Best 1866 or higher RAM

[inferKNOX]

I'm starting to think about what would be involved in making a good Bulldozer upgrade.
I've learnt that the memory controller wants DDR3-1866 RAM.
So I'm looking to find out what is the best RAM to be looking at which is rated at 1866MHz or higher for my current system, so that when Bulldozer comes out, I can simply move it into the new setup.

• I personally think that RAM that is rated according to JEDEC spec (eg, 1333, 1600, 1866, 2133) is a better choice as it follows standards, but that is just a belief I have for lack of knowing better.
• Of course the closer the RAM can be to 1.5V, the better; with anything above 1.65V too high as far as I'm concerned.
• I'd prefer something with heat spreaders, but ones that are not "taller" than the RAM itself, because it'd probably prove a problem next to a large heatsink like I have, since AMD has the RAM so close to the CPU socket with the PII's and will probably have with Bulldozer.

So far I'm liking the OCZ3P2133C9LV4GK. I don't think the whole "optimised for Intel" hoopla is anything but marketing (as I've seen practically the same said about almost all RAM by almost all manufacturers), and it'll work just as good in an AMD system, but correct me if I'm wrong.
I also like the Crucial Ballistix Tracer RAM (w/ blue LEDs) but hear that it fails often, + they only go as high as 1600MHz and I doubt there'll be 1866 or higher variants.

What do you recommend and why?
Thanks in advance

 

[Bo$$]

I'm starting to think about what would be involved in making a good Bulldozer upgrade.
I've learnt that the memory controller wants DDR3-1866 RAM.
So I'm looking to find out what is the best RAM to be looking at which is rated at 1866MHz or higher.

• I personally think that RAM that is rated according to JEDEC spec (eg, 1333, 1600, 1866, 2133) is a better choice as it follows standards, but that is just a belief I have for lack of knowing better.
• Of course the closer the RAM can be to 1.5V, the better; with anything above 1.65V too high as far as I'm concerned.
• I'd prefer something with heat spreaders, but ones that are not "taller" than the RAM itself, because it'd probably prove a problem next to a large heatsink like I have, since AMD has the RAM so close to the CPU socket with the PII's and will probably have with Bulldozer.

So far I'm liking the OCZ3P2133C9LV4GK. I don't think the whole "optimised for Intel" hoopla is anything but marketing (as I've seen practically the same said about almost all RAM by almost all manufacturers), and it'll work just as good in an AMD system, but correct me if I'm wrong.
I also like the Crucial Ballistix Tracer RAM (w/ blue LEDs) but hear that it fails often, + they only go as high as 1600MHz and I doubt there'll be 1866 or higher variants.

What do you recommend and why?
Thanks in advance

why dont you wait abit, maybe we will find out more details of it's requirement, triple channel etc, then we can deciede what we should do

the ballistix look great, im running the yellow ones, if they dont fail within a year then they will last, lifetime warranty is awesome too

 

[Goodman]

Bulldozer wont be before the end of this year , so why worry about this now?

 

[erocker]

Too early to tell. We have no idea what memory works best with Bulldozer. We don't even know if Bulldozer is going to be worth buying yet.

 

[crazyeyesreaper]

yea bulldozer wont be available till what mid this year if i remember correctly so jumping the gun here just a bit

 

[inferKNOX]

You guys are missing what I'm saying. I'm talking about finding 1866 or better memory now, raising money for it slowly and buying it in advance, then later the CPU, etc. I normally make step by step upgrades like that, so this information is worth finding out now to me.

I know the the IMC supports 1866, and whether it's dual channel or higher is simply a matter of buying 1 or 2 (and keeping 1 spare module) dual channel kits. So please guys, I value your input.

Another couple of architectural details revealed is that Zambezi's integrated memory controller (IMC) supports DDR3-1866 MHz as its standard memory type, just like Deneb supports DDR3-1333 MHz as its standard. DDR3-1866 MHz, or PC3-14900 as it's technically known, will churn out 29.8 GB/s in dual-channel mode, that's higher than triple-channel DDR3-1066 MHz (25.6 GB/s), which is Intel Core i7 LGA1366 processors' official memory standard.

 

[erocker]

You guys are missing what I'm saying. I'm talking about finding 1866 or better memory now, raising money for it slowly and buying it in advance, then later the CPU, etc. I normally make step by step upgrades like that, so this information is worth finding out now to me.

I know the the IMC supports 1866, and whether it's dual channel or higher is simply a matter of buying 1 or 2 (and keeping 1 spare module) dual channel kits. So please guys, I value your input.

Highest speeds plus lowest latency possible = best RAM performance. Take that equation to your local retailer/etailer to find what you need.

 

[inferKNOX]

Highest speeds plus lowest latency possible = best RAM performance. Take that equation to your local retailer/etailer to find what you need.

About the methods of evaluating RAM, ie, better = high freq, lower latency & voltage; I'm quite aware of it, but would like to hear different people's recommendations based on their experiences, etc, with the different manufacturers.
There are no (r)etailers where I live, especially that are more knowledgeable than myself on enthusiast product. I depend on getting gadgets from far, far away through connections that buy on my behalf.

 

[erocker]

About the methods of evaluating RAM, ie, better = high freq, lower latency & voltage; I'm quite aware of it, but would like to hear different people's recommendations based on their experiences, etc, with the different manufacturers.
There are no (r)etailers where I live, especially that are more knowledgeable than myself on enthusiast product. I depend on getting gadgets from far, far away through connections that buy on my behalf.

I get what you're saying, but nobody has experience with Bulldozer yet. Who knows? Maybe it will benefit more from higher frequencies than lower latencies or vice-versa. That's why it's kind of impossible to decide on what RAM to get for it at this time. To keep things somewhat budget orientated, I would look for any ram that is around 2000mhz 8 8-8-xx timings. Personally, I feel you're going about this backwards. It's not very smart to buy RAM for a platform that no one has experience with yet. If you want to use this RAM on your current system, G.Skill Flare's are nice.

 

[inferKNOX]

If you want to use this RAM on your current system, G.Skill Flare's are nice.

There you go, that's what I'm after. Perhaps my wording earlier was ambiguous, so I edited the OP.
I want good RAM to upgrade to now, that I will eventually move into a Bulldozer system. So basically what 1866+ RAM that is good, cheap & reliable regardless of system.

EDIT: I've seen a lot of conflicting arguments over G.Skill in the past if I'm not mistaken. So say go for them, others say they give problems.

 

[inferKNOX]

Anyone else with suggestions?