Anyone know what RAM specs actually matter?

[vakkotaur]

Due to some curious circumstances (a mix of bad & good) my new computer hardware is almost paid off, which means it's time to at least think about what to do next. I am no longer sure, but I had thought that the best bet was add memory first, and upgrade the processor later. Right now I am running a dual-core CPU and 2 GB of RAM. I want to go to, eventually, a six-core CPU and 16 GB of RAM.

I find I am using some swap, so more RAM is probably the right way to go. That still leaves a question or two. I can go cheap or I can go fast, but is the difference even going to be noticeable? The motherboard is a Gigabyte GA-890XA-UD3 which according the manual can take DDR3 1866(though it may need overclocking work, which I am a bit leery of)/1333/1066 MHz. From Newegg:

$189.99 DDR3 1066 (PC3 _8500) CAS: 7 Timing: 7-7-7-18
$249.99 DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) CAS: 7 Timing: 7-7-7-21
$299.99 DDR3 1866 (PC3 14900) CAS: 9 Timing: 9-10-9-28

For what it's worth, I am currently using 2 GB of 1333 with a CAS of 9.

While I'm currently using a "slow" CPU (Athlon II X2 4400e, which is an unlocked Sempron at 2.7 GHz) I will be going to something faster all around. My suspicion is that if it weren't for Phoenix (or Firestorm or other Second Life client) it wouldn't matter at all. But with that there, there might be some advantage to the faster RAM. I don't know. I am not versed in gaming-type system requirements and specifications.[1] Any advice?

I'm not asking about the CPU as things might change by the time I get to that part. Also, the price differences between the least of what I would consider and the fastest thing I can (now) get and use isn't all that big.

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[1] I know the choke point is the graphics card, but if I change that it will be after everything else is taken care of. While I'm not utterly thrilled with what I am using, it is pretty gonzo and will do for some time, I expect.

Comments

[jmthane.livejournal.com]

I don't claim to be an expert. That said, when I was in the process of upgrading RAM on my desktop, I received advice in this post I made about it (http://jmthane.livejournal.com/338576.html).

The specs on my desktop are different than your specs, of course, but adding RAM, especially any significant amount, will make it run faster. It will (hopefully) not need to use swap, which of course will make it run faster as well.

[vakkotaur.livejournal.com]

Thanks. I think that mainly confirmed my general plans. I'm running 64-bit so I can take full advantage of the 16 GB.

[nefaria.livejournal.com]

Safest bet IMO would be to make all your RAM the same tyoe, 1333. I'd pass on the overclocking RAM, that kind of stuff is only for people who can easily afford to replace a fried system.

Also, shop around on the net a bit to see if you can find a better price. Amazon.com has a lot advertised for much less than that, I'm sure you can find some compatible with your system: http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=ddr3-1333&tag=googhydr-20&index=electronics&hvadid=5156615951&ref=pd_sl_7733feehiz_b

[vakkotaur.livejournal.com]

Oh yes, all the same type. The current two 1 GB sticks will be pulled and replaced and I plan on going with a matched quad of 4 GB sticks, whatever the speed. Thanks for the link, that might get me what I want a bit sooner.. though for this I plan to save up. I put stuff on a card before as I needed to get a sufficient system running fairly quick. I can relax a bit now.

And I'll admit to leaning toward the 1333 as it's not the slowest, so should be good for anything I do with the system in the future, but not something that needs overclock tweaks to work.

[vakkotaur.livejournal.com]

It does strike me as a bit odd that Komputerbay, which I'd never heard of before that I can recall, has what I am looking about $100 cheaper than anyone else and I have a hard time finding reviews of them online. They might be fine, but it makes me leery. Know anything of them? They seem to be about the only ones there that have what I seek (4 4 GB sticks, ideally with heat spreaders already in place), aside from Kingston but while I like Kingston I simply can't see paying $600. Yowza!

[nefaria.livejournal.com]

Hmm, I'd be wary of computer supply places with no history and no recommendations.

Are you sure you need 16GB? 8GB should be fine for Linux-style OS's, especially if you don't multitask memory hog applications much. You might consider buying two 4GB sticks and only upgrading to two more if needed.

[vakkotaur.livejournal.com]

I know I don't "need" that much now. What I am buying is mainly piece of mind that I'm not going to run into a limit for some time. And I do have at least one rather hungry application that I want to run in multiple instances so I want fair amount of room for things. And I do plan on doing some stuff in a VM (or VMs) and that will chew up some memory.

[vakkotaur.livejournal.com]

Yeah, the RAM clock is its own thing. I could change its settings and not affect the CPU settings at all. The current RAM will be pulled and replaced (two 1 GB sticks to be replaced by four 4 GB sticks) so matching old and new will not be an issue. And since I'm going to do it all at once anyway, I might as well spend the extra and get a matched-quad.

While I can overclock (the CPU), I don't expect to need to. I'm running stock speed on the Sempron and it does rather well. When I go to a Phenom II X6 I don't expect to need to push it - though cooling might become interesting. And, yes, the motherboard & PSU can handle the 125W CPU.

[vakkotaur.livejournal.com]

I just checked the manual and the only notes regarding memory are that 32-bit operating systems won't see even 4 GB and that DDR3 1866 need to be in specific slots. This is with a 790X northbridge for what that's worth. Even if I end up limited to 15+ GB, I plan to max things out and be done. I shouldn't have to hit swap unless I'm really pushing things - or decide to play with Virtual Machines, which is something I do plan on doing at least some of the time.