Ram compatible with ASRock H61M/U3S3?

[draucia]

This is the ram I'm wanting to get:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231311

And this is the motherboard I'm wanting to get:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157236

The reason why I'm asking is because it doesn't seem to list that memory on this page:

http://www.asrock.com/mb/memory.asp?Model=H61M/U3S3

Which I think is odd since it seems like that memory I chose is very popular.

And one other thing: is this a good motherboard for a first time builder like me? It's $60 so I'm not sure if it's just a bad quality motherboard.

 

[Raiddinn]

For the most part you want to look at two things when choosing RAM.

On the motherboard page you can see where it says

RAM 1333/1066

That means 1333 should work without configuration problems.

If it said something like 1600 (O.C.)/1333/1066

then 1333 and 1066 would work without configuration and the 1600 would work if you manually configure it.

However, that doesn't address another seriously important issue. RAM often shows up DOA.

The various RAM makers have different track records in terms of likelihood of DOA and likelihood of flawed chips and stuff.

Luckily for you, the one you chose G.Skill is fairly good. Its comparatively far behind companies like Kingston and Crucial, but its still pretty good in general. There are a lot worse brands. Corsair RAM shows up DOA twice as often as G.Skill, for instance.

Anyway, I wouldn't worry too much about the fact that the RAM isn't on the list.

A safer bet would be to get RAM that has definitely been tested and shown to work, like my personal favorite

CT2KIT51264BA1339

or anything else shown here:

http://www.crucial.com/store/listparts.aspx?mfr=ASRock&model=H61M/U3S3

That way you can rule out one whole subcategory of problems (the it hasn't been tested ones) and if you get the above one I specified you can 99.9% likely avoid the other kind too (DOA).

As for the motherboard, as long as you get a processor that is 1155, there shouldn't really be any problems.

Cheap doesn't really mean bad motherboard. Often it just means less real estate and less features. If you weren't going to use that extra space or those extra features then a more expensive board often buys you absolutely nothing.

Asrock has a pretty short track record, but its generally a good one. Asus and Gigabyte have longer ones that are just as good. Going with the Asrock you usually get a cheaper board on account of the fact they don't have the same brand power.

Kinda like how people pay 2x or 3x for have an Apple sticker on their computer as compared to the exact same hardware with a different brand attached, except greatly less exaggerated.

Brands like Asrock and Biostar are usually about $10 cheaper feature for feature compared to Asus or Gigabyte boards, and boards from Foxconn, ECS, Zotac or other unrespected brands are usually going to be another $10 cheaper than that for the same features.

Again, the biggest difference here is going to be the DOA rates and Asrock isn't horrible in that category.

 

[draucia]

Best answer selected by draucia.

 

[draucia]

For the most part you want to look at two things when choosing RAM.

On the motherboard page you can see where it says

RAM 1333/1066

That means 1333 should work without configuration problems.

If it said something like 1600 (O.C.)/1333/1066

then 1333 and 1066 would work without configuration and the 1600 would work if you manually configure it.

However, that doesn't address another seriously important issue. RAM often shows up DOA.

The various RAM makers have different track records in terms of likelihood of DOA and likelihood of flawed chips and stuff.

Luckily for you, the one you chose G.Skill is fairly good. Its comparatively far behind companies like Kingston and Crucial, but its still pretty good in general. There are a lot worse brands. Corsair RAM shows up DOA twice as often as G.Skill, for instance.

Anyway, I wouldn't worry too much about the fact that the RAM isn't on the list.

A safer bet would be to get RAM that has definitely been tested and shown to work, like my personal favorite

CT2KIT51264BA1339

or anything else shown here:

http://www.crucial.com/store/listparts.aspx?mfr=ASRock&model=H61M/U3S3

That way you can rule out one whole subcategory of problems (the it hasn't been tested ones) and if you get the above one I specified you can 99.9% likely avoid the other kind too (DOA).

As for the motherboard, as long as you get a processor that is 1155, there shouldn't really be any problems.

Cheap doesn't really mean bad motherboard. Often it just means less real estate and less features. If you weren't going to use that extra space or those extra features then a more expensive board often buys you absolutely nothing.

Asrock has a pretty short track record, but its generally a good one. Asus and Gigabyte have longer ones that are just as good. Going with the Asrock you usually get a cheaper board on account of the fact they don't have the same brand power.

Kinda like how people pay 2x or 3x for have an Apple sticker on their computer as compared to the exact same hardware with a different brand attached, except greatly less exaggerated.

Brands like Asrock and Biostar are usually about $10 cheaper feature for feature compared to Asus or Gigabyte boards, and boards from Foxconn, ECS, Zotac or other unrespected brands are usually going to be another $10 cheaper than that for the same features.

Again, the biggest difference here is going to be the DOA rates and Asrock isn't horrible in that category.

Ok I just want to be 100% sure because this will be my first build and if my computer doesnt post just because of the ram I chose it would probably make me upset. I think I will go with this ram and motherboard, thanks.


EDIT: One of the asrock representatives said the ripjaw X series will work better with the h61 chipset. Does anybody know anything about this? They are the same price so I think I'll jut go with that one.

 

[Raiddinn]

If the Asrock people said to get Ripjaws then get that I guess.

Also, don't get too stressed if it doesn't work right away. A significant benefit to going with an OEM PC is that they have already tested all the parts prior to shipping to make sure they actually work. If the stuff gets damaged in transit that is something that can happen either way, but with buying individual parts you aren't getting that initial test.

5% isn't a bad failure rate for a lot of parts types like motherboard so if you have 10 different individual parts or whatever you can figure out the likelihood of one of them being DOA.

In fact, my entire focus in suggesting parts to people for new computers is to absolutely minimize the DOA risk. By that I mean bringing it down from 50%+ to about 10%.

 

[draucia]

If the Asrock people said to get Ripjaws then get that I guess.

Also, don't get too stressed if it doesn't work right away. A significant benefit to going with an OEM PC is that they have already tested all the parts prior to shipping to make sure they actually work. If the stuff gets damaged in transit that is something that can happen either way, but with buying individual parts you aren't getting that initial test.

5% isn't a bad failure rate for a lot of parts types like motherboard so if you have 10 different individual parts or whatever you can figure out the likelihood of one of them being DOA.

In fact, my entire focus in suggesting parts to people for new computers is to absolutely minimize the DOA risk. By that I mean bringing it down from 50%+ to about 10%.

Yeah that's just my biggest concern. I check every part's reviews and make sure only a small percentage of them are "DOA Reviews" that are one egg. It would just suck for me to get a DOA part because troubleshooting would be kind of hard because I might not figure out what is wrong right away.

Btw here is my wishlist:

http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/PublicWishDetail.aspx?WishListNumber=27490568

 

[Raiddinn]

Plenty of people are in here for weeks trying to figure out what the problem is with their new system.

Well, I should say plenty of people try to figure it out on their own for weeks, but we can usually do it a lot faster around here.

Still, the likelihood of DOA or people not picking compatible stuff or whatever often does lead to first time builders having problems.

Parts wise I would get a HAF 912 instead of the Rosewill case and an XFX 550 instead of the Antec 550, but other than that everything is a pretty good choice.

Those two you chose aren't that bad, but I wouldn't vote for them with my own wallet.