Ram Confusion ( urgent help required )

[Dipankar Sanyal]

Hello everyone,

I'm from india

I have a dual channel 2x2gb (4gb) corsair dominator 1600mhz ( CMD4GX3M2B1600C8) ram running on msi 890fxa gd70 , bought in 2010

offical specs : DIMM 240 pins (DDR3) , voltage : 1.65 , Timings 8-8-8-24.

Its not possible to find the same kit again and i just want to add more 4 gb in dual channel as i am tight in my budget.

but in bios i set some timing to 1:4 ( may be its FSB timings) to get the actual 1600mhz speed and i have noticed that in cpuz the current timings are 9-9-9-24 and running at 1.520v.

Since i cannot get the same DIMMs in 2014 , i have found that corsair vengeance and g skill ripjaw to provide the similar 1600mhz 9-9-9-24 and 1.5v

So if i buy one and use it on the other ram slots ( 2 black used , 2 blue free now ) will i get the optimal performance .

I know its better to sell the current rams and buy a new 2x4gb but, as i am on tight budget and this is India ( i regret) i have this option for now.


thank you,
with regards.

 

[newtekie1]

Yes, adding 2x4GB and putting them in the empty slots will be fine.

 

[OneMoar]

timings/voltage must be identical if you want dual channel to work

 

[Dipankar Sanyal]

as my current dominator runs at 1.5v

and the vengeance and ripjaw runs on 1.5v too

can i set the timings for both as same in bios ?

 

[OneMoar]

you could try raising the timings of the corsair dominator 8 8 8 24 2T kit to 9 9 9 24 2T so they match that `might` be enough to get them in dual channel
you may be able to reduce the timings on the ripjaws to 8 8 8 24 @2T but that might require some more voltage
either way mixing ram is generally bad I would buy another identical kit of what you have
even if you set the timings and voltage correctly it still may not run in dual channel

 

[Dipankar Sanyal]

and about the voltage ?

i mean , is it very necessary to get them same?

 

[Toothless]

Very. Also I've noticed those programs LOVE memory, even my 8GB gets completely eaten up. (Do mind with ReadyBoost on a 2GB flashdrive was needed)

 

[newtekie1]

timings/voltage must be identical if you want dual channel to work

No they don't. On modern platforms almost always everything will be adjusted automatically so it will run in dual channel.

Voltage will be set to the highest out of all the sticks, timings will be set to the highest of all the sticks, and the speed will be set to the lowest of all the sticks.

 

[INSTG8R]

No they don't. On modern platforms almost always everything will be adjusted automatically so it will run in dual channel.

Voltage will be set to the highest out of all the sticks, timings will be set to the highest of all the sticks, and the speed will be set to the lowest of all the sticks.

Thank You!

 

[cadaveca]

No they don't. On modern platforms almost always everything will be adjusted automatically so it will run in dual channel.

Voltage will be set to the highest out of all the sticks, timings will be set to the highest of all the sticks, and the speed will be set to the lowest of all the sticks.

Unless you happen to get single-sided sticks, and have double-sided sticks, in which case, you're simply lucky if it boots.

Fortunately, since we are talking about 2 GB stick, you might get lucky on having matched ICs form the get-go, but matching sticks of different densities isn't as easy as it we could hope it could be.

 

[OneMoar]

if the op was on a newer generation intel/amd plantform I would't be concered but hes on a older 890FX board that may not take a liking to mixxed sticks as well as a newer gen platform would especially given the relatively short list of ram on his boards QVL

 

[Solaris17]

Honestly Ram is very forgiving now. Unless you are incredibly unlucky of course. for example I'm on Z87 and my old triple channel kit runs fine and even runs in dual channel mode.

im sorry im tired thats incredibly ignorant of me. Though I think he will be fine with sticks of similar build it may do him well to manually set the timings and voltages before installing them to ensure a proper boot.

 

[eidairaman1]

You gotta set the ram to which ever has the weaker timings.

 

[Dipankar Sanyal]

thank you everyone for your feedback.

the only thing i am little confused about is , lets say i bought the corsair vengeance 2x2gb ddr 3 1600mhz 9-9-9-24 1.5v ( thats only available now where i live)

since my old ram is 1600mhz 8-8-8-24 1600mhz 1.65v ( stated on the box and online specification) , but after tweaking the fsb ratio to 1:4 in bios to make it run 1600mhz ( oc) from 1333 , i have found that in everything auto , the current timings are 9-9-9-24 34 @ 1.5v ( in auto) , settings the timings manually , i also got the option to select 8-8-8-24 for both sticks or 9-9-9-24 , so i set it on 9-9-9-24 and voltage on 1.5v and did a prime95 , all good.

so if i now get the vengeance and set all the sticks to 9-9-9-24 @1.5v , will solve the entire trouble of unstable and etc.



i wish i could buy the identical ram sticks, but the only option i have is to try this method or sell the sticks and buy new one , but i am tight on budget.

is 8 gb enough for gaming , i mean , the max requirement for any games now is 8 gb , 4/6 as minimum.

 

[eidairaman1]

Set ram to 999 24 with 1.5 those are the weaker timings

 

[Dipankar Sanyal]

Set ram to 999 24 with 1.5 those are the weaker timings

But, decent enough for gaming on mid-high and 3-4 min workflow inf premiere pro and not so complicated after effects compositions ?



Plus , i just ordered the CM 212x and a xtraflow 120mm

to OC my cpu close to 40ghz.

and thing important i should keep in mind , or should i start a new post ?

 

[OneMoar]

ram speed has little impact on anything
also I highly doubt a hyper212 is going to be enough for 4Ghz given your high ambient temps

 

[Toothless]

Please don't start a new thread when we can just get your issues done here.

I doubt a 212 will cool your CPU @ 4ghz. Or any overclock at all. Keep your clocks at stock and it'll run fine.

As for the memory. Save up and get a matching set of 8GB. If you really need the horse power then get 16GB. 2x4 or 2x8. Your call. Difference between 1600 and 1866 isn't even there. Hell I don't see a huge difference between 1333 and 1866.

Don't try to fix something that isn't broken.

 

[Dipankar Sanyal]

"Don't try to fix something that isn't broken."




Winter approaching , i hope i can OC this time and play gta 5

im running a 480gtx from evga

 

[Toothless]

Your 480 isn't going to run GTAV. It runs like a 650 and we all know that GTAV will need something stronger than some entry-grade GPU.

Two say that your 212 probably won't keep your CPU cool while overclocked. Unless you're sticking it outside while it snows, it won't work. Do you not listen?

Start dropping volts and see what happens with that 212.

 

[Dipankar Sanyal]

Your 480 isn't going to run GTAV. It runs like a 650 and we all know that GTAV will need something stronger than some entry-grade GPU.

Two say that your 212 probably won't keep your CPU cool while overclocked. Unless you're sticking it outside while it snows, it won't work. Do you not listen?

Start dropping volts and see what happens with that 212.

meanest thing ever heard

i hope i will make a good decision in the end, btw thank you for ur advice.

 

[Aquinus]

I would have just bought two new 8GB sticks, but that's me. I don't like mixing and matching DIMMs.

 

[eidairaman1]

I agree myself but not everyone can go right out and swap to all new modules at once.

 

[OneMoar]

a GTX 480 isn't THAT weak tho I doubt it will run GTA 5 at much more then low~30fps

 

[newtekie1]

The 212x likely won't be enough for 4GHz, but it should allow for at least 3.6GHz constant on all 6-cores instead of just turboing to 3.6 on only 3 cores. And that should be enough for any game.

Don't even listen to anyone that says your GTX480 won't run GTA:V. It will run the game just fine, it won't max out the game, but it will run. The GTX480 is not the same performance as a GTX650, it is equivalent to a GTX660, which is much more powerful.