Advice on getting new ram?

Robwan · 11 Sep 2014

Currently have 6gb(3x2) ddr3 1600mhz triple channel.

I'm planning on getting 12gb or 16gb, whichever I can grab a good deal on. (upgrading for 3d design/rendering)

1. by getting 16gb, this would mean going double channel right? Will this still be better than 12gb triple channel?

2. Is it essential I get 1600mhz speed, or would 1333mhz of 12gb still be far better than 6bg 1600mhz?

3. What are the crucial specs I need to check when buying? I nearly got ECC ram then realised its for servers ha. There's always tons of numbers and jargon when looking at stuff, but really I just want some good value ram that surpasses my 6gb.

4. Does the overclock on my cpu also oc the ram? I was told that if it's an oc where the overall voltage has been increased then it will also oc the ram? It was a manufacture oc so I'm presuming it just affects the cpu.

Thanks!

ignatzatsonic · 11 Sep 2014

Robwan said:

Currently have 6gb(3x2) ddr3 1600mhz triple channel.

I'm planning on getting 12gb or 16gb, whichever I can grab a good deal on. (upgrading for 3d design/rendering)

1. by getting 16gb, this would mean going double channel right? Will this still be better than 12gb triple channel?

2. Is it essential I get 1600mhz speed, or would 1333mhz of 12gb still be far better than 6bg 1600mhz?

3. What are the crucial specs I need to check when buying? I nearly got ECC ram then realised its for servers ha. There's always tons of numbers and jargon when looking at stuff, but really I just want some good value ram that surpasses my 6gb.

4. Does the overclock on my cpu also oc the ram? I was told that if it's an oc where the overall voltage has been increased then it will also oc the ram? It was a manufacture oc so I'm presuming it just affects the cpu.

Thanks!

1: 16 GB would be better than 12 only in those situations where you are actually using the 13th, 14th, 15th, and 16th GB of RAM. That might be 95% of the time or never, depending on what you do with the PC.

2: same answer. 12 GB of slow RAM is better than 6 GB of faster RAM in those situations where you are actually using more than 6 GB. Even slow RAM is faster than a hard drive.

3: When in doubt, try to stay with RAM on the motherboard manufacturer's approved RAM list. If you can't do that, make sure it meets as many of the specs as possible--particularly voltage, MHZ rating, and ECC/non-ECC. You could go to Crucial.com and use their configurator to see what it says is compatible, then try to buy that Crucial RAM or a good competing brand (Corsair, Mushkin, GSkill, Kingston) with the same specs. Motherboards don't seem to be as cranky about RAM as they were 5 or 10 years ago, but you never know until you try it, particularly if mixing RAM brands and part numbers.

Do you know how much RAM you are currently using during your typical operations?

3D Jed · 11 Sep 2014

Your spec says i7 920 - I used to have an i7 930 o/c to 3.4. IIRC the 1st gen Intels were triple channel - mine had 3 * 2GB. I got my bundle already clocked from Aria in the UK and they had a disclaimer that increasing the RAM might adversely affect the o/c. Nevertheless I put another 3 (identical) sticks in and there were no probs. YMMV. If you are increasing the RAM, you might want to save your o/c settings in case it doesn't boot with more memory, and needs the BIOS resetting to default and then tweaking. BTW triple channel ie multiples of 3 sticks is recommended.

My o/c 930 used to run very hot (80-85C) on C4D renders (even with a giant Dark Rock cooler). I recently upgraded that box to a 4770K which is more powerful and runs a lot cooler. The 930 has TDP of 130W (stock speed), the 4770K is 84W and even with the Intel blower only reaches 70C when rendering. As a test I fitted a single rad H2O cooler and render temps are now low 50's. For the stuff I do, render times are more to do with cpu power than RAM - you might want to consider swapping that hot 920 for something newer.

Q4 - RAM speeds are usually independent of cpu speed. When they clocked your board they will have set the speed to match the RAM used. If you are going to add RAM sticks, I'd suggest buying the same brand and type (if still available) ie same specs. If you are thinking of replacing the RAM, as ignatzatsonic said - stick to the list, but you will probably have to change some settings.

Robwan · 13 Sep 2014

Thanks for the replies, very helpful indeed.

I'll be getting more ram really for 3ds max (3d design software). While most of the time 6gb ram is fine for it, when models get large with lots of polygons, my ram climbs 5.8gb and things start to get slow. I don't mean graphics wise, but in general the whole computer starts to choke. I of course close all other programs, but 3ds max is a ram hog it would seem.

My guess is that more ram will help this.

I think bases on your responses i'll prob go for 12gb tri channel.

I've downloaded my mobo ram list too.

Thanks again :)

Robwan · 09 Oct 2014

Still haven't got round to adding new ram yet, but I just had a thought.

Can't I just buy 1 stick of 4gb ram ddr3 1600 and add it to the remaining slot? meaning I have 3x2gb + 1x4gb (10gb total) or will this be a problem and cause an unstable system?

Thanks