RAM

[Khârn the Betrayer]

So I'm wanting new RAM as I only have 8GB. My mate told me about this site: http://uk.crucial.com/gbr/en and I downloaded their little .exe to scan my PC to find which RAM is compatible.

For 8GB RAM the site shows 2 options that are compatible:

I guess what I'm wondering is, can I just buy either of these then stick it in or is there more to it?

Would it be better to try find the EXACT same RAM that I already have?

 

[ᴰᴳᴺ Church of KFC]

So I'm wanting new RAM as I only have 8GB. My mate told me about this site: http://uk.crucial.com/gbr/en and I downloaded their little .exe to scan my PC to find which RAM is compatible.

For 8GB RAM the site shows 2 options that are compatible:

I guess what I'm wondering is, can I just buy either of these then stick it in or is there more to it?

Would it be better to try find the EXACT same RAM that I already have?

I believe I have mixed ram, so it should work. As long as it's compatible with your Mobo then it should fit right in.

Correct me if I'm wrong though, tech experts.

I'd recommend waiting until somebody else who knows a bit more about PC's comes along, to get in a sense a, "second opinion", but IMO I'm pretty sure this'll work just fine.

 

[OG buckshot jr]

OK, this is way easier than you think it is. That said, there are still some things you need to know:

1. Fuck compatibility tools: 99% of ram will work in any system. The real differences are server ram VS regular-man ram (ECC vs non-ECC)

2. When buying ram, buy in pairs so they will work in dual-channel. If you buy fucked up, different pairs they will run like shit (single-channel), and if they are different speeds both will default to the slower of the two.

3. Don't get all gaga and spend 200 quid on 'super-fast ram' - tighter (lower number) timings are more important than top speed (mhz). Now a days, 85% of ram is already speedy enough, it's all about finding quality timings (lower numbers) from a quality vendor, and on sale.

What's your current ram setup? How many sticks, how much ram, speed, etc. And what do you want to move to?

You should also know what 8gb is plenty and unless you're running vm's, you won't utilize even HALF of that.

Holler.

 

[Khârn the Betrayer]

What's your current ram setup? How many sticks, how much ram, speed, etc. And what do you want to move to?

Alright, I hope these can answer most of those. Only got the 1 8GB stick.

Spoiler

That said, I can always just shut down quickly and take off the side panel and pull out the stick to see what's on it if I need to.

Honestly I'm not quite sure what I want to move to, I thought it would just be a case of getting another 8GB stick that's compatible and sticking it in so some of my games can run a bit smoother..

 

[OG buckshot jr]

Yup, 1x8gb @1333mhz is what you have. If you get another 1333mhz stick (no matter the size), the two will be running in dual channel and that should help some. But don't expect any crazy changes....

Edit: make sure you plug it in the right spot on your board. Most boards have four slots: A1, A2, B1 and B2. For proper dual-channel [preferred] functionality and speed, most boards will ask you use either A1 and B1 (therefore a gap of one slot between the sticks of ram), or B1 and B2. In some cases, the board will even go so far as to recommend that using the A2 and B2 slots is more optimal than using the A1 and B1 slots, like I realized my board does.

The booklet that came with motherboard will tell you that, and if it doesn't or your board is part of an OEM computer, just use A1 and B1.

 

[Khârn the Betrayer]

That site I linked says "Standard DDR3 240-pin DIMMs are currently available in PC3-8500 (DDR3 1066MHz) and PC3-10600 (DDR3 1333MHz) speeds."

Is it only PC3-10600 that is 1333MHz or is it that plus anything higher, like the 2 on the site that are PC3-12800 and PC3-14900?

 

[OG buckshot jr]

That site I linked says "Standard DDR3 240-pin DIMMs are currently available in PC3-8500 (DDR3 1066MHz) and PC3-10600 (DDR3 1333MHz) speeds."

Is it only PC3-10600 that is 1333MHz or is it that plus anything higher, like the 2 on the site that are PC3-12800 and PC3-14900?

When looking at the naming conversion, know this, by example:

Pc3-10600 1333mhz.
The 10600 denotes bandwidth, in MB/s, and the 1333mhz is the actual speed. They are always standard; the bandwidth is a consequence of the speed.

When shopping, focus on the speed (i.e. 1333mhz, and timings: Cl10, Cl9, etc.

 

[$alvador]

I posted a small novel here about the benefits of NB tweaking for AM3+ socket, it's pretty much necessary to do that if you want to unlock the potential out of your RAM. RAM is a quirky thing so if you mix two different types of modules one of them could fail to run even if the specs match, at the very least the stick you buy needs to be able to run at the same voltage and timing numbers of your original stick. Cheapest option would just be to buy a 2x 4GB set. 8GB total memory is a good match for your system, if you're running anything that actually needs more then it will more than likely crush your system even if you had double the RAM.

 

[AAA]

The suggested RAM from the application is not the best, your MB only supports 1333mhz ram at best. Getting 1600mhz ram will still work but, youre overpaying for things youll never use or even notice.
Since the other stick is rated 1333mhz, the new stick will either match it or your mb will slow down both sticks to a slower speed to make them match.
You have only have 2 slots, so you cant really plug it in the wrong slots.

as buckshot said, adding RAM wont show any benefits in smoother gameplay unless youre already maxing it out, but if you choose to do so, DDR3 1333mhz CL9 would be the best choice. keep in mind your board only supports up to 16gb ram max aswell

 

[Glocky]

So I'm wanting new RAM as I only have 8GB.

Other than wanting new RAM, what need are you trying to address?


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[Khârn the Betrayer]

OK, this is way easier than you think it is.

I hate my brain

Other than wanting new RAM, what need are you trying to address?


Sent from my SGH-1337M (Samsung S4) using Tapatalk

I was talking to a friend of mine about Dying Light and mentioned how at some points my frames aren't too great. He knows a bit about PC's, has built his own and makes websites and that kinda shit. He said that if I want to have my game run smoother I should get some more RAM. I must admit I'm not really too great at looking after my machines, I remember when I first got this 1 and it would be fast to start up, but as I gradually filled it's HDD it would get a bit slower and slower. I do take the side panel off and then to clean the fans and dust that eventually gets inside and sits at the bottom of the tower now and then, run scans that delete temp and other shit I don't need. Although I have no idea if this would help speed things up, maybe I should get another HDD?

 

[OG buckshot jr]

Best upgrades for the money and real-world speed difference:
1. SDD
2. GPU
3. CPU
In your case having a second stick of ram will help in that it will enable your ram to perform in dual channel mode, but that will net you 1-2 fps max. Seriously.

If fps drops at some points, either your gpu is getting nailed or your CPU is getting nailed. SDD will not help fps either, really, but will help loading, and will prevent fps from dropping as much as it may now when you hit a scene where lots is going on. That said, biggest help will be CPU/gpu.

Unfortunately for you, this is not a simple thing to address, otherwise gamers like me wouldn't have spent the money we did on good parts.

 

[Glocky]

Is your RAM using all 8GB when you're playing Dying Light? If it's not maxing the 8GB, then adding more will likely do little to nothing.

Changing to better RAM (faster doesn't seem to be possible here if your mobo is limited to 1333Mhz), i.e. lower CAS latency to reduce the overall latency might improve your minimum frames, if the following 4 (four) conditions are all met:
- game is CPU demanding, multi-player, latency is equivalent or better (not CAS latency, true latency) & not cpu/gpu bottlenecked

So in the case of your current RAM, it is 1333CL9 at it's best profile, has a CAS latency in nanoseconds (ns) of 6.752 ns. 1333CL8 = 6.002ns (-11.11%), 1333CL7 = 5.251ns (-22.22%) So as you can see, only small gains in latency without any increase in bandwidth, which again, will only help you if your RAM is not maxed/full during game play in a CPU demanding game.

Putting all the theoretical aside, when you are playing Dying Light what have you measured (instead of just observed)?
Some suggested things:
FPS: min, max, avg
GPU: load, temps, volts
CPU: load, temps, volts
RAM: load

MSI afterburner will give you most of this.

Upgrading your RAM (more RAM) will only help if you see FPS drops when your RAM is at 100% or near 100% load). I love getting new shiny things, but I also love knowing I got the right shiny things.

If your game stutters despite all of the above being fine, it could be loading from your HDD and BJJ's suggestion for a SSD upgrade could fix that.

Gaming is all about min/maxing - identifying the chokepoints and eliminating them for the least amount of money.

 

[OG buckshot jr]

Case in point - don't buy ram. Either overclock your cpu/gpu or look towards getting better shit. Don't waste money on RAM, 8GB is plenty.

 

[HappySticks™]

I got the 8GB Kingston HyperX RAM when it was on sale ($60 I think). It is more then I need. I wouldn't know what to do with more then 8GB.

 

[$alvador]

yep 8GB can handle a lot of shit. me currently link. running two eve clients (1GB each), a VM and chrome with a dozen tabs open

 

[MetalLobster]

I'll link a couple videos later today supporting most of what everyone has said here.

I read somewhere that getting 1 x 8GB performs better than 2 x 4GB. That is not true, they perform the same. Also, in the rare chance that you have to RMA a stick and don't have any spare RAM, you can still use your PC on 1 stick over none.

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk

 

[Khârn the Betrayer]

Alright, at the the risk of repeating myself I do have a friend that works in IT. I'm going to pester the shit out of him and get him to look over this thread and try help me find what I need and I'll post here again after he's shown me some shit for you guys to look over if that's cool, may not be till the weekend though.

And holy shit am I glad I posted here first and didn't just go ahead buy some RAM. Thanks very much everyone.

 

[OG buckshot jr]

Another win for our tech section

 

[Glocky]

Borg collective

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