[Kokin]

I've been using my "miracle" Samsung RAM for over 2.5 years now, but it was never able to go over 2133mhz due to my Asrock Z77E-ITX + 3570K combo. There seems to be a weird incompatibility issue with those 3 components in which they have trouble hitting 2133mhz (at any timings) despite my own RAM easily hitting 2000mhz with 9-9-9 timings at somewhere around 1.55V. I really like the fact that the Samsungs are only half as tall as regular RAM and are all black, but the Sniper RAM is all black as well.

To add on to this, I now have a new pair of GSkill Sniper RAM that does 2400mhz with 10-12-12-31-2T timings at 1.625V and seems to be stable with some IBT and Prime95 testing. Should I stop using my Samsung RAM and use the GSkill instead or does the extra overclock not really matter?

TL;DR:
Samsung (2000 @ 9-9-9-27 1.55v)?
GSkill (2400 @ 10-12-12-31 1.625v)?

Which would you pick and why?

 

[Leito360]

At that level I would look for stability... I always wanted some Samsung Magic Memory, but it wen out of stock pretty soon.

In topic: As I was saying at that level all the gains are marginal so you should be looking which one is more stable. I would go for a lower voltage.

Samsung (2000 @ 9-9-9-27 1.55v)= 4.5 ns access time.

GSkill (2400 @ 10-12-12-31 1.625v)= ~5 ns access time.

EDIT: I'm saying it's marginal because you won't feel difference under normal usage, probably you'll notice it viewing results during a synthetic test.

 

[Kokin]

Are there any benefits for having a higher bandwidth? I do sometimes encode video or stream games, but it looks like results will be similar based on what I've been reading.

 

[Leito360]

Usually, higher bandwidth comes with benefits in gaming... but some games react different to others... Games like Shogun 2 takes the most benefit from higher bandwidth, but again, it isn't that much, probably between 1-3 FPS and 5 in a perfect case scenario.

 

[Sam OCX]

I haven't seen Samsung-based kits have any compatibility issues so it might just be some timing that doesn't let you past DDR3-2000 on your low-profile kit.

Is your new Sniper kit single- or dual-sided? If it's single-sided then it won't be an upgrade.

 

[Kokin]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sam OCX

I haven't seen Samsung-based kits have any compatibility issues so it might just be some timing that doesn't let you past DDR3-2000 on your low-profile kit.

Is your new Sniper kit single- or dual-sided? If it's single-sided then it won't be an upgrade.

By dual-sided, do you mean the memory chips being on both sides of a stick? If so, then yes the GSkill has them on both sides.

I've seen others (myself included) who have used an Asrock Z77E-ITX board with 3570K/3770Ks and have trouble hitting 2133mhz, despite being able to hit past 2133mhz on a Sandy-Bridge CPU or on a different board. The same Samsung RAM that I am using was able to do 2200mhz~2300mhz on an older Asrock P67 and 2550K, but was suddenly limited by the 3570K + ITX board.

In terms of timings/settings for the Samsungs, I have tried AUTO, 13-13-13-40, raising RAM voltage to 1.65V, raising IMC voltage, turning on internal PLL overvoltage, and even having my CPU cores at stock. However, none of those would allow me to go past 2000mhz, yet it can't be an IMC issue since the same 3570K is able to do 2400mhz on these GSkills (rated for 2133 11-11-11-30 @ 1.6V).

 

[timisyourfriend]

Use a memory benchmark test and compare results. Use the one that's faster, that's the only way to determine correctly.