i7 and RAM question

[roth140]

so i ordered 4gb of Dominator Ram:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145265

but i was reading on Corsair's site:

How does the new Core i7 architecture affect memory?
There are two major changes with memory for Core i7. The first, as mentioned above, is that the memory must be tuned for the memory controller on the processor itself. This arrangement significantly reduces memory access latency, as the Northbridge is no longer there as a “middlemanâ€Â.

The second substantial change is that the Core i7 processor has three memory channels, rather than dual channels. So, to achieve maximum performance, memory must be installed in matching sets of three modules.

How much memory do I need for Core i7?
Keeping in mind that memory DIMMs must be installed in sets of three modules, the optimum memory configuration for a performance-oriented Core i7 system is three DIMMs of 2GB each, for a total of 6GB of main memory. Of course, to take advantage of this memory capacity, we strongly recommend using a 64-bit operating system such as Microsoft Windows Vista 64.

Ok, so did i screw myself buying a RAM kit of two modules? looks like im supposed to have 3

also is a dual channel kit always dual channel or is adding a third module make it a triple channel? the triple channel kits are about $100 more than i want to spend. I could buy more memory in the future but i dont want to make a bad choice now.

 

[Soulzz]

Core i5 uses the 2 set kits. Core i7's require 3 . Unless you want to RMA your Core i7, and get a Core i5 instead.

 

[HeatSurge]

Intel's naming scheme is basically confusing as fuck.

Pretty much, the i7-920,940, and 965 (the socket 1366 or whatever processors) have a memory controller for 3 channels, thus the extra pins (and some other extra stuff like PCIe bandwidth capability).

The i5-750 and the i7-860 or whatever (the socket 1156 processors) have a memory controller which only supports 2-channel ram and only 20x total PCIe bandwidth...

SO

Basically it's like this:
- If you buy a socket 1366 mobo + CPU, buy 3-channel ram.
- If you buy a socket 1156 mobo + CPU, buy 2-channel ram.

It's kind of funny, but Gigabyte actually put out a motherboard which LOOKS like it's 3-channel, see here:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128403
and a revision of the same board with USB3.0 / SataIII:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128410

So the two motherboards above are the ONLY motherboards which use socket 1156 and have 6 memory slots. However, they are still only dual channel and support maximum 16GB memory (this is a processor/socket limitation), they just have 3 dual-channel "slots" as opposed to 2 on regular mobos which are not a result of retarded marketing ideas to build some kind of perceived value.

BTW Roth, sorry to disappoint, but this is going on as a "black friday" deal, and you should've gotten it instead. It has the same speed and guaranteed a bit tighter timings, for $15 cheaper. Nothing you'd notice in everyday life most likely (cas7 vs cas8 on yours), but just saying:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231303

Speaking of which, I was thinking of ordering TWO of those + a mobo, if the i5 750 is coming soon... which I need to talk to you about

 

[roth140]

alright, with the info from you two i looked up some things.

here's the mobo

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813121387

and specs:

Model
Brand Intel
Model BOXDP55WG
Supported CPU
CPU Socket Type LGA 1156
CPU Type Core i7 (LGA1156)/i5 (LGA1156)
Chipsets
North Bridge Intel P55
Memory
Number of Memory Slots 4×240pin
Memory Standard DDR3 1600/1333/1066
XMP Supports overclocking beyond 1333 MHz
Maximum Memory Supported 16GB
Channel Supported Dual Channel

cpu http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115214&cm_re=i7_860-_-19-115-214-_-Product

so these two will work with the dominator ram i ordered right? i can still call newegg and modify the order.

 

[roth140]

i think i ordered the right type base off of this text in bold red letters (lulz):

Only supports LGA1156 socket CPU & dual channel DDR3 memory

i noticed im not saving much money on the intel dp552g mobo, and i wouldnt mind spending a little more. are any of the EVGA boards worth looking in to (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...070649183&name=Core i7 (LGA1156)/i5 (LGA1156))?

i dont plan on SLI again, i did it before and didnt notice much. i dont play any games that really ues it.

i noticed evga uses faster ram than what i ordered. would i just slow the whole system down if i stayed with the dominator?

 

[HeatSurge]

MK... it doesn't "use" faster ram per se. Every p55 board should come with support of up to 1600 ddr (which is 800 reg) officially (I've come across one cheap board which only supports 1333 which some ppl are complaining about and they've said they'll issue a bios with 1600 support which is the ECS one I think), that is without overclocking the FSB/BCLK whatever. Beyond that, it's not technically within official specifications, so it's overclocking... which every board is capable of (assuming you have the ram to do that and/or relax the timings) - even the cheapest of cheap.

Basically, overclocking ram is a complicated process (much more than CPU overclocking) because you have to tweak timings, etc. and test with memtest for hours every time you think you've arrived at a stable setting to make sure everything runs right, etc., and the benefit is about 1% at most for most applications lol...

So, for most people it's:
- Hell
- Next to useless

That being said, I think you should cancel the order for the ram (if you can) and order the ripjaws set I sent you above. It has tighter "official" timings (although your dominator might run fine with the same timings too, but it's not "official&quot, AND it's $15 cheaper - if you can.

If you can't cancel the order anymore (should be doable via the website, no need to call them), just stick with the dominator. It will run fine in your mobo.

Personally, I think I'll go with these:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813138160
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231303 (2 sets for 8GB).

Yes, the mobo is cheap as fuck, but:
- It will most likely do at least 3.8ghz for the i5 which is what I need. 4 would be nice, and I've seen it do 4 too with a minor voltage bump.
- It doesn't have sataIII and usb3.0 which are up-and-coming, so I don't want to spend $$ on a board which is right on the "eve" of new tech.

Roth, if you want a "good" board, it doesn't really matter THAT much which one you choose... I was really considering the DFI one, as well as the Asrock P55 Extreme, but fuck it. I don't need SLI and extra ports, etc. right now. This will be a "price conscious" upgrade anyway.

Edit: Apparently, even 1600 DDR is "overclocking" lulz. I think the official spec is only up to 1333... but really everything is rather arbitrary. I'm planning to push the ripjaws higher, without relaxing the timings, if that is possible. I'll be quite happy if it runs at 1600 with those timings for that price though :-D Again, the benefit of overclocking your RAM is very negligible in most cases, so if I were a person who doesn't enjoy the process, I wouldn't do it at all.

Edit2: BTW, when you first boot the mobo, your ram will most likely run at some shit timings at 1066 or whatever. This is because ram is kind of very finicky (there could be problems such as memory errors, which are BAD), so the mobo manufacturers "play it safe" to avoid thousands of people bogging down their support channels. Most people wouldn't bother with trying to get their RAM's full potential anyway. To get the full speed you'll have to go in the menu and put in the frequency / timings one by one - so if you have problems, it helps to have a support forum where you can go and see what timings work for other people, which the dominator and ripjaws both should be fine for.

 

[roth140]

if i dont need sli then evga might not be worth it. the intel board should be $109 when i order it. however, looking at the picture on newegg, im not sure how well my 260 graphics card will fit the slot. its almost i line with the ram clips

 

[HeatSurge]

Lulz yeah, it looks like it will be a tight fit. I think it will be fine actually, but to take out your ram, you'd have to remove your video card.

Kind of a fail design if you ask me, and it's not THAT good of a deal. I really don't like it personally.

You should go with mine :-D

Edit: What the hell... notice that review on newegg for the intel board. Memory above 1.6v will damage the CPU? W.T.F. Notice that the dominator is 1.65, and the ripjaws is supposedly only 1.6. Again, I'm sure you can run the dominator with a lower voltage (most likely) if you have to with decreased freq/relaxed timings... but this is weird. I wonder if other boards have an issue with high-voltage memory. Hmmmm.

Edit2: I looked up info on the board I am about to get I think. Here's a picture of the ram running at 1.66v (presumably it could go even higher) http://namegt.tistory.com/278 , and I read the manual and it says nowhere that the memory is limited to any voltages whatsoever.

I wish I could find a picture of the supported voltages for CPU/Memory for that, but there is like no info on that mobo anywhere :-/

Oh well, it shouldn't be bad at all.

The ONLY thing which concerns me about it is the 4+2 phase power... so supposedly the CPU/mem will require more voltage to reach the same clocks because of "vdroop" or something - that's what I gathered from forums... Oh well. If it gets memory at spec and 3.8 on the i5 I'll be quite happy with it really.

Edit 3: Here's an interesting report of someone running an i5 at 4.8ghz, supposedly "under dry ice."
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/273142-33-hack-biostar

And... a sli-hacked bios (epic lulz). If you look at the SLI-enabled "Biostar T5 CFX-SLI" or whatever, it is EXACTLY the same (and I mean, compare the pics on newegg) except I think there's one different chip between the pcie slots... or just colored differently or something... so yeah, you're paying $30+ for SLI support there.

 

[roth140]

thanks for looking into it so deep. i just want an epic zombie killing, mustachio owning rig. LULZ!!!one