Ram voltage higher than mobos

shok47

Im about to upgrade to two more GB of ram. Right now I have Patriot 2x1GB sticks at 1.8v, which is also my mobo(Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3R) rating. Im looking at the new ram and it says 2.1v, so Im wondering if I have to change the voltage in the BIOS. I did some research earlier and to get the peak performance you should run the ram at least at its suggested voltage. If I do change it in the bios, will the original 1.8v be doing fine? Do I have to worry about anything?

Thanks

Thrax

You will need to change the voltage to what is required by the new sticks. Nothing to worry about.

shok47

I was told to not mix ram sticks. Even if they have the same specs. But my brother did it, and friends do it. Is it a real big deal?

Leonardo

Sometimes mixing works, sometimes it doesn't. If the different models are very close in specification, it almost always works.

In this case, I don't think we understood that you wanted to mix new OCZ 2.1v RAM with your existing RAM. That might not work. It's my guess that your existing RAM is 1.8v specification. If you change the the setting to 2.1v to accommodate your new RAM, your 'old' RAM will be .3v over spec. That is not insignificant. If I were you, I'd look for RAM closer to the same specification as what's already in your computer. Of course, you could just remove what's in the computer and install all new.

Edit: OK, you did state your existing RAM is 1.8v. I've never tried mixing RAM with a disparity of .3v. I wouldn't do it. There is so much available right now at such good prices, you are not bound to OCZ. You have so many choices. OCZ is good stuff, though.

RichD

Presumably if you up the voltage on you RAM you will effectivly be overclocking the old stuff and if it is not designed to run at 2.1v you may cook the old RAM?

shok47

RichD wrote:

Presumably if you up the voltage on you RAM you will effectivly be overclocking the old stuff and if it is not designed to run at 2.1v you may cook the old RAM?

Yup, Im adding additional ram to my 1.8v ram. My concern is the extra voltage on the old ram.

Thrax

I would not advise it: both the voltage on the old memory, or mixing differing memory. It's not a good practice.

Khaos

Can you post the exact make/model of your existing 1.8V RAM?

Mixing similar / identical specifications from different brands typically works. After all, most of them buy the actual memory modules from the same original equipment manufacturers, like TwinMos, Cirix, Micron, Samsung, etc etc. At any given market point there are only a few true designers and manufacturers of memory modules, and all the brands are similar. The main difference is the quality of the modules they use (A process called binning) and the quality of their circuit board, RAMsinks, etc. These things typically apply to overclocking and not simply functionality.

A different voltage or speed/timings rating usually indicates significantly different modules, which makes it much less likely that they will work together. I wouldn't advise ever mixing modules with different ratings, although it's a hit-or-miss proposition. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.

I think if you really want to keep your old memory, you should try to buy identically rated modules to add to it.

Otherwise, get a whole new set of RAM. The difference in today's market is probably $10 depending on what kind of memory we're talking about here.

By the way: It's generally harmless to try to see if the RAM will play nice together. There's just no guarantee that it will work. Your computer might not boot at all, or might not recognize one of the sticks of RAM, or it might sound a long note through the on-board speaker signaling a memory problem. In these cases, removing the old stick should resolve the problem and no permanent damage will be done to either stick of memory.

shok47

Hmmm, I thought the current ram, PDC22G8500ELK was 1.8v but I looked again to get the model number and it says 2.3v! I must have got the 1.8v from the motherboard.


When i buy, should I wait till after christmas? after new years?

Khaos

The big drops in RAM/GPU/CPU prices usually happen when new products launch, not due to inventory cycles like big-box retail stores. I say just buy it whenever. There's unlikely to be significant price drops after the holidays... If anything, we're talking about a couple gumballs since they're already selling budget RAM on paper-thin margins.

shok47

Im this one from Newegg. There is only 2 2.3v in my line and Im not sure if this SLI ready option will affect me at all. Any thoughts?

Im going to take the chances of mixing.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227178

Leonardo

SLI ready

That's just marketing gobbledygood - meaningless with reference to DRAM. It's the equivalent if putting a label on apple juice, "cholesterol free." Well, no kidding!

Thrax

It's not complete gobbledygook. NVIDIA chipsets officially support JEDEC non-compliant memory timings/speeds in the BIOS, and they call it EPP/SLI Memory.

shok47

Well I found the same RAM I have on Amazon used for $30 shipped. Elsewhere it is at least $40. How well is Patriot RAM? From 1-10.

Leonardo

Patriot has a very good reputation. It is one of the preferred brands for performance custom builders. If it is indeed the same that you have, you might as well order. I don't see RAM prices falling much if any. Adjusted for inflation, or even not adjusted, RAM prices now are at the best they've ever been.

Khaos

Thrax wrote:

It's not complete gobbledygook. NVIDIA chipsets officially support JEDEC non-compliant memory timings/speeds in the BIOS, and they call it EPP/SLI Memory.

I think this debate hinges on the definition of gobbleygook.

The SLI Ready term, while based in reality (Like most marketing terms) is misleading because it makes the subtle implication that non-SLI Ready memory is inferior, or does not work at all in SLI setups. Marketing is all about making statements without speaking.

In reality, the only two things the SLI Ready badge guarantees is that the memory brand paid Nvidia a sum of money in order to "certify" that their memory is "SLI Ready" and the memory does indeed work in some SLI configuration on some Nvidia chipset. Big whoop. There isn't even a guarantee of EPP/XMP that I can find, although since most all non-JEDEC spec memory now includes enhanced profiles it is really a moot point.

Bottom line is that almost all memory could be certified as being SLI Ready, and since not all memory is certified as such, I am calling it marketing gobbleygook.

For SLI Ready to be anything other than marketing gobbleygook, it would need to be more useful than it is confusing. A quick Google search for "SLI Ready memory" will yield a mess of questions like, "im gitting an 780i SLI motharbord os do I needs teh SLI memary?!?!1" which is exactly what the marketing people want.

Thrax

No, it guarantees that the modules carry the XMP/EPP extension in bytes 99-127 of the SPD EEPROM. Uncertified modules don't have it. It's the only way Joe Bob the OMG-I-HAVE-A-RAMPAGE-II-IT-WAS-$300-IT-MUST-BE-GOOD-RITE-GUYS???? builder will get his PC2-8500 working at that frequency without adjusting BIOS parameters.

Since there is no price premium, it's the perfect solution to the numerous threads on our forum where people wonder why their PC2-8500 is running at PC2-6400, or their computer crashes when they change their BIOS to run it at 1066.

Leonardo

Well, that is interesting, but what the heck does it have to do with SLI, as in 'SLI Certified?'

Khaos

Ed:

Not worth it. It's nothing personal, Thraxorz. I think we're both guilty of being intarweb-debate-happy-idiots on occasion. If you don't share that assessment, tough; I just assigned it to you and I'd be happy to hold civil discourse on the matter if it's to your liking. -=P