Sabertooth Z87 - Ripjaws X or Z? CAS difference.

[Mexicomike]

Thank you. First of all, thank you for the work you do. There are so many boards of naysayers who say, 'get the cheapest memory. It does not matter what speed or CAS. You won't be able to tell the difference.' You speak with authority and knowledge.

I am buying an ASUS Z87 Sabertooth in conjunction with an Intel Haswell i7 4770k. I will be making a clean install of Windows 7 Pro on an SSD.

I do CAD work, map designing using ARC-GIS -like programs, Video editing, raw photo editing, Photoshop the entire Adobe Suite.

I am considering two memory configurations and want to know which is better - both are 32 GB -

Ripjaws X - F3-1866C9Q-32GXM(XMP) (9-10-9-28, CAS 9) 1.5 V.
Ripjaws Z - F3-14900CL10Q-32GBZL(XMP) (10-11-10-30 CAS 10) 1.5V

I am leaning towards the Z's as I read on the board that the "Z's" were designed as 4 channel and felt that was somehow a plus. But the "X's" have slightly faster timings. Is it enough to make a difference?

I was told by an Asus chat person that using anything faster than 1866 would void the warranty. But that brings up another question - how much faster would I havce to go to see a difference from 1866? Or is there even a noticeable difference from 1600 to 1866? Would I have a more stable system if I stuck with 1600?

[GSKILL TECH]

First of all, let me tell you that running DDR3-1866 does NOT void your warranty. That motherboard is an overclocking motherboard, so what is the point of it if you can't use performance RAM on it? I don't know if ASUS rules have changed, but I assure you G.Skill will not have any stupid limitations like DDR3-2400 RAM but if you run it above DDR3-1600 it voids your warranty.. that makes 0 sense.

Now we got that out of the way, between those two memory kits, the X is the better kit, so if price is about the same, get that one and you will be very pleased. It will work great with that motherboard and CPU. With some basic overclocking, all those programs you use will be extremely fast. The new Intel CPUs take advantage of high DRAM Frequency, so DDR3-2133, DDR3-2400, and above will be noticeable worthwhile differences for your professional work.

Thank you
GSKILL TECH

[Mexicomike]

Thank you so much. There used to be a link to click to rate your reply (which was excellent). Did I miss it? I feel much more confident now, thank you. I will go with your recommendation.

Oops, another question occurred to me. Say I can go with a higher clock ram you suggested. Should I still choose the 'X' - or is that on a case by case basis and not possible to make a generalization like that?

[emissary42]

With those two 1866 kits the decision was probably based on the better timings of the RipjawsX Kit at the same voltage. If you're looking at 2133 or 2400 kits, keep an eye on the timings and voltages. You should be able to find DDR3-2133 kits rated at CL9 and i would personally prefer those to the CL10/CL11 1.65V ones. At DDR3-2400 however you are, regardless of timings, pretty much in 1.65V country. If i had to choose a 32gb kit for Haswell at those two speeds i would probably go for something like F3-2133C9Q-32GTX / F3-2133C9Q-32GXH or F3-2400C10Q-32GTX / F3-19200CL10Q-32GBZHD (based on availability and price).

If you can find them considerably cheaper, even F3-2400C11Q-32GXM are a decent pick.

[Mexicomike]

Thanks. I like the F3-2400C11Q-32GXM which are the same price as the 1866's. What effect will the increased voltage (from 1.5 to 1.65) have? I also read somewhere that the ASUS XMP program 'over-volted'. Ever heard of this?

[Tradesman]

The Tridents at 2400/CL10 is agood choice, the 1.65 is perfectly safe and fine, most sticks these days 2133 and up are 1.65....haven't heard of anything with Asus and 'overvolting'....have 2666 sticks on my Asus Hero