Motherboard questions.

[spenceone]

Hey guys, im fairly new here and i wanted some opinions on my motherboard and memory. So i have a MSi H61 micro mobo, iv had it running for about 6 monthe with no problems. With all the great deals floating around i was thinking about upgrading my mobo to support higher memory frequencys and maybe get some really nice and easy to use features. Im also considering running SLI in the near future, so i would like something thats a bit futureproof. However when i look at the features on the diffrent chipsets i dont see much more than some overclocking features...i do not overclock at all...mostly because i dont know how and i would kill myself if i ruined my system. So if i could get some suggestions on some full sized boards that wont empty my pockets that would be great. Also if i decide not to upgrade the mobo and maybe just get new memory, will my mobo that supports 1333 ram support 1600? the 1600 ram that i want runs at 1.5v and thats the highest my mobo will support, i know that the mobo will clock the ram down to 1333 anyway, but im worried about any kind of compatibility issues...
I also run a 3.1g sandy bridge processor if that helps any.
So like i said i would love to upgrade...and i would like all my componets to run at optimal speeds without overclocking...
so again any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks for your time. :]

 

[spenceone]

nothing...? c'mon fellas, i could really use some feedback...

 

[Ironsounds]

Hello... The difference between 1600 and 1333 memory speed is measured in micro and nano seconds... in other words it MUTE... It would be of no notice to you between the two... the amount of ram is important.

 

[andrewcarr]

There is a difference though. Just look at your motherboard specs if it supports 1600 then it will work if 1600 isn't listed don't get it.
Proof that better memory helps.
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/core-i7-3960x-x79-sandy-bridge-e,3071-2.html

 

[andrewcarr]

How much is your budget and please list system specs (if you can links too).

 

[Ironsounds]

Hello... yes there was a 1 sec difference in the WINRar test... LOL... and 1 sec difference in 3ds MAX... LOL... this is what i'm saying... unless... you notice 1 sec of time loss in 1 or 2 minutes of prosessing time. And also what were the Price differences in the parts tested?

As your Question about a SLI future upgrade... you will need to understand that very few INTEL chipsets can do NVIDIA SLI... and More INTEL chipsets can do AMD/ATI Crossfire... you will have to do further investigation to determine your CPU compatability with such motherboards.

If you have had no problems with your current system and memory... be happy... there are alot of 1600 memory incompatibily problems being posted every where... But your choices for motherboards for SLI or Crossfire can be limited and easy to narrow down for your processor chipset... and that should be your UPGRADE priority... not 1600 memory speed.

 

[andrewcarr]

I will quote the article.
"Jumping from DDR3-800 to -1066 to -1333 and then -1600 yields impressive throughput gains, reflected in some solid performance improvements (WinRAR) and other, less notable speed-ups (3ds Max).

For now, my recommendation is to grab the lowest-latency quad-channel DDR3-1600 kit for which you’re willing to pay."
A 1600 kit doesn't cost that much and can slightly improve performance. If he does get a new motherboard I would just get some new memory with it and a second GPU depending on what GPU he has now.

 

[spenceone]

its not the memroy speed im worried about i just wanted to upgrade my 4gb of ram to 8gb, and newegg had some really good deals on 1600 memory so i was just worried about compatibility issues. other than that i guess i dont really need to upgrade...i mean it would be nice but its not necessary. most of the games i run take up about half my memory and it would be nice to get a little extra....again not necessary but its alwas fun to work on my PC, i rather enjoy it. :] So thanks for the feedback guys, its GREATLY appreciated and if you want me to post my build then sure, maybe you guys could give me suggestions on where i NEED to upgrade.