Ram Help PLS (DDR3 vs DDR4) (For my pc build)

[soggytofu]

So, my friend says he has a core i5 6600 that he could sell to me. He also said he could throw in a bunch of extra ddr3 ram with the deal, all for 75 dollars. I was wondering if that ddr3 ram would be compatible with the core i5 6600, or would i need to buy ddr4 ram. It is not ddr3l ram either. If I can use the ddr3 ram, would i need to buy a certain motherboard, or would i need to lower the ram watt usage. I really dont know, so all the help i can get is a big thankyou.

Edit*

So will the ddr3 ram fry my cpu and motherboard if its not ddr3l?

THE RAM I WILL RECIEVE IS REGULAR DDR3

 

 

P.S.

What gpu should i get? In USD

Sapphire PULSE ITX rx 570 4 gb $180

PowerColor RED DRAGON rx 480 $180

MSI GTX 970 $140

[TetraSky]

That CPU is compatible with both DDR4 and DDR3.

As such, the RAM compatibility reside with the motherboard.

If he says it's DDR3, then the motherboard only support DDR3, it doesn't support DDR4. You'd be hard pressed to find a motherboard today that support multiple RAM standard.

 

If you want DDR4, you'll need to change the motherboard.

The small increase in performance, especially considering you'll be using a dedicated GPU, isn't even worth it. Stay on DDR3.

[TheKDub]

There are some H170 boards that support DDR3, so yes, you could use DDR3 with it.

 

All three are roughly the same performance wise, so whichever you can get cheapest or fits your preferences.

[LienusLateTips]

DDR3 isn't compatible.

1 minute ago, TetraSky said:

That CPU is compatible with both DDR4 and DDR3.

As such, the RAM compatibility reside with the motherboard.

If he says it's DDR3, then the motherboard only support DDR3, it doesn't support DDR4. You'd be hard pressed to find a motherboard today that support multiple RAM standard.

 

If you want DDR4, you'll need to change the motherboard.

It's DDR3L that's compatible, not DDR3. DDR3L runs at similar voltage as DDR4; using DDR3 may fry the CPU.

[Crunchy Dragon]

-Moved to CPUs, Motherboards, and Memory-

[soggytofu]

Yeah, so will ddr3 fry the cpu? And if so, is there a way to decrease the ram watt usage to a certain level for it to be compatible?

[TetraSky]

30 minutes ago, soggytofu said:

Yeah, so will ddr3 fry the cpu? And if so, is there a way to decrease the ram watt usage to a certain level for it to be compatible?

DDR3L exist so just get that if you're afraid of burning it and want to be sure it will be compatible.

 

Now everything in the spoiler below is really what you "could do" and not what you "should do", use only as information and not as advice

Spoiler

 

DDR3 may run just fine, contrary to what the other poster said, it's really down to the support on the motherboard itself, even if the CPU "officially" only support DDR3L.

Just that the memory controller on that CPU is limited to 1.35V, hence if you put in "normal" DDR3 instead of DDR3L(Really the same thing, the L stand for Low Voltage), you'll have to downclock the RAM a little so that it goes from 1.5V to 1.35V. (The bios will likely do this by itself, if not it's easy to do it)
Give this a read if you want to learn more.

 

This is somewhat like how CPUs used to only officially support RAM up to 1.5V, but manufacturers made RAM sticks that were 1.65V and you could overclock it to reach said voltage, did it burn CPUs? Nope...

I also can't find a single mention of a CPU's memory controller having been burned out due to using higher voltage DDR3 over DDR3L, online.

This might be a bigger issue on a laptop, where the CPU isn't adequately cooled, but on a desktop, the memory controller on the CPU should be able to handle the higher voltage just fine with the better cooling it gets.

That said, it's all down to the motherboard support. If the manufacturer decided to prevent RAM above 1.35V from working, the system will simply reject the RAM and not even POST. Hence, unless you have a bunch of DDR3 on hands already to try it out, do not go out and buy some.

Just get DDR3L if you do not have any DDR3 at the moment.

(And in the unlikely scenario that the CPU "does" burn out, it wouldn't happen straight away, it would be months, maybe years from now, so you're free to try it out if you have some spare DDR3 on you)

 

But hey, better safe than sorry, if you have the option, get DDR3L.

[soggytofu]

Yeah, thanksTetraSky

BTW, he said he like 20+ sticks of ddr3 ram if i were to buy, so i dont think there will be a problem if i need to test out ram