GA-X58A-UD5: Buying RAM Help?

[wishinstonez]

Hi,

This is the first time I'm getting together my own parts for a new PC. So, sorry if these questions are obvious or 'stupid'.

On the specifications list it says "Support for DDR3 2200/1333/1066/800 MHz memory modules" but on the memory support list it has 1600MHz an 2000MHz modules listed.

1. Does the motherboard actually support 1600 and 2000 MHz or not?

Also, if you can answer something about the CPU part...The i7 950 says "Memory Types   DDR3-800/1066".

2. Iif the CPU can only support 800/1066 then what's the point of buying RAM with speeds above that? Or is it possible to make the RAM run at 2000MHz?

I have 2 sets of RAM I'm trying to decide between (assuming that the answers for the above doesn't change my mind).
OCZ OCZ3P1600LV6GK - 3x2GB PC3-12800 1600MHz 7-7-7-24 Getting 2 sets of these and filling up all 6 slots to a total of 12GB. This one is on the supported list.
Corsair CMT12GX3M3A2000C9 - 3x4GB PC3-16000 2000MHz 9-10-9-27 Getting 1 set and filling up 3 slots to a total of 12GB. This one is not on the supported list but it is the one I'd rather have because it will only take up 3 slots. EDIT: On the Corsair site when you search this motherboard...this RAM set is listed.

3. Should I go with the officially supported one or should the Corsair one work? Is it reliable when the RAM site says it's supported?

[Dark Mantis]

Hi and welcome to the Gigabyte Forum.
If you don't know the answers there is nothing stupid about the questions

1) Officially if it states that then no 1600 isn't supported. That doesn't mean that 1600 couldn't be made to run just it is not supported out of the box.
Regarding the CPU it is just saying that it supports the JEDEC standards of those speeds.

2) JEDEC standards only go so far and anything beyond that is got by overclocking the memory. The point of faster specified memory is that it will allow for a larger overclock before falling over.

OCZ OCZ3P1600LV6GK - 3x2GB PC3-12800 1600MHz 7-7-7-24 Getting 2 sets of these and filling up all 6 slots to a total of 12GB. This one is on the supported list.

Either this is incorrect or your first statement is wrong. You said the board doesn't support 1600 MHz and then you say this memory is on the QVL.

3) Personally I prefer the Corsair memory over the OCZ as I have seen many problems with people usiong their memory, however I would advise getting some that are on the Corsair QVL for this board.

[wishinstonez]

Hi, thanks for the warm welcome

1 & 2) Thanks for the answers, I didn't realise memory could be overclocked. I'll have to take a look at that.

As for the OCZ 1600 thing, on the actual motherboard specifications it doesn't say that 1600/2000 is supported but on the actual QVL there are 1600 and 2000 modules listed. That was why I was confused as to why the specifications would say one thing and the QVL shows another.
Specifications: http://www.gigabyte.com/products/product-page.aspx?pid=3527#sp
QVL: http://download.gigabyte.asia/FileList/Memory/mb_memory_ga-x58a-ud5_v2.0.pdf

3) Thanks I had heard that OCZ and Corsair were good and they're the main brands I've been looking at. There aren't many Corsair RAM that I can find on the motherboard QVL and available to buy. However, on the Corsair memory configurator they have a long list of what is compatible with the selected motherboard.

[Wonderwrench]

Socket 1366 CPU's and motherboard chipsets only officially support 800 and 1066 memory. Running memory faster than 1066 is considered an overclock. Will faster memory work correctly, yes it will. The ram QVL list at Gigabyte only tests a small section of the ram that's available and compatible with your board. I normally use and recommend Corsair, Crucial and OCZ brand memory but lately there seems to be some quality control problems with OCZ memory. Lots of DOA's or failures shortly after install. I went through the same thing you are a few months ago. Do to price and availability I ended up buying 12 gigs 3 x 4 gigs Patriot Sector 7 1600EL memory for my GA-X58A-UD3R rev 2. It was not on the QVL list but it works great! Hopefully someone will hop in and either confirm or deny the Corsair ram will work in your new built. If you do not get feed back I would still consider getting ram not on Gigabytes QVL list. BTW I took a look at the Corsair Ram you are looking at, are you planning on some heavy overclocking?

[wishinstonez]

I ended up buying 12 gigs 3 x 4 gigs Patriot Sector 7 1600EL

I've actually seen that one at about $200 cheaper than the Corsair. I've never heard of the brand so I just overlooked it...but I will take it into consideration now

are you planning on some heavy overclocking?

Not at all. I'm not comfortable with overclocking because of warranty voids and the need for extra cooling  Plus I'm not sure how capable my friends (who will be doing the actual building of the computer) are at overclocking. Why's that?

Judging from what both of you have said about OCZ's recent decline, I think I'll keep away from them. I'd like as little hassle as possible.

[Wonderwrench]

I ended up buying 12 gigs 3 x 4 gigs Patriot Sector 7 1600EL

I've actually seen that one at about $200 cheaper than the Corsair. I've never heard of the brand so I just overlooked it...but I will take it into consideration now

are you planning on some heavy overclocking?

Not at all. I'm not comfortable with overclocking because of warranty voids and the need for extra cooling  Plus I'm not sure how capable my friends (who will be doing the actual building of the computer) are at overclocking. Why's that?

Judging from what both of you have said about OCZ's recent decline, I think I'll keep away from them. I'd like as little hassle as possible.

If your not going to overclock there is no reason to get high speed memory. The difference in performance between running memory at 1066 and 2000 is very small in real world use. The main reason for getting high speed memory is it makes CPU overlocking easier in most cases. By default your system will run memory at 1066. If you get memory that has the XMP profile you can enable the profile and run the memory at higher speed at stock base clock aka CPU speed. In my testing its not worth it. I also found that XMP and overclocking do not like each other. I'm overclocking my i7 930 as far as it will go at stock voltage with all settings on auto except for CPU voltage. It seems that the CPU voltage is automatically increased as the Base clock is raised when the voltage is set to auto. When set to normal the voltage stays at stock settings. I would guess your GA-X58A-UD5 would be the same way? My system runs 100% stable at 166 base clock x 21 so 3.486 Ghz. EIST, Turbo, C1E all enabled. Ram running at DDR 1328 at 1.55 volts, 7-7-7-20-86-1T. I can't say for sure the memory I'm using will work on your GA-X58A-UD5 as I'm using a GA-X58A-UD3R. If the ram I'm running is way cheaper I'd think about trying it though. The kit part number I'm using is PV7312G1600ELK  see their website. http://www.patriotmemory.com/products/detailp.jsp?prodline=5&catid=76&prodgroupid=126&id=966&type=1 BTW Patriot has been around for a long time. In the last few years they have really come into their own. They have some very good products at reasonable prices for sure.

Other thoughts, I would get a better CPU cooler even if you are going to run stock speeds as the stock cooler is marginal at best.

Bill

[wishinstonez]

That is the same model I saw. Thanks for the link

Thanks for all the info. I didn't know that the higher speed was mainly for overclocking or that there was a very marginal difference. Though, most of the things I can find are written for enthusiasts and aimed at overclocking.

I'll have to do some more shopping around then. Who knows, the money I save on slower RAM could go towards more cooling

[Dark Mantis]

Other thoughts, I would get a better CPU cooler even if you are going to run stock speeds as the stock cooler is marginal at best.

 I would also go along with Bill's advice there on the stock cooler as they aren't really up to much. If you can afford it the third party replacement to go for is one of the Noctua series as they are very efficient and quiet.

The Patriot memory is fine just at the budget end of the market but it still works fine in most situations.

[Wonderwrench]

Here is a good article covering performance differences between different speeds of DDR3 on the 1366 i7 platform. Since this article is months old pay no attention to pricing as its way off. http://www.anandtech.com/show/2792

Bill

[wishinstonez]

one of the Noctua series as they are very efficient and quiet.

Thanks for the recommendation, they're only about $100 more so I think it will fit in the budget.

Here is a good article covering performance differences between different speeds of DDR3 on the 1366 i7 platform

It was a looong read but I do understand a lot more on the subject. Thanks.

I never realised choosing parts of a computer took so much into consideration. More shopping for me 

[Dark Mantis]

Yes a bit of careful checking up first can save a lot of time, money and heartache in the future.

[wishinstonez]

I think my questions have been answered (at least for the moment!). Thank you both so much 

[Wonderwrench]

I think my questions have been answered (at least for the moment!). Thank you both so much 

Your welcome! Let us know how your build works out and or if you have any more questions.

Bill

[wishinstonez]

Another question has popped into my mind!

When it says triple channel RAM. Does that mean I have to buy triple channel kits? Can I get 3 dual channel kits or 3/6 single channel kits instead?


Also, does anyone know if this particular motherboard has any issues with having all the ram slots taken up?

[Dark Mantis]

Another question has popped into my mind!

When it says triple channel RAM. Does that mean I have to buy triple channel kits? Can I get 3 dual channel kits or 3/6 single channel kits instead?


Also, does anyone know if this particular motherboard has any issues with having all the ram slots taken up?

No to make full use of the Triple Channel option you must buy three modules that have been sold by the manufacturer as a kit, not 3 x single modules.
As far as filling all the slots it is not a problem but as with all boards you will have to make manual adjustments to the settings to compensate for the extra load that is put on  the MCH.