X220: 8gb 1600mhz or 1866mhz?

I've been looking for the comparisons between these two but to no avail. I was wondering how big is the performance gain (if any) between the 1600mhz and 1866mhz HyperX because the price difference is $50? Also, does the i7 chip limit the memory to 1600mhz or does it actually utilizes the full 1866mhz also?

The 1600mhz timing is 9-9-9 while the 1866mhz is 11-11-11. I'm using the laptop mainly for school but will be playing SC2 (which, from various threads, appears to benefit from having a higher speed memory). Thank you in advance!

 

There is some info here:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/len...-memory-upgrade-best-brand-5.html#post7691399

 

Sweet, at least the X220 runs at the rated 1866mhz from the HyperX, but unfortunately there's no comparison as the majority of the thread is about brand names hahaha.

 

I did some research on this a week or so again and I can't remember the link where I got the info.

From what I remember there was about 100 points difference in 3dmark06 scores of 9000 odd. Its a very marginal increase in performance for the money. If you have money to burn than by all means but I wouldn't bother personally.

 

^ I agree with Recidivist.

Unless you have a specific need for the extra speed and that need can utilize that speed difference, it isn't worth the money.

 

this link is misleading
WEI Memory 5.9 vs 7.x is due to adding a second stick, not the ram itself.
same went for my T420 and T520 and E420

I doubt 1866 is utilized at all

 

I have 8GB HyperX RAM now in my X220 (I'd purchased it for another laptop). I think that my WEI scores went up significantly after installation. Memory = 7.6, Graphics = 6.4, Gaming graphics = 6.4. Do others, without HyperX RAM, see those same scores?

Also, the X220 seems to acknowledge high speed RAM. CPU-Z reports 930 MHz with 11.11.11.32 clocks. ThinkVantage Toolbox says my Memory Type is "DDR3-SDRAM (1778 MHz)".

 

My memory score is 7.5, graphics 6.4 and gaming graphics 6.4.

Cpu-z reports 664Mhz, timing 9-9-9-24.

I have 2x4GB G.Skill ram.

 

Is this the 1600mhz memory with 9-timings? There's been comparison of 1333mhz and 1866mhz where there's about 10% increase in performance but rarely is there a comparison of 1600mhz and 1866mhz. If the difference is like 5%, that's $10 for 1% gain...which is not worth it.

 

absolutely.   i had 7.7 with 16GB worth of CAS 9 1333MHz.   more bandwidth = higher score.

no, ekam has 1333MHz.   667 x 2 = 1333 (rounded, of course)

even though this is for the sandy bridge desktop platform with discreet graphics, you might find anand's latest memory test of interest: AnandTech - Sandy Bridge Memory Scaling: Choosing the Best DDR3

 

The article is not really reflective of notebooks since memory speed (bandwidth) is never the bottleneck with a discrete GPU. For laptops, memory speed is only significant when gaming on integrated graphics (or doing something GPU intensive). Faster memory with looser timings will always perform better than slower memory with tighter timings. If you do require (integrated) GPU intensive power and don't mind spending a little more, I'd definitely recommend the upgrade. Whether or not it will downclock, I'm not sure of that specific issue with the X220.

 

and I have crucial el cheapo 4gb scoring 7.6 here (alongside the Samsung that came in the T520)

 

check my post again.   i never said anything pro or con about faster memory.   you assumed (incorrectly) that i'm against it.   don't assume.   i currently have 8GB worth of 1600MHz 1.35v memory in my X220 for better CAD performance.

read further into the article (pages 7 and 8) and you'll see that speed is brought forth in better light: AnandTech - Sandy Bridge Memory Scaling: Choosing the Best DDR3

the closing point is true of current desktops and notebooks:

in current systems, i don't disagree with that point whatsoever.

 

See the table I posted in this thread. My i5-2520M only supports up to 1600MHz so you'll have to make your own estimate about the performance boost of using 1866MHz RAM.

John