Which memory would you recommend?

[alexrablau]

Hey everyone,

I am building a core i7 system very soon and am having some second thoughts about the memory I would like to throw in the system.

Initially, I had the Corsair Dominator 3X2GB 1600MHz kit selected:
http://www.corsair.com/_datasheets/TR3X6G1600C8D.pdf ($187)

However, after looking at Tom's Hardware review of memory scaling on the i7 I took a better look at other models with lower latency,and I am now looking at Corsair XMS3 6GB kits.

Heres one with a speed of 1333 and CAS latency 7:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145250 ($140)

another has a speed of 1600 and CAS latency of 7 also for some extra cash:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145242 ($160)

There is also a Dominator kit at 1600 with a CAS latency of 7 for even more cash:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145253 ($185)

Would the XMS3 kits perform as well as if not better than the Dominator kit I had in mind due to the lower latency? The memory scaling review seemed to suggest this, but was somewhat inconsistent with some tests.

I would like to save some cash and get the XMS3 CAS 7 kit if I could. Is the extra money for the XMS3 1600 or the dominator worth it?

 

[Shadow703793]

Unless you plan to do some insane OCing no need for the Dominator RAM.

If not OCing heavily get this GSkill set: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231223

Again, don't bother much with latency/speed. They don't affect real life performance much. Get any decent kit and be happy. Consider if that 3-4sec gain in a encoding,etc is really worth the extra money for faster/lower cas RAM.

 

[alexrablau]

I was a Micro Center the other day and they had these in store instead of Dominators:
http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0302096

$99 after rebate and I wouldn't have to order online and wait, so would that be a good idea?

I would be using it with a Asus P6T Deluxe V2 and a Core i7 by the way and would want to be able to run high end games smoothly and other 3D applicaitons such as 3Ds Max.

 

[Shadow703793]

$99 eh. Sure go for it. If you are using 3DS consider going 12GB. Also don't forget to reduce pagefile. Also you are running 64bit OS correct?

 

[alexrablau]

My plan with the OS was to install the Windows 7 release candidate for now and then get Windows 7 ultimate 64-bit when it is release. Would there be a noticable difference between the CL9 and CL7 XMS3 memory kits?

 

[Shadow703793]

Nope. No difference between CLS9 vs 7 for your needs. Depending on what renderings(as in size/complexity) you do 12GB may help.

 

[alexrablau]

Cool! I'll think about 12GB then. Would that be 6 modules of 2GB each?

 

[Shadow703793]

^Yes.

 

[alexrablau]

Cool. Should I be concerned about the memory speeds and overclocking the processor to get the true 1600MHz out of the RAM? Would that benefit me a lot? If so, how would I do this?

 

[Shadow703793]

How much do you plan to OC the i7 to? Depending on that, you may want DDDR3 1600.

 

[mraabe]

How much do you plan to OC the i7 to? Depending on that, you may want DDDR3 1600.

hey im in the exact same case thou, i too need your opinion, im going to OC the CPU to 4 ghz its the 920. it will be w/c
the board and ram i want to buy,

p6t delux with fsb of 2ghz (oc) @ 260 AUD

and the ram

OCZ 6G(3x2G) DDR3 Blade C9 2000Mhz it stands at 400 AUD

im normally a regular computer guy, but i finally can afford to purchase a dream machine.... and as soon as i saw 2ghz for ram and mobo.. i thought i must have it but then i joined a few forums sites and it kinda seemed pointless, especially if i dont know what im doing,

atm im running a ddr2 setup witht gb of generic ram 800 mhz and ide love the jump im gfoing from normal sata to ssd for os/main apps/games im going from tri core 2.3 ghz to quad core 2.6(n/oc) (4ghz oc) and my mobo will be way better im getting a bettwe case/psu and my first w/c setup

so what ram/mobo would be best for epic gaming..... im getting to 5870s and i plan to run any enw game at max settings if possible... im not exactally sure how much imput high speed and low latency do for gaming... i dont do video editing... just a lil burning.....