Help me choose my Memory for my first build

I have most of what I need to get my system running. I bought a i5-750/Gigabyte GA-P55-UD3R Motherboard combo. I have a 1Tb Seagate HDD (for starters). A 750 Watt Ultra Power supply. A comparable Asus EAH 4650 Radeon 1GB DDR2 graphics card. This card should be good enough for what I need (I hope).

This will be mostly used as a media PC. Some video/graphic editing and lots of web browsing. OC-ing may be something I want to look into in the future but will be happy to finally just turn it on.

Only really things left are a optical drive, OS (which I have Windows 7 Ulimate 64 bit), and the most important; Memory.

So this begs the question what is good memory to run in this system. I have the oportunity to buy a Triple Channel 6gb Consair 1600 for cheap from a friend They are basically new. I know my MB is a a dual channel set up but am not sure if I can buy this memory and only use 4Gb (2 sticks as apposed to 3).

All opinions will be considered.

Thanks in advance.

TJ

 

Have a look through this list to see if the RAM your friends has is compatible with the Motherboard

http://www.gigabyte.com.tw/FileList/MemorySupport/mb_memory_ga-p55-ud3r.pdf

 

i would go with corsair ddr2 dual chanel ram, best ram ive ever had, downgraded for OCZ ddr3 becuase i got better performance. as of how much i would go 6gb, if your running 64 bit, why not? never hurts to have more XD

 

I would stick with the DDR3, as soon DDR2 will be oudated, and DDR3 is cheap enough now, not that much more than DDR2!

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B001IT2E42/ref=asc_df_B001IT2E42528210?smid=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&tag=googlecouk06-21&linkCode=asn&creative=7974&creativeASIN=B001IT2E42

There's 6GB For £120 or $195

I say a bargain!

Burrell

 

P55 or X55 mobos (LGA1156, i.e. I5, I7) are DDR3.

Depends how "cheap" the RAM is and you always want to be very careful about buying parts of a friend, you don't want something to fail and then have a falling out (if their a really good friend they should just give a refund), something to consider.

I used to spend top dollar and buy what was the best RAM at that time but because I have a quad core (limited FSB OC potential) I never really noticed any benefit from a $400-500 kit compared to a $200 kit. Nowadays I buy some of the cheaper "known brand" products and am very happy with them.

I recently bought G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) for $125AUD to go with my old 2GB kit and are very happy with them.

It looks like you can get some very reasonable kits at a very cheap price but I would want a "heat spreader" on them, moreover I would be aiming for at least DDR3 1600 speeds as those I5 750 have a lot of head room and finally at least 4GB if your Video Editing/Multimedia:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...0147 1052129233 1052315794&name=4GB (2 x 2GB)

For the listed RAM modules "Memory modules listed below are for reference only. Due to massive memory models on the market, we can
only verify some of them." In other words other kits may and should work on that mobo as long at the main specs are similar (voltages ~1.5v, etc).

 

This begs the question, can I use 6Gb (3 sticks) with dual channel?

 

Do NOT use DDR2!!!!

ALWAYS, before buying RAM, and before recommending to others seeking advice, research what is compatible with the motherboard. As CLEARLY seen on the specifications page for this motherboard, it ONLY supports DDR3. The GA-P55-UD3P manual CLEARLY states in bold emphasis in paragraph 1-4-2,

Therefore, the use of DDR2 on this motherboard is not even an option, and would be a waste of money and time!

IF that RAM is DDR3 (PC3-12800) 240 Pin memory, it should work fine. You need to verify that first. And you should be able to use all 3 modules but will not be able to take advantage of Dual-Channel technology with the 3rd module, therefore I would recommend buying a 4th identical, if possible, module.

In your case, it would be silly to buy new RAM packaged as triple channel RAM. Your board does not support triple channel RAM. So replacing what your friend could offer with another set of triple channel RAM puts you in the same boat - what do you do with that 3rd stick?

If not possible with certainty to buy a 4th stick to match what your friend has, buy a new matched pair for the 2nd channel. Only the 2 sticks in each pair have to match - all 4 sticks do not. Or better yet, if the price of 2 new pairs of dual-channel RAM is within reach, go that way.

Understand that dual and triple channel RAM does not mean those modules must be used in dual or triple channel configurations. The modules are the same as those sold individually. It only means the maker has [supposedly] tested the pairs or triplets together to ensure they play well together. It is also a marketing tactic since it saves in packaging costs.

 

I am getting more confused now. 6GB is triple channel, is it not? This MB is dual channel-wouldn't this mean I can use 2, 4, or 8Gb? And what makes triple triple and dual dual....is it just the extra stick? This is why I asked if I could use 2 of the 3 sticks he has for sale

 

Well thanks for you input. You answered many of my questions. As for what to do with the 3rd stick...sell it on ebay. I just did that very thing with a extra Kingston stick I had...I got $30 and it cost me nothing. So if I can verify it it (PC3-12800) 240 Pin memory (which I think it is) and get it cheap I could sell the extra stick and make my money back. :-D

 

Crucial RAM for your motherboard .

 

I was going to do a lengthy reply to this thread, then I read Digerati's post.
Now all that's left to day is:

DITTO!


Happy New Year Everyone !

The Shadow :cool

 

the mods must not like me posting so close to each other. I replied to Digerati's post but it never posted it.

I believe the memory my friend has is PC3-12800 240 pin so this should work then. I also think it wouldn't be an issue since I could sell the extra stick I did this recently with a extra stick I had from an old set up. Then maybe I could make some money back in return. :-D

 

Digerati's post ...he is correct

 

Let's clarify a point of Digeratis. The triple channel kits are a matched "triplet" that means they have come from the "same batch" (their serial numbers will be sequential and they were produced in the same production period, date, time, quality) and will therefore have the greatest likelihood of working together the best. Dual channel is the same for a "matching pair". Often this maybe insignificant for the average user but it is common that you will have the least likelihood of problems and best performance "potential" with "matching" kits.

If you can sell of the single module and your are very comfortable that any issues will not impair your friendship then consider buying from your friend. Double check the price he offers with newegg and if it isn't a decent saving don't risk a good friendship. As they say don't lend money to family or close friends.

 

No. 6Gb is just 3 x 2Gb. Triple (and Dual channel) is a motherboard architecture for using "standard" RAM. As far as the RAM modules themselves - there is absolutely NO difference in the RAM modues in the packages of a single stick of RAM, a pair of matched RAM sticks (for Dual Channel), or 3 sticks (for Triple Channel). The ONLY real difference today is they are sold basically for your convenience in dual and triple packs (and because the marketing types realized it is cheaper to bundle and more profitable to sell in 2 and 3s. Note you can run in triple channel with 1.5G using 3 x 512Mb - remember it is a motherboard architecture for using RAM. The RAM modules are not "designed" for, could care less, and don't know if they are in a dual, triple, or single channel motherboard.

Note, contrary to Bold Eagle's statement, these modules are matched for their electrical characteristics, not because they came off the assembly line one after the other. A little history: When dual-channel first came out, it was quickly determined that very slight differences in the electrical characteristics of the memory modules, even from the same maker, model line, and production run, sometimes confused the motherboard memory managers and caused system crashes. It was again, quickly determined through testing, that using modules that were more closely matched in their electrical characteristics resulted in stable performance. So RAM makers, instead of simply testing each stick to see if it works, started using the test results to match pairs and bundled them in one package, calling it Dual Channel RAM. They get to sell two, save on packaging and shipping costs, and you get a pair that promises to play well together. Then when triple channel came out, requiring 3 modules instead of pairs, they started bundling these same individual sticks in matched triple sets in the same package, and called it Triple Channel RAM.

However, in the years since dual-channel came out, and now into the triple channel, the memory management modules used by the motherboard makers have improved significantly. As have the manufacturing techniques of the RAM makers who are making RAM with tighter tolerances to the design spec. So the need for precisely matched sets is much less critical today with the latest motherboards. In fact, my newest Gigabyte simply "recommends" that memory of the same capacity, brand, speed and number of chips be used for optimal performance. It makes no mention of "matched" sets.

 

Corsair is about the best you can find, go to their site and plug in your specs. Take the guess work out and the possibility of making a mistake!

http://www.corsair.com/

Phil