RAM timings and voltage

[Maplicito]

I'm wondering how big a deal RAM timings are, and if there are any of the newer sticks that can be safely pushed to higher voltages. The reason I'm asking is I already have 4GB of OCZ PC-12800 running at 7-7-7-7, but its stock voltage is significantly higher than any of the more recent RAM aimed at i5 and i7. Most of the sticks out there are starting at a clk of 9 - am I likely to notice much of a difference? I'm not benchmarking, mostly just gaming. And yeah - I know I probably won't notice a huge difference going to 8GB - it's just one of those "I want to" things.

About the voltage... without checking the specs on my RAM, I believe the stock voltage is 1.8v, and that they are warrantied for up to 1.95v. I've tried undervolting a couple of times, at 1.5v and 1.65v, and the system definitely isn't stable; at least not with the stock timings. If I try to upgrade to 8GB, I don't want to have to buy 8, and ditch the 4 I have - if that's what is required, I'll just get myself a different upgrade instead.

Oh - I'm running a socket 775 system, so I'm not worried about the sensitivities of the i5 and i7's - just about whether I'm going to kill the new RAM or not.

Ideas?

[ZZLEE]

What Board what processor what BIOS?

[Maplicito]

ASUS P5E3 Deluxe WiFi-ap@n, running a Q9550. BIOS 1415.

[Maplicito]

I have a bit of an odd question. Under normal use, I've left my BIOS on "auto" for RAM voltage. Would there be any reason to expect a performance INCREASE if I volt it down to 1.7 volts instead of the 1.8 or 1.9 volt stock setting, and underclocked it to 1333MHz instead of the stock 1600MHz?

I haven't done anything to benchmark it, but web browsing seems snappier, and programs seem to start just a little bit quicker. However - I'm dealing with some sciatica and sleep deprivation, so my perception could be very... inadequate.

[fishingfanatic]

I don't have experience with this either and would be very interested in these opinions as well , Good query.

[Maplicito]

As an update, I have my RAM at 1.7v, and 1600MHz, and while I haven't run a memtest, everything seems fine. If I were to overvolt a 1.65v kit to, oh, say 1.7v or 1.75v, would you guys expect a problem from that? Any kits you'd recommend that have a tendency to be more compatible with other RAM kits? I know there's no guarantees, but I'd hate to buy another kit, and find my computer won't run with both kits in it. I'm still wondering about how big a deal timings are too.

[clone63]

Timings well.. Down to it, you probably wouldn't 'see' an improvement in performance.
I recommend getting the same RAM kit if you can to alleviate compatibility issues. If that is not an option, get a kit with closest specs you can find (mhz, cas, voltage etc). Brand wise Kingston and Crucial have a reputation for compatibility, but as for OTHER ram, I'm not sure. I expect the OCZ to be incompatible with the new ram, not the other way around. So I would personally stick to OCZ.
Overvolting 0.1v shouldn't have any terrible consequences, though overall lifetime may diminish a little.

The easiest solution I see is just forget the extra 4gb. With ram prices being zanier than Robin Williams on crack and the little perceivable gain, I would wait. BUT, your choice

[Maplicito]

Maybe I'll just have to get myself an SSD drive for myself for my birthday this summer, and just take the $100 to $150 I would have spent on RAM, and add that to the SSD budget. At least the SSD drive would give me a tangible performance difference, instead of just giving me the knowledge that I've maxxed out my RAM.

[fishingfanatic]

I had 4 gb of ram and went to 8 on my 775 quad and the wait times for almost everything dropped dramatically. For me the extra 4gb was well worth the $. Not everyone wants or will even use the full 8gb, but if you like performance and speed, I think that's the way to go.

[ZZLEE]

I haven,t played with ram settings on a 775 sorry.