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Help With Memory Upgrade - 8GB for Asus P5Q Pro

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  • Help With Memory Upgrade - 8GB for Asus P5Q Pro

    I would like to do a system upgrade next year, but don't have the money to do so right now so I'm just going to upgrade RAM (limited to DDR2 because of motherboard) to hold me over until then. I am looking to upgrade from 4GB to 8GB (yes I have an x64 system).

    The only problem is that whenever I read reviews on sites like Newegg or threads here I see people talking about instability or extensive tweaking or motherboard limitations. I can't afford to make a ~$150 mistake. I'm looking for the best performance possible from something that will be stable and (hopefully) require minimal tweaking.

    Will any of the following 8GB [2 x (2 x 2GB)] (i.e. 4 2GB sticks total) setups work with the P5Q Pro (in the general order I think might work best):

    G.SKILL PI Black 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F2-6400CL4D-4GBPI-B

    G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F2-8500CL5D-4GBPI-B

    G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F2-6400CL5D-4GBPQ

    G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1000 (PC2 8000) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F2-8000CL5D-4GBPQ

    I put the 800/PC2 6400 ones first since I was worried higher speeds might prove problematic with four sticks. Do you think that would be the case?

    There is also an 8GB (2 x 4GB) kit that might work (on the motherboard QVL) but it has slower timings, is more expensive, and several reviews suggest it might need tweaks anyway.

    G.SKILL 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F2-6400CL6D-8GBMQ

    TL;DR - Which of the above RAM configurations would work best with an Asus P5Q Pro?

    ----

    Computer Build Info:

    Model of the motherboard: ASUS P5Q Pro LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard

    Model of the memory: Not Sure Yet (see above) - maybe G.SKILL PI Black 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit (F2-6400CL4D-4GBPI-B)

    Model of the CPU: Intel Core 2 Quad Q9450 Yorkfield 2.66GHz LGA 775 95W

  • #2
    I'd say your best best bet would be the 2x4GB PQ set

    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231301

    after that would be the 4 x 2GB set PQs

    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231301

    When you do, you'll want the latest BIOS and may need to raise the NB voltage slightly with either set, while both are 8GB the 2x4GB, with less sticks places less stress on the MC (Memory Controller) in the NB chip set


    Pls offer comments on support I provide, HERE, in order to help me do a better job here:

    Tman

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    • #3
      Thank you for the advice and quick response. There doesn't seem to be the same variety of 2 x 4GB kits as 4 x 2GB ones (probably in part because of the age of DDR2), but if that kind of setup means more stability then it's exactly what I'm looking for. Now I'm going to order, take care of updating the BIOS, and study and study up on voltage. Your link is exactly what I am looking for - thanks again.
      Last edited by FMNPMG; 02-29-2012, 09:42 PM.

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      • #4
        No problem, that's what we're here for, keep us informed on what you decide and how things work out


        Pls offer comments on support I provide, HERE, in order to help me do a better job here:

        Tman

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        • #5
          I ended up going for the memory recommended in this thread (F2-6400CL5D-8GBPQ).

          Here is what has been done so far:

          1. I updated my BIOS
          2. The memory came and I switched out the old set for this.

          Everything seems to be working as it's supposed to. The full 8GB / 8192MB shows up as there and it's been great for what I need it for.

          I checked the motherboard settings. the DRAM Timing Control section says:

          1st Information: 5-5-5-15-3-78-6-3
          2nd Information: 8-3-5-4-6-4-6
          3rd Information: 14-5-1-6-6

          DRAM Voltage is just set to 'Auto' for now. I read above that I might need to raise the NB voltage. Should I still do that even it it works without doing so (maybe pending tests)?

          Should I also be testing it with Memtest86+ or something like that just as a standard precaution, and if I do, will I need to pull one stick to test each one individually?

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          • #6
            Can try testing if you want with Memtest, but if it appears stable might be better with something like Prime, which is more of a stress test on the overall system. On Memtest, it's always best to run 1 stick at a time (write down your current settings so you have them), but you can test the pair as a sampling, can also try Windows RAM diagnostics


            Pls offer comments on support I provide, HERE, in order to help me do a better job here:

            Tman

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