Hi! I've been on the fence to upgrading my pretty new i7 rig for a while, mostly because im such a geek :D I'm still not 100% on upgrading as my current comp is handling fsx pretty good. But lets say I were to upgrade...I'm looking at a i5 2500K and an Asus P8P67 Deluxe B3, both seem to be handling the FSXMARK11 pretty fantastic. Right now I have 3x2GB Mushkin Redline RAM at 1600 6-8-6-24, which I am very satisified with; but if I were to go Sandy Bridge, would 3 sticks work? Or would I have to drop one stick and in that case would 4GB be sufficient for flying complex demanding planes like the PMDG 747X/MD11 in FSX on win7 64? If no on both accounts, what is your advice to me? Should I buy a 2x4GB kit? I've been looking at mushkins Dual Kits and I haven't been able to find any with a low timing, most are CL8-9. I've been taught that timings were important to the stability and smoothness of FSX, is this still true with SB?Thanks in advance

You can´t use your 3x2 GB sticks. You´ll have to buy new ones cause SB is Dual Channel and what you currently have is Tripple Channel. The best would be to get 2x2 GB and check whether they fit your demand. If not, you can get another pair, too.

Timings still rule.I have said before I would have only bought 4GB RAM but they only had 8GB available. However in retrospect and to remove all doubt and debate, I would recommend 8GB. 4GB would work fine for FSX alone but there are games and applications that do benefit from more than 4GB, and neither you nor I want to lose sleep wondering if my 4GB is holding me back.I would do it this way, you only ideally want to run two-sticks. If I was tight on cash I would run with my existing. If I had the money I would upgrade.I am not brand dedicated, Mushkin are great, Gskill are great, Corsair, Crucial. Patriot e.t.c. name brand is important. I look for timing and speed. These are fine if you have to have Mushkin http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820226178 but I prefer these http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231431

You can´t use your 3x2 GB sticks. You´ll have to buy new ones cause SB is Dual Channel and what you currently have is Tripple Channel. The best would be to get 2x2 GB and check whether they fit your demand. If not, you can get another pair, too.

That's incorrect: The RAM sticks are identical. The only dfference between double channel and triple channel is the memory kits are sold with either 2 or 3 memory sticks, respectively, per kit.Cheers,- jahman.

That's incorrect: The RAM sticks are identical. The only dfference between double channel and triple channel is the memory kits are sold with either 2 or 3 memory sticks, respectively, per kit.Cheers,- jahman.

Thanks for that. It´s allways good to lean a bit!

That's incorrect: The RAM sticks are identical. The only dfference between double channel and triple channel is the memory kits are sold with either 2 or 3 memory sticks, respectively, per kit.Cheers,- jahman.

That's for sure...you could go with four of your Mushkin, except they don't make them anymore. SpiritFlyer uses four in his rig. Maybe some kind soul is willing to trade four of his dual channel for your triple channel set...

You can´t use your 3x2 GB sticks. You´ll have to buy new ones cause SB is Dual Channel and what you currently have is Tripple Channel. The best would be to get 2x2 GB and check whether they fit your demand. If not, you can get another pair, too.

Any good ram you can recommend if my goal is to overclock the 2500k to 5ghz? Do they have to be 1.5v-sticks?

Or you can (temporarily) use all 3 sticks. Lower 4GB in dual channel and upper 2GB in single channel

Or you can (temporarily) use all 3 sticks. Lower 4GB in dual channel and upper 2GB in single channel

How about buying G.Skill Ripjaw 2000Mhz Cl9 DDR3 2x4Gb, downclocking it to 1600Mhz, 1.5V and 7-7-7-24? Or will it have any impact to performance versus, lets say a Corsair XMS3 1600Mhz (2x4Gb) CL9? Am I worrying to much about the RAM lol? EDIT: Btw, if I were to buy the G.Skill RAM, is "downvolting" them from the stock 1.55V really necessary? Whats the highest safe temp for the RAM?

Just perusing through newegg, here are the sets of memory I would currently consider. I'm still not sure if higher bandwidth is more important. FPS testing shows it is, however some around here claim that low latency reduces stutters. I'm a big fan of Mushkin. Try to get sticks as close to what you plan to run as possible. You don't want to get your memory only to find out it won't OC to what you had in mind.2133MHz CL9http://www.newegg.co...N82E16820231435my preference --> http://www.newegg.co...N82E168202262001600MHz CL7http://www.newegg.co...N82E16820226203my preference --> http://www.newegg.co...N82E16820231431http://www.newegg.co...N82E16820226201

Thanks for all the answers. Performance memory is rare where I live (Sweden), that coupled with the fact that my NH-D14 isn't the most forgiving to RAM leaves me only 2 kits (the only ones being sold here, and that fit and are of interest to me): A Mushkin 2x4GB 1600Mhz @ CL7 kit, and a G.Skill Sniper 2x4Gb 1600Mhz @ CL7 Kit, the Mushkin being 25EUR cheaper. Should I go for the cheapest? EDIT: These are the ones I'm talking about:G.Skill Sniper F3-12800CL7D-8GBSR vsMushkin Enhanced Redline 996981

In today's market we don't see Rams with timing like 2000MHz 7-7-7-21 or 1600MHz 6-6-6-18 anymore so what you need to look for is the highest MHz with the lowest CL.In your case 1600MHz @ 7-7-7-21 will give you better result compare to 2133MHz at 9-9-9-27 and I'm talking about FSX here, now if you have some 2133MHz that you can overclock @ 8-8-8-24 (yes lower CL from default is overclocking) it will be better but it's not a sure thing, you have to buy the rams and try it, it's a hit and miss situation.You'r asking about two set of rams at CL-7, what are the other numbers? Look for the lowest numbers...7-8-7-22 will be better than 7-9-8-23.I can ear you all getting ready to jump on me about the fact that you will not notice any difference in FSX between this and that....there is a reason why rams with a higher MHz and a lower CL cost more money, it's called performance.There is also the debate about $ vs performance, is it a good thing to spend $100.00 more on rams at 2133MHz with a lower latency when you can get the same 2133MHz with a higher CL for $100.00 less....only your wallet can tell you that.Here for whom ever would like to play.....$325.00 per stick......:Applause: Dominator® GT — 2GB DDR3 Memory (CMGTX4)Dominator® GT is the ultimate performance memory solution within the Dominator product line. Limited to only extremely high memory speeds, Corsair Dominator GT only uses highly screened IC’s to guarantee performance and over-clockability. Using ultra efficient Dual-path Heat Xchange (DHX) cooling technology, Dominator GT DDR2 and DDR3 memory modules also ship with the Airflow Fan to maximize heat transfer away from the modules—all the while being stable and reliable. With removable heat sinks, Corsair Dominator GT DDR3 and DDR2 memory modules can even be outfitted with additional upcoming accessories with enhanced features.SPD Latency: 9-9-9-24 Tested Latency: 9-11-10-30 Memory Type: DDR3 Speed Rating: PC3-20260 (2533MHz) Tested Speed: 2533Mhz

How about these: G.Skill 2000Mhz @CL9, could they be OC'd to maybe 1600Mhz and 7-7-7-24 @ less than 1.6V? They cost almost the same as the other two I showed, are they better?

How about these: G.Skill 2000Mhz @CL9, could they be OC'd to maybe 1600Mhz and 7-7-7-24 @ less than 1.6V? They cost almost the same as the other two I showed, are they better?

Here this is what you are looking for, no need to OC them..... http://www.newegg.co...N82E16820231444If you want more MHz this is what you are looking for http://www.newegg.co...N82E16820148372What's with the 1.6v or less?? Always run the rams at the default voltage if no OC, 1.5v, 1.6v or 1.65v, what ever they are rated at.If you know somebody who can ship them to you from the state these will be a better choice compare to what you showed us.First set will be better.

In today's market we don't see Rams with timing like 2000MHz 7-7-7-21 or 1600MHz 6-6-6-18 anymore so what you need to look for is the highest MHz with the lowest CL.In your case 1600MHz @ 7-7-7-21 will give you better result compare to 2133MHz at 9-9-9-27 and I'm talking about FSX here, now if you have some 2133MHz that you can overclock @ 8-8-8-24 (yes lower CL from default is overclocking) it will be better but it's not a sure thing, you have to buy the rams and try it, it's a hit and miss situation.You'r asking about two set of rams at CL-7, what are the other numbers? Look for the lowest numbers...7-8-7-22 will be better than 7-9-8-23.I can ear you all getting ready to jump on me about the fact that you will not notice any difference in FSX between this and that....there is a reason why rams with a higher MHz and a lower CL cost more money, it's called performance.There is also the debate about $ vs performance, is it a good thing to spend $100.00 more on rams at 2133MHz with a lower latency when you can get the same 2133MHz with a higher CL for $100.00 less....only your wallet can tell you that.Here for whom ever would like to play.....$325.00 per stick......:Applause: Dominator® GT — 2GB DDR3 Memory (CMGTX4)Dominator® GT is the ultimate performance memory solution within the Dominator product line. Limited to only extremely high memory speeds, Corsair Dominator GT only uses highly screened IC’s to guarantee performance and over-clockability. Using ultra efficient Dual-path Heat Xchange (DHX) cooling technology, Dominator GT DDR2 and DDR3 memory modules also ship with the Airflow Fan to maximize heat transfer away from the modules—all the while being stable and reliable. With removable heat sinks, Corsair Dominator GT DDR3 and DDR2 memory modules can even be outfitted with additional upcoming accessories with enhanced features.SPD Latency: 9-9-9-24 Tested Latency: 9-11-10-30 Memory Type: DDR3 Speed Rating: PC3-20260 (2533MHz) Tested Speed: 2533Mhz

Have you read any reviews on these? I have...Are you sure that 1600 CAS 7 is better in FSX than 2133 CAS 9? What if you run your 2133 at 1866 CAS 8? What would make the 1600 CAS 7 superior? 1600 CAS 7 has less bandwidth and higher latency according to benchmarks. I thought bandwidth and latency were important...KDub