cheap, reliable, overclockable memory

[patrickjp93]

So I'm hunting for a nice cheap set of RAM I can overclock for a tide-me-over AMD machine until Knight's Landing comes out.

 

http://pcpartpicker.com/user/patrickjp93/saved/4FrmP6 I'd like the RAM to not break $85 considering in 2 years it's going bye-bye, but I won't be too bummed if the consensus is in favor of that.

[Rheinwasser]

why do you need to overclock it?

[piggykid1]

http://pcpartpicker.com/parts/memory/#L=30,90&Z=8192001,8192002,8192004&R=5,4&sort=a10

 

pick from how I have it sorted all RAM here is good

 

Go for the RAM that has more than 10 or 15 ratings

[patrickjp93]

why do you need to overclock it?

Because I know the AMD APUs benefit nicely from 1866 and 2133 speeds, and the purpose is to run some multi-GB dataset spreadsheets and watch some HD video in 1080p or 1920x1200 native, and I've seen reports from people saying the vids choke at just 1600

[TheSLSAMG]

Knight's Landing is for the Xeon Phi add in card.

 

Also, RAM overclocking is hit or miss. Maybe some G.Skill Ripjaws or Sniper?

[patrickjp93]

Knight's Landing is for the Xeon Phi add in card.

 

Also, RAM overclocking is hit or miss. Maybe some G.Skill Ripjaws or Sniper?

That's not all it's for. Intel is also headed for full heterogeneous architecture. RealWorldTech has a nice article on it.

 

Also, I know RAM often doesn't do multi-tier overclocking, but isn't it now the statistical norm they can jump at least 1 tier (1600 -1866)?

[Faceman]

Because I know the AMD APUs benefit nicely from 1866 and 2133 speeds, and the purpose is to run some multi-GB dataset spreadsheets and watch some HD video in 1080p or 1920x1200 native, and I've seen reports from people saying the vids choke at just 1600

I would go for 2133 or more for an APU.

 

Here is some G.Skill 2400Mhz 10-12-12-31, 1.65v RAM for $75

 

2400Mhz at CL10 is pretty darn good.

 

Here is some G.Skill 2133Mhz 9-11-10-28, 1.65v RAM for $87

[TheSLSAMG]

That's not all it's for. Intel is also headed for full heterogeneous architecture. RealWorldTech has a nice article on it.

I shall read it.

[patrickjp93]

I would go for 2133 or more for an APU.

 

Here is some G.Skill 2400Mhz 10-12-12-31, 1.65v RAM for $75

 

2400Mhz at CL10 is pretty darn good.

 

Here is some G.Skill 2133Mhz 9-11-10-28, 1.65v RAM for $87

When boards say they support 2400OC, 2600OC, etc., does that mean you can drop in a stick of 2400 rated and adjust the CPU's timings, or does it mean you must overclock a set of 2133 up to that speed? That's one question I haven't found an answer to in my travels of the interwebz.

[patrickjp93]

I shall read it.

It's a good read. Intel may very well be looking to smash AMD out of the graphics market completely by implementing a (very) large die and putting 3 TFLOPs onboard, which would also seriously threaten Nvidia. It's a tiled/woven core setup which is pretty strange to the eye, but supposedly just as easily programmed.

[Priller]

Ripjaws Z

2400 CL10 $74.99

10-12-12-31  1.65V

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231585

 

 

 

Trident X 

2400 CL10 $84.99

10-12-12-31 1.65V

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231587

[Faceman]

@patrickjp93

 

Honestly, at around $750, I would not go for an APU.  I don't know what the machine is being used for, but here is a rough draft.

 

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/k2qBhM
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/k2qBhM/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($189.99 @ Micro Center)
Motherboard: MSI Z87-G41 PC Mate ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($66.50 @ Newegg)
Memory: A-Data XPG V1.0 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($68.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: A-Data Premier Pro SP600 128GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($64.99 @ TigerDirect)
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon R9 280 3GB TurboDuo Video Card  ($199.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Cougar Solution (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case  ($37.99 @ Mwave)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 600W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply  ($37.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24F1ST DVD/CD Writer  ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Monitor: AOC i2267Fw 60Hz 22.0" Monitor  ($129.99 @ B&H)
Total: $811.42
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-06-13 19:50 EDT-0400

 

 

When boards say they support 2400OC, 2600OC, etc., does that mean you can drop in a stick of 2400 rated and adjust the CPU's timings, or does it mean you must overclock a set of 2133 up to that speed? That's one question I haven't found an answer to in my travels of the interwebz.

Yes, if it doesn't go to 2400Mhz automatically, you will be able to go into the BIOS and set it manually.  This is not an overclock, you're just setting it to its rated speeds.

[ForsakenLive]

Adata memory is cheap and very solid, the XPG versions are known to have quite nice OC capabilities

[patrickjp93]

EDIT: Question was answered.

[patrickjp93]

Adata memory is cheap and very solid, the XPG versions are known to have quite nice OC capabilities

Yeah I looked at the XPGs which seem to be out of stock all over the world. Very popular I guess!

[patrickjp93]

@patrickjp93

 

Honestly, at around $750, I would not go for an APU.  I don't know what the machine is being used for, but here is a rough draft.

 

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/k2qBhM

Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/k2qBhM/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($189.99 @ Micro Center)

Motherboard: MSI Z87-G41 PC Mate ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($66.50 @ Newegg)

Memory: A-Data XPG V1.0 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($68.99 @ Amazon)

Storage: A-Data Premier Pro SP600 128GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($64.99 @ TigerDirect)

Video Card: PowerColor Radeon R9 280 3GB TurboDuo Video Card  ($199.99 @ Newegg)

Case: Cougar Solution (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case  ($37.99 @ Mwave)

Power Supply: Corsair Builder 600W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply  ($37.99 @ Newegg)

Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24F1ST DVD/CD Writer  ($14.99 @ Newegg)

Monitor: AOC i2267Fw 60Hz 22.0" Monitor  ($129.99 @ B&H)

Total: $811.42

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-06-13 19:50 EDT-0400

 

 

Yes, if it doesn't go to 2400Mhz automatically, you will be able to go into the BIOS and set it manually.  This is not an overclock, you're just setting it to its rated speeds.

It's a general-purpose machine meant for doing moderate officework and Excel Solver computing (on ~4-8GB size data sets), watching HD movies, hosting web conferences, and surfing the internet. I'd think an APU be pretty much perfect.

 

Also, I'm keeping the old Lian-Li ATX case and the brand new PC Power and Cooling 1250 modular PSU (one of two 11-year-old beasts finally died), so no need for the case or PSU. I actually had 2 of those monitors shipped to me DOA oddly enough.

[Faceman]

It's a general-purpose machine meant for doing moderate officework and Excel Solver computing (on ~4-8GB size data sets), watching HD movies, hosting web conferences, and surfing the internet.

Do you want to overclock?

[patrickjp93]

Do you want to overclock?

In case the owner isn't quite satisfied with performance out of the box (he is a property casualty actuary whose last rig was built in 2002 and was a dual-gpu, 32-bit machine which still scores in the 65th percentile of benchmarks), let's keep overclocking an option.

[patrickjp93]

 

 

 

Yes, if it doesn't go to 2400Mhz automatically, you will be able to go into the BIOS and set it manually.  This is not an overclock, you're just setting it to its rated speeds.

But what I mean is, can you drop in a 2400 stick and change BIOS, or must you overclock a 2133 stick and change BIOS?

[patrickjp93]

EDIT: ACK! Wish I could delete posts (can you...?).

 

May as well make this useful...

This is absolutely light-weight on graphics. As long as the display is driven (his eyesight is not the best, so I'll stick with the Dell 1920x1200 IPS display) and there is enough good performance here until he can build a true decade-long rig in 2016-17 based on cannonlake/knight's landing, that's all he needs. Also, everything optical is moving to DVD and Blu-Ray. I haven't seen a game or an OS come on a true CD since Windows 7 64-bit Home. In fact my Chanticleer Christmas CD is actually a DVD disk.

[Faceman]

In case the owner isn't quite satisfied with performance out of the box (he is a property casualty actuary whose last rig was built in 2002 and was a dual-gpu, 32-bit machine which still scores in the 65th percentile of benchmarks), let's keep overclocking an option.

Based on the intended use of the machine, you can pay a lot less, and get very good performance, here is an "overkill" build.

 

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/PdjNgs

Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/PdjNgs/by_merchant/

CPU: AMD FX-8320 3.5GHz 8-Core Processor  ($143.99 @ NCIX US)

CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler  ($29.98 @ OutletPC)

Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-990FXA-UD3 ATX AM3+ Motherboard  ($114.00 @ Newegg)

Memory: A-Data XPG V1.0 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($68.99 @ Amazon)

Storage: A-Data Premier Pro SP600 128GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($64.99 @ Amazon)

Video Card: PowerColor Radeon R9 270X 2GB TurboDuo Video Card  ($154.99 @ NCIX US)

Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24F1ST DVD/CD Writer  ($14.99 @ Newegg)

Monitor: Asus VS239H-P 23.0" Monitor  ($155.43 @ Amazon) <-- I personally own this monitor and it is gorgeous!

Total: $747.36

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-06-13 20:03 EDT-0400

 

But what I mean is, can you drop in a 2400 stick and change BIOS, or must you overclock a 2133 stick and change BIOS?

I'm not sure what you're asking, can you reword the question differently please?  If you drop a 2133Mhz stick in, but want it to run at 2400, that would require overclocking. 

[patrickjp93]

 

 

I'm not sure what you're asking, can you reword the question differently please?  If you drop a 2133Mhz stick in, but want it to run at 2400, that would require overclocking. 

The question is about board specification. I know boards which say 2400/2600/2800 support sticks of those speeds, but what I'm not sure on is boards which say 2400-OC/2600-OC/2800-OC such as the Asrock board in my linked build. http://pcpartpicker.com/user/patrickjp93/saved/4FrmP6

Does the OC tag mean a stick of base speed 2400 is supported with just a BIOS adjustment, or does it mean a stick of 2133 must be overclocked to 2400?

[patrickjp93]

Based on the intended use of the machine, you can pay a lot less, and get very good performance, here is an "overkill" build.

 

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/PdjNgs

Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/PdjNgs/by_merchant/

CPU: AMD FX-8320 3.5GHz 8-Core Processor  ($143.99 @ NCIX US)

CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler  ($29.98 @ OutletPC)

Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-990FXA-UD3 ATX AM3+ Motherboard  ($114.00 @ Newegg)

Memory: A-Data XPG V1.0 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($68.99 @ Amazon)

Storage: A-Data Premier Pro SP600 128GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($64.99 @ Amazon)

Video Card: PowerColor Radeon R9 270X 2GB TurboDuo Video Card  ($154.99 @ NCIX US)

Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24F1ST DVD/CD Writer  ($14.99 @ Newegg)

Monitor: Asus VS239H-P 23.0" Monitor  ($155.43 @ Amazon) <-- I personally own this monitor and it is gorgeous!

Total: $747.36

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-06-13 20:03 EDT-0400\

Why go for such a massively overkill card when an APU alone can do everything he needs? Even R7 is arguably massive overkill for less than a 2K display. Why not get rid of the extra wattage and price and just go with the APU?

I apologize if I seem confrontational. Working on my Master's has made me ask "why" so much it's now ingrained. I can't even take experts' words for it anymore it's gotten so bad.

 

EDIT: Is the monitor Matte or glossy? His "office" is in a room with a bay window which faces the setting sun pretty much dead on. Glossy would be bad.

[Priller]

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/PDCFK8

Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/PDCFK8/by_merchant/

 

CPU: AMD FX-8320 3.5GHz 8-Core Processor  ($143.99 @ NCIX US) 

CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler  ($29.98 @ OutletPC) 

Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-990FXA-UD3 ATX AM3+ Motherboard  ($114.00 @ Newegg) 

Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws Z Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2400 Memory  ($74.99 @ Newegg) 

Storage: Crucial MX100 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($107.99 @ Amazon) 

Video Card: HIS Radeon R9 280 3GB IceQ OC Video Card  ($189.99 @ Amazon) 

Monitor: Asus VS239H-P 23.0" Monitor  ($155.43 @ Amazon) 

Total: $816.37

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-06-13 20:20 EDT-0400

 

 

Massive overkill but I put on better ram, bigger SSD, and a better GPU.

[patrickjp93]

 

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/PDCFK8

Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/PDCFK8/by_merchant/

 

CPU: AMD FX-8320 3.5GHz 8-Core Processor  ($143.99 @ NCIX US) 

CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler  ($29.98 @ OutletPC) 

Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-990FXA-UD3 ATX AM3+ Motherboard  ($114.00 @ Newegg) 

Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws Z Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2400 Memory  ($74.99 @ Newegg) 

Storage: Crucial MX100 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($107.99 @ Amazon) 

Video Card: HIS Radeon R9 280 3GB IceQ OC Video Card  ($189.99 @ Amazon) 

Monitor: Asus VS239H-P 23.0" Monitor  ($155.43 @ Amazon) 

Total: $816.37

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-06-13 20:20 EDT-0400

 

 

Massive overkill but I put on better ram, bigger SSD, and a better GPU.

I do very much like the monitor options you guys have brought up. If only Dell wasn't the ONLY company providing height adjustment at these price points... And that's really just a bonus, I know, but the security is nice. 

 

Well, I've gotten resounding consensus to go for G.Skill Ripjaws and or Trident, so I shall hunt for deals. Thanks guys! I'll stick with the APU since it's just a 2-year tide-over and we have the liquid cooling parts available to shove the Kaveri up to 4.6 GHz (Friend has an extra EK Waterblock and some Indigo TIM) anyway, but thanks for the input! Will try the monitor too!