This mem a good choice for new i7 system?

That RAM is good (tight timings) but it's overkill for most overclocking purposes and you won't notice any real-world difference. I would suggest going with this less expensive low-voltage 6GB G.Skill kit.
 
The issue I have with G.Skill is that they seem to be somewhat unreliable - sometimes they perform great and overclock well, while others get one or two modules DOA. You might want to go for something slightly more reputable like Corsair XMS or maybe some OCZ Gold/Platinum if you want to try overclocking. That Mushkin stuff is likely awesome, but also expensive and not necessary for what you seem to want to do. The performance difference between the two kits will, in games, be almost nothing, and in general use you might save a few seconds when using WinRAR and the like, but overall you'd get far more value from devoting the money to say, a better video card in the future.
 
sear said:
The issue I have with G.Skill is that they seem to be somewhat unreliable - sometimes they perform great and overclock well, while others get one or two modules DOA. You might want to go for something slightly more reputable like Corsair XMS or maybe some OCZ Gold/Platinum if you want to try overclocking. That Mushkin stuff is likely awesome, but also expensive and not necessary for what you seem to want to do. The performance difference between the two kits will, in games, be almost nothing, and in general use you might save a few seconds when using WinRAR and the like, but overall you'd get far more value from devoting the money to say, a better video card in the future.
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This is honestly the first time I've heard about G.Skill being unreliable. I frequent several forums where probably the majority of users use G.Skill RAM. I've had good experiences with G.Skill (and some other brands) and can say that the current kit I'm using is very stable and overclocks well.
 
G.Skill memory is excellent...the problem lies with G.Skill support...they leave a lot to be desired...just hope that you don't run into any issues and you'll be fine
 
PC_User said:
This is honestly the first time I've heard about G.Skill being unreliable. I frequent several forums where probably the majority of users use G.Skill RAM. I've had good experiences with G.Skill (and some other brands) and can say that the current kit I'm using is very stable and overclocks well.
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Fair enough. I haven't used them before, so can't speak from my direct experience, and some negative opinions of others have tainted my own.
 
sear said:
Fair enough. I haven't used them before, so can't speak from my direct experience, and some negative opinions of others have tainted my own.
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Take everything you hear (especially Newegg reviews) with a big grain of salt.
 
Can anyone tell me which the i7 likes more: tighter timings or higher clock speed?
 
I've never really like Mushkin stuff... the couple sets I has the extreme displeasure of using were flakey and didn't last very long.. but that was a few years ago.

G.Skill on the other hand has been excellent memory for me.

I've had a set of DDR1-400, a set of DDR2-800, and 2 sets of DDR2-1066 and have never had a single stick fail yet.
 
atamanch said:
Can anyone tell me which the i7 likes more: tighter timings or higher clock speed?
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From the reviews and benchmarks I have seen, higher clock speed will net you way more RAM throughput than tighter timings will.

I am going to do extensive testing one my i7-920 arrives and will post results of different speeds and timings.
 
cyclone3d said:
From the reviews and benchmarks I have seen, higher clock speed will net you way more RAM throughput than tighter timings will.

I am going to do extensive testing one my i7-920 arrives and will post results of different speeds and timings.
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From the reviews I have seen, the i7 prefers tighter timings. There was a site that reviewed all this and tested different clock speeds and timings to show what was the best. I wish I saved the link. I'll have to dig around for it.
 
cyclone3d said:
I've never really like Mushkin stuff... the couple sets I has the extreme displeasure of using were flakey and didn't last very long.. but that was a few years ago.

G.Skill on the other hand has been excellent memory for me.

I've had a set of DDR1-400, a set of DDR2-800, and 2 sets of DDR2-1066 and have never had a single stick fail yet.
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No problems here at work with gskill DDR2. I think we have 3 to 5 4GB twin packs in usage 24/7 for over a year.
 
cyclone3d said:
From the reviews and benchmarks I have seen, higher clock speed will net you way more RAM throughput than tighter timings will.
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That's what I've read a long time ago when I was ordering my i7 build. That being said, I am almost certain you won't notice a real-world difference between DDR3 1600 and DDR3 1800 nor 9-9-9-24 and 7-7-7-21.
 
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