I'm still a bit of a noob, but I get why you need RAM. I understand that more RAM means more stuff can be loaded into memory and that faster RAM.... well you get the point I'm sure! I understand all about channels and DDR etc too. But what I'm really after is for people to list some memory intensive apps, so I know what they are and can judge if my clcok speeds are all right basically! I've got some super overclockable RAM, but I haven't overclokced it because of my very un-overclockable CPU - lol So yeah, if you feel like helping me out, what app(s) am I likely to run into (mostly as a gamer) that make good usage of super fast RAM? Thanks in advance!
Memory will be restricted by the max bus speed of your CPU.. If your CPU is 1066 and memory is 1333, then it would do you no good to overclock as the MAX the memory will run is 1066..
Width of that bus matters too, to get total throughput. Plus there are overheads to either... In any case, photoshop filters on high rez imagery would go through gobs of ram. Gaming wise, it's a non issue (unless you have an onboard GPU that uses system ram...). -scheherazade
Yeah I watched my wife max out 8GB with a few minutes on Photoshop the other night, I've never seen any other program come close though. Doesn't mean I didn't buy 16GB for my new system just cuz I could, though... Sandy Bridge CPUs don't really seem to care much about the speed of the memory that is used. 1600Mhz seems to be the sweet spot, but after that any real world gains (in terms of gaming) are pretty negligible. OC the CPU makes a far bigger difference. And don't forget that your PCU isn't entirely locked, you can still bump it up 4 bins in speed, you might as well, your motherboard should certainly handle it. Are you using the stock cooler?
My work rig uses 16gb, for photoshop, premiere pro, after effects and 3dsmax. But this mostly used for multimedia and gaming, 8gb is more than enough for me personally. I dont see or feel any difference on using faster ram speed, but maybe thats just me. I prefer higher headroom than speed.
nah, I've got one of those be quiet dark rock after market coolers. My CPU never goes over 30 degrees centigrade. I have tried to OC my CPU but as it's a really poo locked out chip it can only have a stable 10%O/C - at least according to all the sources I've read and my own experience. I was actually quite disappointed about this! Sandy's that are not K series should come with a warning!
