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New upgrade to old computer - Memory advice needed

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New upgrade to old computer

Finally i've saved up enough money to upgrade my system. Im only upgrading the cpu, mobo and RAM as I already have a decent enough GC, Hdds and soundcard.

Currently, and for the past 4ish + years (i think) i'm running a c2d conroe e6300 (b2). Its served me well and has constantly been clocked, since the day I got it, in the range of 3.1-3.3 ghz. Its still going as well as it was the day I got it.
I recently upgraded my card to the 6850, which is also overclocked, so that wont need changing as its fine for now. Although I am thinking about getting a second.

The components Im thinking of getting are-

mobo - Asrock extreme 3 gen3 z68
CPU - i5 2500k
a decent cooler, most likely the A50 as I have heard very good things about it.

Then I come to the memory. I literally have no idea what kit to get. I would like a really decent performing kit for around the £50 mark. Ideally 1600mhz and it has to be an 8gb kit.
Im currently looking at the corsair vengance, ripjawsx, and crucial ballistix kits.

If anyone could give me any advice on which kit would be a good buy I would be very greatful.
 
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Aquinus

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I would say +1 for the samsung ddr3 1600 1,35v. They are great at overclocking, and will outperform MANY more expensive kits. Just check the cadaveca review. If you like to play with oc, then these are the best performance/$ at this time.

The three 4gb unmatched sticks i'm using on x58 are running at 2100 cl10 (500mhz over stock at LOWER than stock timings!)

If you want some fancy heatspreaders though, they don't have some.

And a 4x2gb kit should be below 50 pounds, 12gb was 89 CAN$ alltaxes and shipping included. The hard part is actually finding them...
 

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I would say +1 for the samsung ddr3 1600 1,35v. They are great at overclocking, and will outperform MANY more expensive kits. Just check the cadaveca review. If you like to play with oc, then these are the best performance/$ at this time.

The three 4gb unmatched sticks i'm using on x58 are running at 2100 cl10 (500mhz over stock at LOWER than stock timings!)

If you want some fancy heatspreaders though, they don't have some.

And a 4x2gb kit should be below 50 pounds, 12gb was 89 CAN$ alltaxes and shipping included. The hard part is actually finding them...

The G.Skill above is doing 10-11-10-28-1T 1.65v @ 2333mhz on my 3820, and it will go a bit higher with the same timings, 2400 with maybe 10-11-10-29-1T might be plausible, but this all really depends on the memory controller on the 2500k the op gets.

Op: Is there any reason why you're not going to go with an IVB chip?
 
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JrRacinFan

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Been meaning to ask you, Aquinus, how that thing is running. Must know; is there really a "daily feel" difference over ~1850-1875mhz?
 

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Been meaning to ask you, Aquinus, how that thing is running. Must know; is there really a "daily feel" difference over ~1850-1875mhz?

My 3820 has never booted into windows under 2133mhz so I really don't know and the rig I had before this still used DDR2. With the 3820, there really is no "difference" it's just a boatload of awesome, but that is also me going from a Phenom II 940 without SSDs to an SB-E with SSDs in RAID-0, so yeah, everything is fast. :p

Also keep in mind that I'm running quad-channel, I already have a ton of bandwidth, weather I'm running the native 1600 or 2333. I also haven't tried over-clocking to the 166mhz strap and if that makes a difference in bandwidth or not (at the same ram speed.) Let me tell you though, I've never used a computer that can encode video as quickly as the 3820 can. I also haven't used a 6-core SB-E though.
 

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JrRacinFan

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Cheers for the replys. Its given me some sort of idea!!

Op: Is there any reason why you're not going to go with an IVB chip?

I've decided on the 2500k because of the good things i've heard about it. Im sure ivb is going to be great, but the 2500k is tried and tested and has great performance. I guess its cheaper too? Although another possibility is to wait and see if I can get the same/better ivb setup for a similar price. Although i'm impatient and i've been waiting for an since the i3/5/7s first came out!

I was looking at the samsung memory sticks. The only reason I hadn't shortlisted them was because of the basic looks, they seem a little budgety, if you know what I mean. I realise that the heat spreaders dont really do anything but look pretty, but the more expensive kits seems to have them, in some spangly form.
After reading the reviews on them, they do look like a very attractive kit.

So I guess I have to decide between the Ripjaws kit and the samsung kit.

Unless anyone has heard anything good about any crucial ballistix kits?
 
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I've decided on the 2500k because of the good things i've heard about it. Im sure ivb is going to be great, but the 2500k is tried and tested and has great performance. I guess its cheaper too? Although another possibility is to wait and see if I can get the same/better ivb setup for a similar price. Although i'm impatient and i've been waiting for an since the i3/5/7s first came out!

IVB is already out in the US. It can also handle higher clocked memory better than SB. I wouldn't discount it since you don't already have an SB chip. It's worth getting if you're building a new rig, not if you're upgrading.
 

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Something you don't realize, new_rez, the benches that were leaked I see them as moot. They are ES chips, so they can be taken with a grain of salt.
 
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Hmmm. After doig a bit more looking at the ivb chips, its made me wonder whether I should wait out a bit longer in order to see more reviews of the ivb.
Arg! decisions!
 
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Hmmm. After doig a bit more looking at the ivb chips, its made me wonder whether I should wait out a bit longer in order to see more reviews of the ivb.
Arg! decisions!

Wait for reviews of retail chips. Hopefully they don't heat up like the samples for review, but they probably will.

I think the difference in performance is negligible, and you will save money getting a 2500K. And it will overclock better.

As to ram, I've read that anything over 1600 speed ram doesn't buy you anything on SB. So I would get the cheapest 1600 4GB or 8GB set you can find.
 
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I've done a lot more research and looking as shiny parts for this planned upgrade.

I have decided I dont want to go with ib. From what i've seen it is only a slight performance increase for less mhz, and the 2500k has proven itself to be a great chip.

I've revised my budget and as it stands, it is at £460-500. All ive got to decide on are my parts. Hopefully it will be ordered by the end of the night (if i can make my mind up!!)

Components that I am certain I will be ordering are -

i5 2500k
Corsair A50 for cooling
Crucial Ballistix Elite 8GB 1600mhz - 8-8-8-24

I was certain of the motherboard I wanted but now i've changed my mind.
Is there any point in buying a nice z77 board? I know im not going ivb and the z77 chipset doesnt offer a massive array of new features, but its just for the sake of future proofing, incase i decide to upgrade in a few months.
Or do I stick with the z68 boards?

These are the boards that have caught my eye at the moment -

z68
AsRock Extreme3 gen3 z68 - This was my top choice when I was looking into parts
Asus P8Z68-V GEN3
Gigabyte Z68X-UD3H-GEN3
MSI Z68-GD65[B3]

z77
Asrock Z77 Extreme4 Intel Z77
Asus P8Z77-V Intel Z77
Gigabyte Z77X-UD3H Intel Z77
MSI Z77A-GD65 Intel Z77

Thanks for the help so far :)

EDIT: Im also not feature mad. Dont really care for wifi or 3rd graphics slot. Mainly just want a good clocker with very good performance.
 

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Go with the extreme3.
 
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I think I actually will. It was my original choice and seems incredible value.

Too much choice makes me indecisive. Its the same when I eat out. Oh well. Everything turned out cheaper than expected!
 

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How much is the extreme3 compared to z77 extreme4
 
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The extreme 3 is about £30 cheaper than the z77 extreme4.

I can find the extreme 3 for around £100-£110 and the extreme 4 at £130-£140
 

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Hmm may be an option if you wish to pay the premium.
 
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I think it may be worth it. It has come a lot under budget. Even with the Extreme 4 im still £75, at least, under budget. Probably more once i've found the best prices online.

Contemplating selling my 6850 now and saving for something with more grunt :p
 
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So I have now ordered all the parts.

I went for -
Asrock Extreme4 z77 mobo (Are these all on pre-order in the uk?? Every site I have been to, these boards are out of stock and the soonest I will be getting one is the 18th - cant complain as it was only £110)

8GB Corsair Vengance 1866 cas 9 1.5v - Got these for £30 which is a pretty good deal imo.

Cooling is an Antec Kuhler 620 - Got this new for £40.

i5 2500k.

So thanks for the advice you guys gave me.

My next planned upgrade is the graphics card. For £90 I can get an identical MSI 6850 (my current one clocks to 960 core and 1100mem on stock voltages. Completely stable) and crossfire them.
Or do I get rid of the 6850 and get myself a GTX 570? Ill be gaming at 1680x1050 for a long time as I have no reason to upgrade my lcd monitor. The most demanding game I play would be BF3 (well i dont play it as I dont enjoy it, but it is my 'realworld' benchmark) and it would need a constant of 60fps, or hover around that. I find it hard to play a game unless it is running at least 60fps.

Then once that is done im just going to ghost everything onto a 120gb ssd.
 
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