RAM upgrade (with view to overclock)

ProFishy

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Aug 14, 2014
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I built myself a system a few years ago with the following components, and am in the process of slowly upgrading it and wondered if anyone had some advice on RAM.

Motherboard: Gigabyte p55a-ud3
Processor: Core i5 750

I have 2 x 2GB of ram in there at the moment, and am looking to upgrade.

Now my understanding is that I can add, say 2 x 4Gb in the other 2 slots and, whilst not optimal, this will certainly be an improvement. I've also been told that my processor can't support higher than 1333mhz, but that installing faster RAM will still work, it will just run it at 1333.

However my plans are to, at some point, buy a better cooler for my processor and overclock it, as I've also heard that the i5 750 overclocks a treat (from 2.6 to nearly 4Ghz) and I have a feeling that I've read somewhere that this affects RAM speed.

I looked at RAM prices, and it doesn't seem to be any more expensive for me to get 2133mhz RAM rather than 1333mhz, so is there any downside? Also, there are lots and lots of slightly different models, with different numbers. How much do these matter? Does anyone know which one I want and why?

Any and all advice is warmly welcomed.
 
Solution
First of all, your motherboard supports maximum of 16GB RAM with max 2200MHz speed. Second, even Intel's haswell CPUs are rated at RAM 1333/1600MHz speed whereas they are being run with 2400MHz, 2800MHz speed RAMs etc.

With the help of Intel XMP profiling you can use RAMs upto 2200MHz speed on your system.

I don't see any good reason to use RAMs in this configuration: 2x2GB + 2x4GB. You may run into compatibility issues and same like with two different keys. So here are two scenarios for you: -

1. Grab another 2x2GB RAM kit similar to your current one and you will end up having 8GB RAMs.

2. Sell your current RAMs and better grab 2x4GB RAM kit.

Which Make and Model? Tough question, but Corsair and G.Skill are highly rated and...
First of all, your motherboard supports maximum of 16GB RAM with max 2200MHz speed. Second, even Intel's haswell CPUs are rated at RAM 1333/1600MHz speed whereas they are being run with 2400MHz, 2800MHz speed RAMs etc.

With the help of Intel XMP profiling you can use RAMs upto 2200MHz speed on your system.

I don't see any good reason to use RAMs in this configuration: 2x2GB + 2x4GB. You may run into compatibility issues and same like with two different keys. So here are two scenarios for you: -

1. Grab another 2x2GB RAM kit similar to your current one and you will end up having 8GB RAMs.

2. Sell your current RAMs and better grab 2x4GB RAM kit.

Which Make and Model? Tough question, but Corsair and G.Skill are highly rated and reliable brands. You can either of them. For example you can get Corsair Vengeance RAM or G.Skill Trident/Aries/RipJaw X etc

Which numbers? There are many things to consider when buying RAMs. There are speed of RAM, CAS Latency of RAM, Capacity, Voltage. I believe only one figure needs explanation which is CAS Latency. To put it simply, this is the actual response time from the RAM to any read and write request. So lesser this time, the better performance.

Now for your requirement: Keep these settings in mind:


Speed of RAM in MHz: You can get RAM with speed limit from 1333 to 2200MHz.

CAS Latency: Target the CAS Latency (CL) to maximum 9. Less than 9 is ideal. But with 1333MHz go for maximum 8.

Capacity: Depends upon the scenarios described above.

Voltage: Get any RAM with 1.5v.

Regards,
 
Solution
I've seen some very low CAS RAM at 1333Mhz. For example, you can pick up 8GB of the RAM in my signature for about $80. It's 1333Mhz, which won't matter on your motherboard/CPU. What does matter is that it has a CAS of 7, which will make it much quicker than ordinary 1333Mhz RAM, and that method of increasing the speed will still work on most motherboards.