Does DDR3 Memory Speed Really Matter with Ivy Bridge or Sandy Bridge?

[profJim]

Synthetic memory benchmark scores are irrelevant!!
Opinions and theory are irrelevant!!

Assuming that the cpu is overclocked, do higher memory speeds improve real world performance when gaming, encoding or when running other intensive applications?

Prove it!!
Include links to reviews or gaming/encoding benchmarks that show how performance is or isn't improved at given cpu speeds where memory speeds are running at 1333MHz speeds and higher.

The only opinion that might be useful is if you find that the gaming "experience" feels smoother and/or better with higher memory speeds.

Be specific:

• Which games or applications perform better?
• How much better or faster is the specific game or application?
• How much memory is installed?
• What brand/model of memory is used?

If you have questions about memory overclocking, please create a new forum thread, include a detailed hardware list, and ask for help in your thread.

[dJabba]

Re: Does DDR3 Memory Speed Really Matter with Ivy Bridge or Sandy Bridge?

I recently switched the memory in my systems around to get the most out of it.

Before my APU ran with 1333MHz and the 1090T with 1866MHz modules. However since the APU supports the 1866 and the Phenom II doesn't support more then 1333MHz anyway I switched around.

On my 1090T system I can't feel any difference, of course .. runs the same speed. But my NAS that now runs with 1866MHz modules does perform a little better on normal windows tasks and fileserving .. at least it feels like it. (Samba, FTP w. FileZilla server)
Honestly, I didn't expect to feel any difference, so I'm surprised. But it might just be coincidental or the mind playing a trick on me.

Prolly not as specific as you'd like, but thought I'll give it a reply anyway :)

[profJim]

Re: Does DDR3 Memory Speed Really Matter with Ivy Bridge or Sandy Bridge?

I think that it's called the placebo effect

[dJabba]

Re: Does DDR3 Memory Speed Really Matter with Ivy Bridge or Sandy Bridge?

yea, most likely :)

[wazza300]

Re: Does DDR3 Memory Speed Really Matter with Ivy Bridge or Sandy Bridge?

only in benchmarks you will see the difference imo,not in realworld use, 1600mhz is fine

[profJim]

Re: Does DDR3 Memory Speed Really Matter with Ivy Bridge or Sandy Bridge?

From your signature, running 16GB of memory at 2133MHz with your 4.5GHz overclock, you don't see any improvement in gaming with higher memory speeds.
Thanks for your feedback.

[wazza300]

Re: Does DDR3 Memory Speed Really Matter with Ivy Bridge or Sandy Bridge?

haha not that i can tell,

[Conners]

Re: Does DDR3 Memory Speed Really Matter with Ivy Bridge or Sandy Bridge?

Interesting thread, so ur saying a peep would be better off using 1600mhz as apposed to say like a 2400 mhz?

[profJim]

Re: Does DDR3 Memory Speed Really Matter with Ivy Bridge or Sandy Bridge?

I'm hoping that others will post details that show whether or not higher memory speeds do or do not improve real world performance when gaming or running other intensive applications when an IB or SB system has a moderately high cpu overclock. Wazza is saying that he didn't experience higher real world performance with higher memory speeds.

When they come out, all you'll need for maximum gaming performance is two Nvidia 690 cards running SLI
HARDOCP - GeForce GTX 690 - GeForce GTX 690 - Perfection Inside and Out
AnandTech - NVIDIA GeForce GTX 690 Review: Ultra Expensive, Ultra Rare, Ultra Fast
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 690 4 GB Review - Page 1/33 | techPowerUp
Palit JetStream GeForce GTX 680 4GB Video Cards in SLI :: TweakTown USA Edition

[profJim]

Re: Does DDR3 Memory Speed Really Matter with Ivy Bridge or Sandy Bridge?

A web search using: gaming performance ddr3 memory speed provides some links that help to partially answer the question of how DDR3 memory scaling impacts real world 1155 system performance:

AnandTech - Sandy Bridge Memory Scaling: Choosing the Best DDR3 (July 25, 2011)
The Best Memory for Sandy Bridge | bit-tech.net (January 11, 2011)
Exploring the impact of memory speed on Sandy Bridge performance - The Tech Report - Page 1 (February 9, 2011)

Links to forum discussions might include some posts with hard data that shows how higher memory speeds might affect real world performance in gaming and other demanding applications. I don't have the patience to read through umpteen pages of opinion and speculation while trying to find hard data that shows how game xyz performs with higher memory speeds.

One approach that could improve real world performance might be to install a lot of memory in your 1155 system and set up a large ram disk for your TEMP and work/gaming folders to provide maximum read/write performance with minimal latencies. Darkje posted the attached Vertex2/ramdisk benchmarks over a year ago and I included the WD640 4K-aligned CDM benchmark.

[Conners]

Re: Does DDR3 Memory Speed Really Matter with Ivy Bridge or Sandy Bridge?

I just got around to reading your links you posted PJ It seems as though any thing above 1600MHz doesn't make that much diffrence. Like you say you would be better off with a second GPU than more expensive memory. However I also like a low cas memory so I may look at some 2133MHz and see whats out there.

[wazza300]

Re: Does DDR3 Memory Speed Really Matter with Ivy Bridge or Sandy Bridge?

if you have the samsung memory conners id stick with that,its just not worth spending silly money on other ram,you wont get better memory for the money

[Conners]

Re: Does DDR3 Memory Speed Really Matter with Ivy Bridge or Sandy Bridge?

Yes I have the samsung memory but no motherboard, so I'm just dead in the water.

[profJim]

Re: Does DDR3 Memory Speed Really Matter with Ivy Bridge or Sandy Bridge?

I just got around to reading your links you posted PJ It seems as though any thing above 1600MHz doesn't make that much diffrence. Like you say you would be better off with a second GPU than more expensive memory. However I also like a low cas memory so I may look at some 2133MHz and see whats out there.

I checked out memory prices last week and the high priced stuff is about twice as expensive as the mid priced offerings. I think your best bang for the buck along with performance will be to start with 2x4GB of 1600MHz memory for starters and move up to 16GB (total) if you want to use a RamDisk** setup to speed up your system. Forget the good ol' days when low latency DDR2 memory was best, everything I've seen with Sandy Bridge points to the fact that lower latencies don't really matter. I look at Ivy Bridge as an improvement on Sandy Bridge, but not a quantum leap in performance. I assume that gaming is your primary need for speed/performance.

If you're going for a high cpu overclock, it looks like you'll need to spend a bit more money on a cpu water cooling setup that is better than the Corsair H100 or the Antec 920. Hopefully Boondocks will report soon on how his new w/c setup (~$165) works to tame cpu temps.

If you don't compromise and do it my way, you're gonna be in deep doo-doo
Just how bad does Texas steer manure smell?

** Ramdisk is freeware up to 4GB, if you want a larger ramdisk, you'll have to pay the piper.

[Conners]

Re: Does DDR3 Memory Speed Really Matter with Ivy Bridge or Sandy Bridge?

Just how bad does Texas steer manure smell?

Smells just like money!