Questions on IB and Asus P8Z77-V Deluxe.

[Lappert]

I'm looking at getting a i7-3770K Ivy Bridge with an Asus P8Z77-V Deluxe motherboard. I'm not a gamer and not expecting necessarily to overclock. But I might be doing some video and virtual machine. So I might be interested in something faster than the standard, which seems to be 1600.

Some of the posts suggest looking at the Trident 2400, but that seems to be the default for 16GB (2x8GB).

So a few questions from this newbie, at least with issued of memory speed and overclocking.

Does any overclocking of the memory have to be done in conjunction with overclocking the CPU? Or does that work independent of each other?

As I said, I'm looking at the TridentX F3-2400C10D-16GTX, supposedly designed for Ivy Bridge systems.

But I'm also looking at Ripjaw X F3-2133C9D-16GXH. On Newegg, it says the Ripjaws is "Compatible with Intel LGA1155 and AMD Llano/AM3+ platforms Intel XMP support for 2nd and 3rd Generation Intel Core Processors"

So other than the speed difference, and perhaps around $25, what is the real difference, if any?

Finally, I was thinking about getting 16GB now and another 16GB later if needed. In the past, I usually do 2 slots now, 2 later, and have never had issues. Some of the posts suggest doing just that.

But other posts express caution.

"Yes the DRAM is compatible, but suggest you get all you want in a single set, any time you mix 2 or more sets it can be problematic, not to mention XMP won't work on multiple sets. It would be best to get a single 16GB set, that way they are tested to work together and will work under XMP"

So if I get another 16GB later of the exact model of memory, is that really that much of a problem? Right now I don't have the budget to get 32GB.

Thanks for any clarity on all this.

[Tradesman]

Yes Trident was designed w/ Ivy Bridge in mind and the better MC (Memory Controller) that is in the 3rd Gen CPUs like the 35 and 3770K CPUs. Ripjaws X was designed (more towards 2nd Gen CPUs like the 25, 26, 2700K families) for the 1155 and works fine on the Z77 with 3rd Gen, (I'm running the 32GB set ofthe model you mention)....and yes it's best if you get a single set of the DRAM you want because mixing sets, as said, can be problematic, plus two sets need to be set up manually since XMP won't work on mixed sets, the programming is done by the set. Generally you can get the sets (same model) to play together with voltage/timing adjustments, but that can depend on the skill of the user

[Lappert]

Thanks for responding.

After I posted this, this morning, Newegg comes out with the 16GB Trident for $174, a $30 savings (with promo code). That makes the price roughly equivalent with the Ripjaws. But even if I got two sets now to make 32GB, I'm still dealing with the issues you raise and manual adjustments. The only way to avoid this is to buy one packaged 32GB set. Is that correct?

Do you know of any primer or tutorials on how to make those adjustments?

[Tradesman]

A 32GB set by itself is best, but if you do go two sets, the voltages and timings may differ from mobo to mobo but I've been able to get most all running...though there's no guarantee with two sets.....thats one reason I went to the RJ x 32 GB on my Z77 (besides I needed the DRAM) to get and be able to play with timings and voltages

[Lappert]

Thanks. I ordered the Trident. So we'll see how it works out.

[Tradesman]

Let us know how it goes, I'm in and out every day