Hey was looking for the best choice of RAM for the EVGA 780i?

533MHz DDR2
667MHz DDR2
800MHz DDR2
1200MHz DDR2

those were the frequencies it supports.

Btw i am not an expert at RAM selection so any advice is welcome.

What processor will you be using? Will you overclock? What do you do with your computer? How much do you plan to have? 1GB? 8GB?

What CPU will you be using?

I am considering purchasing this board. If I answer those questions, could I hijack this thread for a few and get a few recommendations from you guys?

If it was an eVGA 780i mobo with a 45nm quad core (QX9650), 4GB of RAM preferably in 2x 2GB. Want do some SLIGHT overclocking without upping voltages. Machine must remain stable. Machine to be 30-40% gaming, 20% video watching, rest "normal" use of email/web browsing/some programming/some web site work/Word/etc. Note: using a very high res. monitor (30" ).

boonality posted while I was typing. JEDEC is the governing body which sets standards for memory and their current top speed for DDR2 is 800@1.8v. Most memory manufacturers sell their RAM at it's overclocked rating, take this for example http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820148069, it is DDR2 1066 5-5-5-15 2.2v while it's actual JEDEC specification is more likely DDR2 800 4-4-4-12 1.8v or something along those lines.

What does all this mean? You can buy some quality DDR2 800 and relax the timings and increase the voltage and will likely be able to reach the same speed of the higher prices RAM but it's not guaranteed. Also when your looking for RAM don't just look at the speed but also the timings and voltage needed to reach that speed.
Take this for example
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820211066
It is rated at DDR2 800 5-5-5-18 1.8v while this
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820146565
Is rated for DDR2 800 4-4-4-12 2.2v
At first the Crucial might look like the better option due to it's lower timings but when you look at the voltage the Crucial is sold at it's overclocked speed and is pretty much maxed out while the A-Data should have some headroom and will likely be able to achieve faster speeds and or lower timings.

lol theif hmmm amazing i using the same specs as Waspy
my CPU is qx9650
4 to 8 gigs of ram
want overclocking as a possiblity
its for hardcore gaming,movies and intense processes

Good info. *Goes back to reconsider memory choice for new computer*

Eh?



Some good quality DDR2 800 should suffice as the best option. I belive I'm going to choose DDR2 1066 but I keep computers for 6+ years before I "upgrade". Which consists of donating it and building another.

lol rightttttt

yeah so what ram u recommend ??
and why was the CPU so important.

I would suggest somthing like this http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820231122
It has good timings, 5-5-5-15 @1.8v, which you can likely get to about 4-4-4-10 with a slight voltage increase and with an Extreme CPU you won't be needing super high FSB speeds since you can adjust the multiplier for overclocking. A FSB increase to 1600 wil run 1:1 with DDR2 800 which should make these modules perfect for your system.

sweet any other options not that i have a problem with AUsch30 suggestion i just want to look at a few and make a choice.

Another thing to consider is the fact that the 780i just as the 680i has an issue with high FSB speeds with quad core CPU's so keeping the FSB relatively low while increasing the multiplier should give you the best overclocking results. Intel chipsets don't have this issue which is why they are a better option for overclocking non-extreme CPU's. If you were using a non-extreme CPU on an Intel board you would be looking for something that could run in the 1066 or so range to run along with a 500+ FSB but since you best option would be to keep the FSB fairly low you should get something around DDR2 800 with low timings.

thx a bill

ok well i will go with that ram cause it looks to good to be true extra cheap and 4 gigs.
btw can u explain what the fsb's relation to the CPU.

I would be aware of that G.SKILL memory on an NVIDIA board. Read the reviews. It seems the stuff works fine on intel chipset boards but not NVIDIA... seems really wierd to me but i wouldn't want the hassle.