I'm building a computer for my girlfriends parents. It has been a while since my last build and I made a huge rookie mistake: I purchased triple channel DDR3 memory for a motherboard that supports dual channel memory. The memory purchased was 3x2Gb DDR3 1600. Would it still be OK to only use two of the 2 GB chips in the system, or should I return the purchased goods (the stuff hasn't come in yet, its coming in tomorrow. I realized the issue after it shipped).
Here is the build (All purchased from Newegg):
CPU: Phenom X4 965
Mobo: ASUS M4A87TD/USB3 AM3 AMD 870 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 AMD Motherboard
(At the time of purchase, the listed CPU and Mobo were part of a $20 off combo deal)
Memory: G.Skill Triple Channel 3x2Gb DDR3 1600 1.5V-1.6V
(I jumped on this because of the $20 off promo, making it $65 instead of $85. The current price on Newegg has now dropped to $75)
GPU: HIS Radeon HD 4670 1GB 128-bit DDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16
HDD: 500GB Western Digital SATA 3.0Gb/s
Case: Antec ATX Midtower
PSU: OCZ Modular 500W ATX12v
Optical Drive: ASUS DVD Burner
I also plan on installing Windows 7 64bit Ultimate on the machine.
The total cost of this build after shipping and before mail-in rebates was $565.72, which isn't too shabby for the kind of hardware being put together.
As far as the memory goes, I would rather keep the triple channel memory since I got a deal on it but I'm not sure if i can use it at all. I read that I could use it, but I would only be able to install 2 of the 2GB modules and I would have to tweak their voltage settings in BIOS. If that is the case, I would like to give them the current memory for now and swap it out later for the correct memory when I get around to building an i7 triple channel system for myself. The parents wouldn't notice only having 4gb instead of 6, so I'd rather give them the 4GB and pretend like I'm not a moron (kinda scummy of me, I know). Newegg will accept a return for a replacement/refund within 30 days. Should I just do that or try using what I stupidly chose to purchase?
As a side note, I listed the full specs of the build above in case anyone was interested in seeing it. The budget for the build was less than $600. The build was meant to be a strong and long lasting with up to date hardware standards (like USB 3.0 and SATA 6.0Gb/s) and upgradeable in the future if/when necessary. The primary users of this computer will be using it to check email and surf the web mainly, but it is the "family computer" and other members of the house may want to use it for light gaming and other more demanding applications that their laptops can't handle.
I would love to accept any and all critiques of the build and other possible problems that I may run into that I have not noticed, although I am mainly worried about the memory. I know that I may want thermal paste, but I plan on using the included pad installed on the CPU and have arctic silver 5 anyways. I also know I may need a SATA cable or 2, but I've got plenty of those lying around.
Thanks in advance for all your help! (please help a newbie out
haha)
Here is the build (All purchased from Newegg):
CPU: Phenom X4 965
Mobo: ASUS M4A87TD/USB3 AM3 AMD 870 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 AMD Motherboard
(At the time of purchase, the listed CPU and Mobo were part of a $20 off combo deal)
Memory: G.Skill Triple Channel 3x2Gb DDR3 1600 1.5V-1.6V
(I jumped on this because of the $20 off promo, making it $65 instead of $85. The current price on Newegg has now dropped to $75)
GPU: HIS Radeon HD 4670 1GB 128-bit DDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16
HDD: 500GB Western Digital SATA 3.0Gb/s
Case: Antec ATX Midtower
PSU: OCZ Modular 500W ATX12v
Optical Drive: ASUS DVD Burner
I also plan on installing Windows 7 64bit Ultimate on the machine.
The total cost of this build after shipping and before mail-in rebates was $565.72, which isn't too shabby for the kind of hardware being put together.
As far as the memory goes, I would rather keep the triple channel memory since I got a deal on it but I'm not sure if i can use it at all. I read that I could use it, but I would only be able to install 2 of the 2GB modules and I would have to tweak their voltage settings in BIOS. If that is the case, I would like to give them the current memory for now and swap it out later for the correct memory when I get around to building an i7 triple channel system for myself. The parents wouldn't notice only having 4gb instead of 6, so I'd rather give them the 4GB and pretend like I'm not a moron (kinda scummy of me, I know). Newegg will accept a return for a replacement/refund within 30 days. Should I just do that or try using what I stupidly chose to purchase?
As a side note, I listed the full specs of the build above in case anyone was interested in seeing it. The budget for the build was less than $600. The build was meant to be a strong and long lasting with up to date hardware standards (like USB 3.0 and SATA 6.0Gb/s) and upgradeable in the future if/when necessary. The primary users of this computer will be using it to check email and surf the web mainly, but it is the "family computer" and other members of the house may want to use it for light gaming and other more demanding applications that their laptops can't handle.
I would love to accept any and all critiques of the build and other possible problems that I may run into that I have not noticed, although I am mainly worried about the memory. I know that I may want thermal paste, but I plan on using the included pad installed on the CPU and have arctic silver 5 anyways. I also know I may need a SATA cable or 2, but I've got plenty of those lying around.
Thanks in advance for all your help! (please help a newbie out
haha)
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