Core i7 2600k max RAM speed

[hammell]

The page at http://ark.intel.com/products/52214/Intel-Core-i7-2600K-Processor-(8M-Cache-3_40-GHz) says "Memory Types: DDR3-1066/1333". This may be a stupid question, but does this mean that max RAM speed that this CPU can handle is 1333? So getting DDR3 at 1866Mhz would be pointless?

 

[Necrite]

faster ram speed is mostly for overclocking, performance gains over 1600mhz is negligible

 

[stroebs]

The processor comes with a built-in memory controller for DDR3-1333. Anything over and above that will be achieved through overclocking. Basically what 1600+ modules are, are modules tested at higher frequencies (and possibly lower timings). The SPD is still 1333, but with the allowance for 1600+ (depending on the DIMMs in question)

 

[Praeses]

The processor comes with a built-in memory controller for DDR3-1333. Anything over and above that will be achieved through overclocking. Basically what 1600+ modules are, are modules tested at higher frequencies (and possibly lower timings). The SPD is still 1333, but with the allowance for 1600+ (depending on the DIMMs in question)

I always wondered why my friend had trouble with the SPD speeds, never realized that this is the case. Now I know for my future Core build

 

[Chevron]

I always wondered why my friend had trouble with the SPD speeds, never realized that this is the case. Now I know for my future Core build

Bulldozer supports up to 1866mhz by default.

 

[Soul Assassin]

Bulldozer will be "fast" till Intel comes up with the next line of CPU's, I always ran AMD CPU's till Intel came out with the Core2 line, it's been nothing but great since then for Intel.

 

[nelis]

I'm running my ram @ 1866mhz and My i5-2500k @ 4.8Ghz and temps are fine.

 

[RaptorSA]

Bulldozer will be "fast" till Intel comes up with the next line of CPU's, I always ran AMD CPU's till Intel came out with the Core2 line, it's been nothing but great since then for Intel.

Same here. I find it difficult to believe that Bulldozer will be able to compete with the current Sandy Bridge chips if you read about the improvements Intel have made to SB.
I think if they do manage to compete speed wise it'll probably be based on the raw power of multiple cores rather than on infrastructure, or maybe on "close to intel" performance at a good price.
But let's see what happens.
I always secretly wish AMD could once again claim the throne like they did back in the day with the AthlonXP. Man, what a great piece of kit that was. My Asus A7N8X-Deluxe with my old Sempron 3000+ is still going strong.

 

[stroebs]

Bulldozer supports up to 1866mhz by default.

Thats the only advantage I see AMD having over Intel on stock, otherwise an XMP profile works very well and 1866 isn't mush difference from 1600.

Same here. I find it difficult to believe that Bulldozer will be able to compete with the current Sandy Bridge chips if you read about the improvements Intel have made to SB.
I think if they do manage to compete speed wise it'll probably be based on the raw power of multiple cores rather than on infrastructure, or maybe on "close to intel" performance at a good price.
But let's see what happens.
I always secretly wish AMD could once again claim the throne like they did back in the day with the AthlonXP. Man, what a great piece of kit that was. My Asus A7N8X-Deluxe with my old Sempron 3000+ is still going strong.

Where AMD does beat Intel (not in all circumstances) is price.
AMD is far more competitive on a GPU level though. Maybe they've taken their eyes off the prize.

As for your little nostalgia moment, reminds me of my AMD Duron 700MHz processor. That PC was the BOMB in it's day. Whipped all my mates' Celeron PCs in many benchmarks. Was very happy when I upgraded to an Athlon chip.

 

[leelo]

If you have an i7 2600K and are thinking of overclocking, you can get away with standard RAM, though I would personally go for DD3-1600 that uses Intel XMP (extreme memory profile) - that way you can just select the Intel XMP settings and not ever have to worry about them. I have Corsair Vengeance 8GB Dual Channel DDR3 Memory Kit (CMZ8GX3M2A1600C9), I just select the XMP settings and them I'm free to over/under/sideways clock as I see fit.

I recommend the Corsairs - been running VERY well in my system for a while now.

 

[RaptorSA]

I recommend the Corsairs - been running VERY well in my system for a while now.

Thanks dude. I'll keep that in mind since one of my Mushkin Silverline 1333 DIMM's just gave up the ghost last weekend. I'm not even going to bother with warranties etc. Just want to get a new kit and get on with life.
Man, what a mission it was to find out what the problem was! Memtest was showing errors when running dual channel, but didn't show up any errors when testing the chips individually.
(Sorry Google Chrome for blaming you and Flash for my constant browser crashing )

 

[stroebs]

Best bet is Corsairs for decently priced-per-performance ratio. Don't wanna dig deep into the pocket for G.Skill or anything like that, take Corsair.

 

[fredeb]

I like Kingston Hyper-X range or Corsair Dominators or Vengeance series .

Kingstons overclock tremendously well .

 

[leelo]

if it's a sandy bridge system though - overclocking has almost become a moot-point for memory - the FSB stays purdy much the same constantly.
So you overclock your CPU using the multiplier instead.

You can set RAM to run at the researched optimal 1600Mhz and forget about it since there seems to be no additional benefit from further ramping up RAM speeds.

that, I'm afraid is the sandy bridge way . . . but, it's a good way TBH

 

[Praeses]

if it's a sandy bridge system though - overclocking has almost become a moot-point for memory - the FSB stays purdy much the same constantly.
So you overclock your CPU using the multiplier instead.

You can set RAM to run at the researched optimal 1600Mhz and forget about it since there seems to be no additional benefit from further ramping up RAM speeds.

that, I'm afraid is the sandy bridge way . . . but, it's a good way TBH

Yeah it's good, because sandy bridge does have great memory performance!

 

[Jacobbgross]

I'm looking to put together a PC..

First off, sorry for bumping this "old" thread.

I will be asking a few questions about upgrading from something similar to what i have to the new sandy bridge. I'm helping a friend build his PC. I've kicked back from keeping myself up to date (if i ever was) so I would like some advice. Recently i have been looking into what's hot. and the name sandy bridge or something similar popped up, I have my eyes on the Core-i7 2600k.

My friend is thinking of using cyberpowersystems website for putting his PC together, and they only have the core-i7 900 series to choose from, which is what i'm using.

Is the new sandy bridge CPU the way to go? would you pick sandy bridge and matching hardware if you were starting from scratch?
If so, is there any point in buying the 900 series? or might there be money to save compared to money/power ratio of sandy bridge?
Since if he buys a 900 series and a MB with matching socket and will "need" to switch to a C7 2600k soon, then it's not just changing the CPU.

As this post states, the Core i7 2600k RAM controller frequency is 1333, does that mean you want RAM with 1333 as stock, and a higher frequency can only be achieved thru overclocking?

If so, would that mean if in my case or if he had bought a PC with the 900 series and RAM with a frequency of above 1333 say 1800 or in my case 2000Mhz and switched to a sandy bridge, that the RAM frequency effectively is wasted and money likewise?

If I for example switched to sandy bridge and used my 2000Mhz RAM in a sandy bridge build, would i see an increase in RAM performance or am i better off sticking to my current rig? (just checking so i know, if I in the near future decide to switch to sandy bridge, would gimp my performance)

Just to sum up
I have the impression that if you have a "top end" PC with the 900 series socket already, sandy bridge would not be "worth" the extra money, performance wise, to start getting new hardware, since you need more than just the new processor. But if starting from scrath the sandy bridge does have the edge. Is this how you see it as well?

I just realised as i was writing this, my memory that was bought at 2000Mhz might actually just be achieved by overclocking RAM with a lesser frequency? Like a 930 is an overclocked 920

I also realised the possibility that the 900 series might have the exact same "memory controller" as the sandy bridge (which i was afraid would lock my ram at a lower rate) just at a lower frequency than 1333?

His current PC is six years old and needs replacing, so I wouldn't like him to end up in the same situaton any time soon.

I might have gone too far to try and carve up the questions I had. I just felt that if I bought the new CPU I'd limit myself to specific hardware, rendering my old stuff useless, not just CPU and MB.
I would appreciate a link to an MB that utilises the new socket (i know i could just find any, but i'm just as much looking for suggestion to a good MB, what's your preference?) my worry is that my current hardware isn't optimised for the new CPU/Motherboard specs.

It might seem like i've picked the lazy solution, but my friend is thinking of making the buy in a few days, so i don't have time to read from start to finish. Neither do I want to trouble you too much, so answer what you feel like answering, that's all i'm asking, i'm just trying to get a quick general idea about this new hardware

 

[Praeses]

Is the new sandy bridge CPU the way to go? would you pick sandy bridge and matching hardware if you were starting from scratch?

Go sandy bridge on socket 1155 and buy a motherboard with the Z68 chipset to ensure upgradability to Ivy bridge chips should you want to upgrade later on. Or just wait for Ivy Bridge with their new motherboards.

If so, is there any point in buying the 900 series? or might there be money to save compared to money/power ratio of sandy bridge?

I've encountered people on hardware forums which upgraded from 900 series to sandy bridge and didn't regret it - you do see a speed improvement.

Since if he buys a 900 series and a MB with matching socket and will "need" to switch to a C7 2600k soon, then it's not just changing the CPU.

Yup, the 900 series is on an obsolete socket as far as I know and the socket is not compatible with Sandy bridge (nor the soon-to-be-released Ivy bridge).

As this post states, the Core i7 2600k RAM controller frequency is 1333, does that mean you want RAM with 1333 as stock, and a higher frequency can only be achieved thru overclocking?

Yes. Ivy bridge will support 1600MHz as stock memory speeds though.

If so, would that mean if in my case or if he had bought a PC with the 900 series and RAM with a frequency of above 1333 say 1800 or in my case 2000Mhz and switched to a sandy bridge, that the RAM frequency effectively is wasted and money likewise?

Just OC the memory

If I for example switched to sandy bridge and used my 2000Mhz RAM in a sandy bridge build, would i see an increase in RAM performance or am i better off sticking to my current rig? (just checking so i know, if I in the near future decide to switch to sandy bridge, would gimp my performance)

The triple channel memory controller of the 900 series has some advantages over sandy bridge, although sandy bridge has a great controller for one that's only dual channel.

Just to sum up
I have the impression that if you have a "top end" PC with the 900 series socket already, sandy bridge would not be "worth" the extra money, performance wise, to start getting new hardware, since you need more than just the new processor. But if starting from scrath the sandy bridge does have the edge. Is this how you see it as well?

Yes, but it's not a HUGE upgrade, but it will have some performance advantages over the 900 series. My suggestion would be to rather wait 2 - 3 months, and upgrade to Ivy Bridge to get an even higher performance boost.

I just realised as i was writing this, my memory that was bought at 2000Mhz might actually just be achieved by overclocking RAM with a lesser frequency? Like a 930 is an overclocked 920

930 has a higher multiplier than 920, so FSB and such are at the same frequency - so I don't think so. (I haven't OC'ed a 900 series before, so I could be wrong)

I also realised the possibility that the 900 series might have the exact same "memory controller" as the sandy bridge (which i was afraid would lock my ram at a lower rate) just at a lower frequency than 1333?

Better controller, although only dual channel. Just OC the ram anyway.

His current PC is six years old and needs replacing, so I wouldn't like him to end up in the same situaton any time soon.

Wait for ivy bridge