RAM advice for Asus P8P67 PRO

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ritch1

Weaksauce
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Sep 1, 2005
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I am looking to pair the Asus P8P67 with a Core i7 2600K and am struggling a bit on the memory as am a bit hazy on the subject. I was going to aim for Corsair XMS3 6GB (3x2GB) DDR3 1600MHz: -

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MY-205-CS

it says this memory runs at 1.6 which is higher than the suggested 1.5 for the motherboard, is that an issue or can the voltage be adjusted. I’m not sure about that stuff.

Also does this build seem like a good idea for gaming purposes?

Thanks for any advice
 
ritch1 said:
I am looking to pair the Asus P8P67 with a Core i7 2600K and am struggling a bit on the memory as am a bit hazy on the subject. I was going to aim for Corsair XMS3 6GB (3x2GB) DDR3 1600MHz: -

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MY-205-CS

it says this memory runs at 1.6 which is higher than the suggested 1.5 for the motherboard, is that an issue or can the voltage be adjusted. I’m not sure about that stuff.

Also does this build seem like a good idea for gaming purposes?

Thanks for any advice
Click to expand...

You could use that RAM, but you will not achieve optimal performance. You see, not all i7 CPUs have a triple-channel IMC (Integrated Memory Controller). In fact, all of the current i7-2xxx CPUs have only a dual-channel IMC. Therefore, using three DIMMs would force an imbalanced dual/single-channel mode where the first 4GB would run in dual-channel while the remaining 2GB would run in single-channel.
 
Quick question, does it say in the product specs what voltage of RAM is best for motherboards? I haven't been able to find it. I have seen the compatible RAM list, but they are all different voltages.
 
E4g1e said:
You could use that RAM, but you will not achieve optimal performance. You see, not all i7 CPUs have a triple-channel IMC (Integrated Memory Controller). In fact, all of the current i7-2xxx CPUs have only a dual-channel IMC. Therefore, using three DIMMs would force an imbalanced dual/single-channel mode where the first 4GB would run in dual-channel while the remaining 2GB would run in single-channel.
Click to expand...

thanks. so would i be better off going for cheaper ram 4GB in size, like this? -

Kingston HyperX Genesis Grey 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit
 
ritch1 said:
thanks. so would i be better off going for cheaper ram 4GB in size, like this? -

Kingston HyperX Genesis Grey 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit
Click to expand...

Get 1333 Kingston ValueRAM. You ain't gonna see a difference. Also, get 4GB sticks, RAM is dirt cheap these days.
 
iconiK said:
Get 1333 Kingston ValueRAM. You ain't gonna see a difference. Also, get 4GB sticks, RAM is dirt cheap these days.
Click to expand...

thanks, am aiming to cut costs where I can. also going for the standard P8P67 as not planning SLI/Crossfire. so all in all this upgrade is turning out a lot cheaper than i thought :D
 
As this machine is basically for gaming I changed my mind on the CPU as I heard in games there is not much benefit to having the i7. This is the build i am now looking at –

CPU - Core i5-2500K 3.30GHz (Sandybridge) Socket LGA1155

MOTHERBOARD - Asus P8P67 (standard)

RAM - Kingston HyperX Blu 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (KHX1600C9AD3B1K2/4G)

Does this make good sense for someone not looking to go crazy with overclocking but wants solid gaming performance? also obviously trying to cut as many costs as possible
 
What video card will you be running? I strongly suggest 8 GB of ram. It is quite cheap.
 
at the moment i have an ATI 6870. Am planning to upgrade once the dust settles on the bank account lol. not looking to go sli/crossfire but will go for something highend, probably a GTX 580.

might go for more ram, not hearing there are many benefits above 4GB but i guess at that low cost it doesnt matter
 
I would also invest 20-30$ more for SLi/CFX path. That's what I did and now even when new cards are out, all I need is to install another 6970 and I am set for another year. Saves me 150-200$ rather than getting the next fastest thing.
 
ritch1 said:
at the moment i have an ATI 6870. Am planning to upgrade once the dust settles on the bank account lol. not looking to go sli/crossfire but will go for something highend, probably a GTX 580.

might go for more ram, not hearing there are many benefits above 4GB but i guess at that low cost it doesnt matter
Click to expand...

With RAM as inexpensive as it is now, it makes almost no economic sense to go for anything less than 2 x 4GB. Heck, if you go for only 4GB total, you might as well go for just one single 4GB stick of RAM since it would not restrict your future RAM upgrade choices the way 2 x 2GB would have (plus, there is no more than a 3 percent real-world performance reduction when going from dual-channel to single-channel in an LGA 1155 Sandy Bridge system).
 
When it comes to the voltage on the memory just do yourself a favor and stay at or below the 1.5v on the memory. There is lots of good 1.5v memory out there.
 
Unless something has drastically changed in the past year if you put 3 sticks of ram in a dual channel board the entire board will run in single channel mode. And the best way to test what will lose in performance by running in either mode would be to test it. This can easily be done with only two sticks put in different channels of the motherboard then tested with them in the correct channels.

And if it is only a 3% hit to performance then why not save more money and step down to a lesser processor (just some ill logic imo)? Seriously that extra memory in a gaming rig makes no difference. What does make the difference is how that memory scales to the processor and dual channel has always done much better than single.
 
I've got the Asus P8P67 Deluxe, new rev 3. I'm using Corsair CML8GX3M2A1600C9., 2x4GB sticks. Had stability issues at first but then updated my bios to "Beta Version 1703" which the description states as "Improved DRAM compatibility". I then selected "XMP" as my profile and the system is now rock solid.

I'm in South Africa and RAM is cheap here too. The above ram cost me 730 rand. Coversion is, 1 us dollar = 7.21 rand.
 
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