470 (20 $) (higher multiplier, no need to go too high with blck if your into overclocking) : https://www.aliexpress.com/item/329...earchweb0_0,searchweb201602_,searchweb201603_

 

[SamirD]

That stuff from china is fake, could be bugged or worse. Don't buy that garbage.

You can run faster ram, and that will make a difference. GPUs are cheap too and you should get one of those as well.

But if you're on a budget, moving from 2x2gb to 4x2gb would be very cheap and your biggest improvement. I don't know how anyone can even run windows on less than 8gb of ram moreless use it on less than 16gb.

Your new ram can be faster/better than your old ram, but would run at your old ram speed. This is why it is better to get a 2x4gb fast ram kit and just keep your old ones as a backup or sell them.

Also, if you want a real kick in the pants, an i5-680 is cheap and sports a much higher single thread speed, which will help a lot:
https://www.cpubenchmark.net/compare/Intel-i5-650-vs-Intel-i5-680-vs-Intel-Xeon-X3480/767vs771vs1708

The x3470 would give you more cores if that is what you're lacking, but the x3480 would do that and also be a bit faster than the i5-650. If you can find an i7-880 it would basically be the same thing as the x3480:
https://www.cpubenchmark.net/compar...eon-X3470-vs-Intel-Xeon-X3480/833vs1291vs1708

 

[lga1156_ftw]

Never had any issue buying from aliexpress. Just need To be aware of the seller. I dont want To argue with anyone since we all are trying To help op In this issue.

If someone Else would confirm what i said im my previous post Is True would be nice.
I have used and build up To 25 desktop pc;s with lynnfield cpu / lga1156 socket, still using these as my main and 2nd rig.

I dont want To repost everything i said earlier, nothing againist you samirD.

 

[ISAnsw]

Never had any issue buying from aliexpress. Just need To be aware of the seller. I dont want To argue with anyone since we all are trying To help op In this issue.

If someone Else would confirm what i said im my previous post Is True would be nice.
I have used and build up To 25 desktop pc;s with lynnfield cpu / lga1156 socket, still using these as my main and 2nd rig.

I dont want To repost everything i said earlier, nothing againist you samirD.

So, you are still using pc with LGA1156 socket as main pc? That's nice

 

[lga1156_ftw]

Yes, with gtx 980ti which Is too powerful for this system, i just got a good deal for it.
I generally dont recommend buying used GPU:s since there is ALWAYS some problem with them.
I would say GTX 1060 is sweet spot if you have oc:d cpu around 4ghz with ram running 2133mhz, if not then settle for 1050ti or 970 with stock i7. From older gpu:s i would say 780ti is a good choice, but 10 and 9 series has better optimatizaion you can lose some performance with 700 and even 900 series.

Actually Asus P7P55D is my main choice when overclocking lynnfield.
Your motherboard is same series but its slightly smaller form factor with same chipset and quality components.
P7p55d has 12+2 power phases and your model has 8+2 which is not bad at all, i never had your motherboard but seeing it has same chipset im sure you can hit decent overclock with it (if your into it)

I didnt take into consideration about you running the cpu on stock speeds, for example x3440 xeon runs all cores at 2.5ghz, i would never recommend it unless you try to get it running atleast 3.6-3.8ghz. Which surely is possible with that motherboard, i would say even 4ghz is average overclock with that.

Most important thing is quality power supply i have used Evga supernova G2 650w model, its slightly better than newer G3 but that is good unit too, someone else with more knowledge on power supplies can give you better options since i only used EVGA mainly there might be cheaper and better options.

For cpu and ram recommendation cant really suggest much before we know, are you about to overclock it? Are you getting quality power supply? Around 30$ for new cpu cooler is needed too if you overclock it.

 

[ISAnsw]

Yes, with gtx 980ti which Is too powerful for this system, i just got a good deal for it.
I generally dont recommend buying used GPU:s since there is ALWAYS some problem with them.
I would say GTX 1060 is sweet spot if you have oc:d cpu around 4ghz with ram running 2133mhz, if not then settle for 1050ti or 970 with stock i7. From older gpu:s i would say 780ti is a good choice, but 10 and 9 series has better optimatizaion you can lose some performance with 700 and even 900 series.

Actually Asus P7P55D is my main choice when overclocking lynnfield.
Your motherboard is same series but its slightly smaller form factor with same chipset and quality components.
P7p55d has 12+2 power phases and your model has 8+2 which is not bad at all, i never had your motherboard but seeing it has same chipset im sure you can hit decent overclock with it (if your into it)

I didnt take into consideration about you running the cpu on stock speeds, for example x3440 xeon runs all cores at 2.5ghz, i would never recommend it unless you try to get it running atleast 3.6-3.8ghz. Which surely is possible with that motherboard, i would say even 4ghz is average overclock with that.

Most important thing is quality power supply i have used Evga supernova G2 650w model, its slightly better than newer G3 but that is good unit too, someone else with more knowledge on power supplies can give you better options since i only used EVGA mainly there might be cheaper and better options.

For cpu and ram recommendation cant really suggest much before we know, are you about to overclock it? Are you getting quality power supply? Around 30$ for new cpu cooler is needed too if you overclock it.

I won't overclock. I think I will buy Nvidia gtx 950, is that a good choice for my system?