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    What 8 gig RAM for my alienware M11x R2 i5 with overlocking abbilities.

    Discussion in 'Alienware M11x' started by macmus, Jun 8, 2012.

  1. macmus

    macmus Notebook Geek

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    Hi,

    I want to buy a solid 8Gb RAM for my laptop alienware r2 i5 , so to be able to get better performance, cause current 4gb is not enough allready (d3 lags like hell with HDD).
    I am able to overlock now laptop to 160 FSB in bios and got a good performance with throettlestep.
    However I have none to little idea about good "overlockable" 8 gig RAM brick.
    I have ~100 USD to spent, so I would be thankfull if you give me a name and type of Ram I can also overlocak even higher (or at least similar).

    Thanks!
     
  2. Rishwin

    Rishwin Notebook Deity

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    4->8GB of RAM is not going to improve Diablo 3 performance. But the Kingston Hyper-X kits are great and can be found for ~$70
     
  3. surfxombie

    surfxombie Notebook Evangelist

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  4. macmus

    macmus Notebook Geek

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    I see lot of HDD workload on d3 i hope with 8gb this will be improved.
    Same happens with other "heavy load games".

    I see the diffrance with voltage in Kigston (1,65V or even 1,7V??) and Crucial (1,5V), PIN number and MHz.


    You mentioned here two types:


    1. Kingston HyperX DDR3 4GB 1600MHz KHX1600C9D3B1/4G number:
    Kingston
    KHX1600C9D3B1/4G or KHX1600C9AD3B1K2/4G ????
    DDR3 4 GB (4096 MB)
    1600 MHz
    240-pin
    1.7V-1.9V

    2. Crucial 4GB 1333MHz DDR3 NON-ECC CL9 SODIMM BOXHIT number: CT51264BC1339
    ,204-pin,DDR3 PC3-10600,Cl=9,1.5v

    Can both types work correctly or they will need any modding ?
     
  5. GarTooth

    GarTooth Notebook Guru

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    I havent had any problems with using 4gb (2gb x 2)
    You might loose some bandwidth if your not running 2 sticks asynchronously via dual-channel.
    i havent tested this yet but there could be a trade off to just using 1 stick instead of 2. you might be able to clock 1 stick higher but it may not perform as well as 2 sticks running a little slower in dual channel mode.
    just a thought. I too wouldn't mind having 2 4gb sticks but not if i have to turn down my fsb to get them stable.
    right now I'm perfectly stable @ 180 fsb with the 2 x 2gb sticks..
    no lockups or bsod.. just great performance.
     
  6. macmus

    macmus Notebook Geek

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    I am planning to have 2x4 but don't know what from above to pick!

    ANy helps futher ?
     
  7. GarTooth

    GarTooth Notebook Guru

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    perhaps look on another m11x forum or on an overclocking forum. find someone else who has done it already and see what they are using..
    not many experienced overclockers on this forum as best i can tell.
     
  8. macmus

    macmus Notebook Geek

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    but can both ram types be used regardless of PIN, Voltage and MHz ?

    Thanks a lot for advice !

    I don't want to spent money if my laptop will not work with those.
     
  9. GarTooth

    GarTooth Notebook Guru

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    no, you need 204 pin to correspond correctly with the mem socket.
     
  10. macmus

    macmus Notebook Geek

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    I am down to following type DDR3 SODIMM 8GB KINGSTON picks:

    1. KINGSTON 8GB 2x4GB DDR3 SO-DIMM PC3-10600 1333MHz CL9
    2. KINGSTON 8GB 2x4GB DDR3 SO-DIMM PC3-8500 1066MHz CL7
    3. KINGSTON SO-DIMM DDR3 HyperX 8GB/1600 (2x4GB) - Grey
    4. KINGSTON SO-DIMM DDR3 HyperX 8GB/1600 (2x4GB) - Blue

    which one would be best if to try to keep my current overlock (@4Gb) at 160?
    What is diffrence between blue and grey ?

    Thanks!
     
  11. Rishwin

    Rishwin Notebook Deity

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    No idea about the overclocking because TBH it's simply luck of the draw. Some RAM sticks might let you overclock that high, while a different kit of the EXACT same RAM might not be able to do it. It's not really something you can predict.

    The Grey is Plug'n'Play and will work 1st time in almost any laptop, the Blue i believe uses XMP RAM profiles which the M11x doesn't have anyway.
     
  12. macmus

    macmus Notebook Geek

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    I have also spot today Corsar 2x4Gb 204 Pin SODIMM DDR3 1333Mhz 9-9-9-24
    CMSA8GX3M2A1333C9

    Is it any better pickup ?
    The shop assisent was arguing with me that Corsair are lot better the Kingston, so I started to have doubts.

    Should I buy those or stick to previous picks ?

    Thanks!
     
  13. GarTooth

    GarTooth Notebook Guru

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    most likely any of them will work.
    let us know what you get and how they perform.
     
  14. Rishwin

    Rishwin Notebook Deity

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    It is purely personal preference, neither one of them "performs" any better or has a higher failure rate, and they both have lifetime warranty. It just depends on what specific models you're looking at and the timings & voltage of that specific kit, you really can't compare the two brands together as a whole. For me the choice was decided by the Kingston Hyper-X heatsinks which just made it that extra few degrees cooler.

    You have an R2 so the frequency is going to throttled anyway so you may aswel get higher frequency RAM (1333 or 1600MHz) so it throttles further for lower timings.
     
  15. macmus

    macmus Notebook Geek

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    ok thanks for all the hints.
    I also have seen 8gb in one stick

    DDR3 KINGSTON 8 GB / 1333, CL 9 -> KVR1333D3S9/8G
    DDR3 KINGSTON 8 GB / 1333, CL 9 -> KTH-X3B/8G

    in the same price as ( by the way I don't see any diffrence between those 2 models ?!?! any ideas ?)

    KINGSTON 8 GB / 1600 (2x 4 GB), CL 9 HybperX Grey -> KHX1600C9S3P1K2/8G

    its is better to get one stick 1333 or 2x 1600 ?
     
  16. Rishwin

    Rishwin Notebook Deity

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    2x4GB 1600MHz > 1x8GB 1333MHz
     
  17. macmus

    macmus Notebook Geek

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    so here goes my final question before purchase :)
    If I am going to OL FSB i think its better to get 1600Hzh rather then 1333Mhz RAM right ?
     
  18. GarTooth

    GarTooth Notebook Guru

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    for the love of god... pull the trigger and buy some ram... lol
    nobody can tell you what is best or going to be best for you. it seems as though you keep finding a new way to ask the same question..
    just buy some ;p
     
  19. Rishwin

    Rishwin Notebook Deity

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    Yea, just buy some RAM already... I've already told you, when it comes to overclocking it all comes down to each individual transistor & capacitor on that single stick of RAM and how it was specifically produced. Nobody can tell you that this RAM will overclock this far and this one will do this... We simply do not know, it's not a specification which you can check, it is simply luck of the draw.

    You could buy 1 kit of 2x4GB and 1 stick might be able to overclock to 180FSB while the other might only go to 165. there is honestly no way of telling until you have them in your hands and are testing them yourself.

    No brand is better, no brand is more reliable. Just look for the frequency & timings & voltage that you want, then look for a lifetime warranty. Corsair and Kingston both have lifetime warranty, as does some Crucial and Patriot.