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Memory Speed Question

363 Views 9 Replies 4 Participants Last post by  ericeod, 
NegativeFPS
Heya, I'm building a whole new rig, my most recent (and first) rig that I've built was about 2-3 years ago.

So, I'm getting this motherboard http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131284

And this memory http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820148214

What I'm confused about is the speeds. I believe that the memory will match the motherboard, but what bothers me is that the memory is DDR2 800 instead of DDR2 1200 as stated in the mobo specs (although it does still list 800).

What this means is that the RAM is simply not 1200 speed and overclocking will bring it up to 1200 (or more, hopefully
), correct? I just want to make sure that I'm not getting some kind of slow ass RAM
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ericeod
The board supports up to DDR2 1200, but it will run just fine with DDR2 800. If you have the clearance from the CPU heatsink, I would recommend these. They are DDR2 1100 and run at only 1.8 - 1.9v at 1100. Since G.Skill bin their ram, they will not OC much past ratede speed (I've seen most top out at 1150). Butr since all ram is just overclocked DDR2 800, getting 1100 for $115 is pretty good IMO:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231194

Crucial have been problematic with intel chipsets lately. I ran 2x2GB DDR2 800 Ballistix and they would not run stable at 900 with 5-5-5-15 in my P5E (ASUS X38). But the G.Skill perform flawlessly in my Rampage Formula.

The Mushkin Ascent line are OCing really well as well:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...&Order=REVIEWS
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S
Yes, you can overclock memory to a higher speed.
It also depends on your divider, so the speed can vary.

Good choice of motherboard, but not sure how those memories are.
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NegativeFPS
Quote:

Originally Posted by ericeod View Post
The board supports up to DDR2 1200, but it will run just fine with DDR2 800. If you have the clearance from the CPU heatsink, I would recommend these. They are DDR2 1100 and run at only 1.8 - 1.9v at 1100. Since G.Skill bin their ram, they will not OC much past ratede speed (I've seen most top out at 1150). Butr since all ram is just overclocked DDR2 800, getting 1100 for $115 is pretty good IMO:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231194

Crucial have been problematic with intel chipsets lately. I ran 2x2GB DDR2 800 Ballistix and they would not run stable at 900 with 5-5-5-15 in my P5E (ASUS X38). But the G.Skill perform flawlessly in my Rampage Formula.

The Mushkin Ascent line are OCing really well as well:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...&Order=REVIEWS
Thanks for the reply. Could anyone possibly comment on the Crucial/Intel problems? I have G.Skill on my current system and they're terrible, I could only get them to ~270 Prime stable (DDR1), so I'm not too excited about going for another G.Skill. I hear they're more value type of RAM than true overclocking RAM.

Also 44 dollars for the Crucial VS GSkill at 115 is definitely something I won't be jumping on :S

I used to have DDR1 Crucial before these and they were simply amazing.

By the way, I'm assuming that mobo supports CF? I can't find any mention of it in the specs, it also doesn't come with a bridge
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ericeod
Quote:


Originally Posted by NegativeFPS
View Post

Thanks for the reply. Could anyone possibly comment on the Crucial/Intel problems? I have G.Skill on my current system and they're terrible, I could only get them to ~270 Prime stable (DDR1), so I'm not too excited about going for another G.Skill. I hear they're more value type of RAM than true overclocking RAM.

Also 44 dollars for the Crucial VS GSkill at 115 is definitely something I won't be jumping on :S

I used to have DDR1 Crucial before these and they were simply amazing.

By the way, I'm assuming that mobo supports CF? I can't find any mention of it in the specs, it also doesn't come with a bridge

G.Skill have come a long way since the DDR days. You can pick up a set of DDR2 1000 for $80.

Also, the video cards will come with the bridge, and yes the board supports crossfire.

If you want to try OCing the ram, those Mushkin are highly recommended.
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The Tracers won't OC very well. They have poor ICs. The GSkill will do 1100 or if you want to spend less, these should do 1100: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820146755
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NegativeFPS
Quote:

Originally Posted by 18 is # 1 View Post
The Tracers won't OC very well. They have poor ICs. The GSkill will do 1100 or if you want to spend less, these should do 1100: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820146755
Are you sure they have the same ICs? I did some google research prior to asking and everyone said that the only difference between regular Ballistix and the tracers is that tracers have LEDs
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Quote:

Originally Posted by NegativeFPS View Post
Are you sure they have the same ICs? I did some google research prior to asking and everyone said that the only difference between regular Ballistix and the tracers is that tracers have LEDs
You are correct, same ICs. Ballistix don't OC very well either.
I believe you are confusing them with 2x1 Ballistix (and Tracers) that used D9 ICs and could OC like crazy. Those days are gone and new 2x1 Ballistix only fail like crazy. The 2x2 GB kits use the same high density ICs and dont OC very well at all.
If you want some 2x2GBs that OC well in that price range, I would recommend these: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820146755
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NegativeFPS
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Quote:

Originally Posted by 18 is # 1 View Post
You are correct, same ICs. Ballistix don't OC very well either.
I believe you are confusing them with 2x1 Ballistix (and Tracers) that used D9 ICs and could OC like crazy. Those days are gone and new 2x1 Ballistix only fail like crazy. The 2x2 GB kits use the same high density ICs and dont OC very well at all.
If you want some 2x2GBs that OC well in that price range, I would recommend these: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820146755
Roger, thanks, good to know! Shame that they're not as good now


Although I'm still weary about Gskill and haven't had any experience with Mushkin.. Which do you think would go along well with the Q6600 (let's just assume I'll have great air cooling conditions on my PC):
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820145197
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820146789
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820146755
and these 3 (can't tell what the difference is for the life of me, because the prices are weird on them) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820227289

I'm currently leaning towards the dominators. I'm getting all this on a credit card so a bit more for much better quality RAM is no big deal. I'm really looking to squeeze the most out of this PC in terms of performance, but of course without going overboard with the really high end RAM
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ericeod
The dominators seem to need a lot of voltage. Thats one of the reasons I like the G.Skill, they only need 1.8v - 1.9v. I havce my 1066 G.Skill running at 1.8v. The OCZ arent OCing as well as the Mushkin from what I've read. So from your links, and 18 is # 1's advice, I would go for the Mushkin 1000 kit and OC them.
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