Best 4GB/8GB RAM solution for GA-MA790X-UD3P

[Bisonator]

Hi All

I'm getting blue screens with my current rig which is this:

GA-MA790X-UD3P
AMD Phenom II X4 940 @ 3GHz
and was using 4GB Crucial Ballistix (2 x 2GB, Ballistix 240-pin DIMM, DDR2 PC2-6400 memory module BL25664AA80A)
ATI Radeon 5700 series
Samsung SDD MMCRE64G5MXP-0VB SATA
NEC DVD_RW ND-3540A

I have narrowed it down to the RAM by swapping out DIMMS until I get the machine running but I need to get a new set of RAM. I've found the Crucial Ballistix RAM to have really poor reliability and it just seems to become faulty really quickly. This is the second set I've had as my previous, slightly older model Ballistix also went bad. So needless to say, I want to steer clear of that again!

What I'm looking for is some suggestions which balance performance with price for 4GB and perhaps an 8GB setup. The memory compatibility sheet falls short of listing the sort of thing I would be after and doesn't really show much variety.

I'd like to get the fastest memory speed possible to go with my CPU and mobo combination and have at least 4GB, maybe 8GB if I can afford it and take advantage of the faster speeds with all DIMM slots full on this mobo.

Any suggestions/advice would be greatly appreciated!

B

[absic]

Hi there,

I've used both of the following kits on numerous Gigabyte AMD motherboards and with various Phenom, Phenom ii & Athlon CPU's without any problems.

http://www.scan.co.uk/products/4gb-(2x2gb)-corsair-xms3-classic-ddr3-pc3-10666-(1333)-non-ecc-unbuffered-cas-9-9-9-24-150v

http://www.scan.co.uk/products/8gb-(4x2gb)-corsairxms3-ddr3-pc3-10666-(1333)-240-pin-non-ecc-unbuffered-cas-9-9-9-24

links are for Scan UK but that's only because I'm lazy and can't be bothered to trawl the net to see if they can be bought for less.

[Bisonator]

Hi absic

Thanks for your quick reply!

I thought my mobo could only take DDR2. Will it also accept DDR3 then?

Also, on the compatibility chart, it says:

'Note: Due to AMD AM3/AM2+ CPU limitation, memory module DDR2 1066 or above speed is only supported by 1 dimm per channel.'

Does this not apply to my hardware combination?

Cheers

B

[Dark Mantis]

I have narrowed it down to the RAM by swapping out DIMMS until I get the machine running but I need to get a new set of RAM. I've found the Crucial Ballistix RAM to have really poor reliability and it just seems to become faulty really quickly. This is the second set I've had as my previous, slightly older model Ballistix also went bad. So needless to say, I want to steer clear of that again!

Are you overclocking the machine at all?
I just find it unusual that the Crucial memory has falllen over on you a couple of times now and it is normally very good quality and stable.

[Bisonator]

@ DM

No overclocking at all. Just running stock speeds and let the mobo detect memory speeds. The RAM did work fine and although I've not changed anything in bios/setup, it's just appears to have become faulty.

B

[absic]

Sorry my bad didn't double check your motherboard before posting!!!!
That will teach me to look before leaping!

DDR2 is getting harder to find but this kit will be OK

http://www.scan.co.uk/products/4gb-(2x2gb)-corsair-twinx-xms2-ddr2-pc2-6400-(800)-240-pins-non-ecc-unbufferedcas-5-5-5-18

[Bisonator]

Thanks to absic for his help and advice via PM.  

I am going to purchase one set of this (as he recommended from scan.co.uk - just at a slightly better price from here):

http://www.lambda-tek.com/componentshop/index.pl?prodID=1760740

I should receive delivery by Tues at the latest, so I'll post my results once it's in my PC.

Cheers

B

[absic]

Pleased to have been able to help and apologies once again for my earlier mistake.