Go with 2x4GB sticks of DDR3. For speed 1600MHz is a good speed but really anything from 1333 and up. You won't really be able to tell the difference in games.
If you get an Intel system (K) get XMP profile memory. Grab a good heat sink and fan... Buy the highest memory the board supports without OC (1866+) and watch as XMP overclocks your processor for you.
Now from what I seen in DDR3 speeds is this. If you play a level in a game that rotates you can load that level in less then a few seconds (4-5 sec) the next time you play it in the same session. Other then loads and overclocking abilities of higher speed memory (with XMP) there isn't any advantage right now over slower DDR3.
Always first fill the 2 RAM slots... So, 2 x 4gb sticks.
1333Mhz is plenty for most things, you can't really tell the difference at higher frequencies also latency isn't the most important thing either i think mine are 9-9-9-24 or something. Like others say get 2x4Gb sticks it's the same amount of RAM just in two sticks. Try to get 1.5v sticks if you can as they run cooler and can overclock better but again in games the only real differing factor is the amount of RAM you have you won't be able to tell that someone who has 1600Mhz can load his games 15ms faster.
you have you won't be able to tell that someone who has 1600Mhz can load his games 15ms faster.JohnF111
After having experience with slower vs faster DDR3. I can tell you there is a good few seconds of difference. In the range of 4-8 seconds compared 1333 vs 1866.
[QUOTE="JohnF111"]you have you won't be able to tell that someone who has 1600Mhz can load his games 15ms faster.Truth_Hurts_U
After having experience with slower vs faster DDR3. I can tell you there is a good few seconds of difference. In the range of 4-8 seconds compared 1333 vs 1866.
The point was it's practically unnoticeable, my mate has the exact same build as me except 2Gb RAM and the difference between level loading in Black Ops was about 6 seconds... I hardly think 4-8 seconds is true.
The point was it's practically unnoticeable, my mate has the exact same build as me except 2Gb RAM and the difference between level loading in Black Ops was about 6 seconds... I hardly think 4-8 seconds is true.JohnF111
It's not wise in this day and age to run less then 4GB of RAM. Your multitasking will be reduced as well as caching to your HDD while gaming.
I have tested my defaulted RAM at 1333 in bios vs XMP 1866... There was noticeable improvements in loading repeat levels in a single game session. Once cached into the memory it was not uncommon for me to beat fresh load SSD into a map.
[QUOTE="JohnF111"] The point was it's practically unnoticeable, my mate has the exact same build as me except 2Gb RAM and the difference between level loading in Black Ops was about 6 seconds... I hardly think 4-8 seconds is true.Truth_Hurts_U
It's not wise in this day and age to run less then 4GB of RAM. Your multitasking will be reduced as well as caching to your HDD while gaming.
I have tested my defaulted RAM at 1333 in bios vs XMP 1866... There was noticeable improvements in loading repeat levels in a single game session. Once cached into the memory it was not uncommon for me to beat fresh load SSD into a map.
Yeah that's the point of cache, fast access to previously or frequently used data.
So if it's not XMP i can't use it on my intel cpu? :Oszafto
It will work with your mobo and cpu. So long as it is DDR3 and your cpu/mobo supports DDR3 it will work. Whether or not it has an XMP profile doesn't matter.
[QUOTE="szafto"] Oh, you mean if i want to overclock it i will need XMP? No, XMP is a profile that auto sets your settings for you to stock speeds. Intel sandybridge uses 1333 but if you use say 1866 with XMP profile it'll clock a 2600k to 3.8GHz. You can do the same with manual settings as well. XMP is for people who like easy settings in bios and not have to worry.
[QUOTE="Truth_Hurts_U"][QUOTE="szafto"] Oh, you mean if i want to overclock it i will need XMP? No, XMP is a profile that auto sets your settings for you to stock speeds. Intel sandybridge uses 1333 but if you use say 1866 with XMP profile it'll clock a 2600k to 3.8GHz. You can do the same with manual settings as well. XMP is for people who like easy settings in bios and not have to worry. All XMP does is set the timings and speed automatically. That way you don't have to manually input every timing or make the appropriate adjustments to get the speed up to spec. It doesn't overclock your cpu. 3.8GHz on an i7 2600K is the cpu speed when "Turbo Mode" (or turbo boost) is enabled.
[QUOTE="jtcraft"] All XMP does is set the timings and speed automatically. That way you don't have to manually input every timing or make the appropriate adjustments to get the speed up to spec. It doesn't overclock your cpu. 3.8GHz on an i7 2600K is the cpu speed when "Turbo Mode" (or turbo boost) is enabled. Wrong... The mem has to overclock your CPU for it to use the ram at the higher speed. Base clock is 3.8GHz. for 1866 as I have it for my system.
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