Houston, We Have a Problem -- Or Do We???

[JeffAHayes19]

Ahem...

I'm still waiting for my case and power supply to arrive, so I haven't had a chance to blow anything up yet... but since this is both a REALLY PRESSING ISSUE for ME and also an issue I think ANYONE ELSE who is planning to populate more than 3 DIMM slots with on the Gigabyte GA-EX58-UD5 Motherboard will ALSO want addressed, I decided it deserved its own thread.

Just after I posted my most recent question in my Build questions thread, I realized my motherboard had what looks to be a pretty decent users manual with it and started to read it, cover-to-cover (it covers BIOS and everything). When I got to the part about RAM, it said it's compatible with DDR3 2100-1333-1066-800 Mhz. No 1800 or 1600 Mhz mentioned. Well that freaked me out just a little bit, since that memory I ordered -- in DUPLICATE, no less -- is 1600 Mhz. The manual also said to go to the Gigabyte website to get the latest memory compatibility information, etc. (that's also easier said than done, as I could find their web address listed only one place in the manual -- NOT in big print -- and it's NOT www.Gigabyte.com -- you have to add a .tw to the end of that or you get a web design address.

Anyway, I'm there now, and although the particular OCZ RAM I bought isn't listed, plenty of other 1600 Mhz DDR3 RAM IS listed, so I'm sure I'm OK as far as THAT goes... but HERE'S the kicker, and this is something I've neither read nor heard ANYWHERE ELSE before... "(Note1) According to Intel spec definition that XMP DIMMs and DDR3-1600 above are supported for one DIMM per channel only."

If I'm reading that right, I can't use but 6 of the 12 Gigabytes I have unless I pay to ship them all back to NewEgg (which will be a MAJOR hassle, because these DIMMs came with free Flash drives, which I thankfully haven't even cracked open yet, nor the RAM), and exchange them all for 1333 Mhz DIMMs!

Does ANYONE know if I'm interpreting this WRONG? If I load up all 6 banks with those 1600 Mhz DIMMs, what's going to happen?

Here's the link to Gigabyte's Memory Specs or "Qualified Vendors" page -- the page with the note at the bottom I quoted below: http://www.gigabyte.com.tw/FileList/MemorySupport/motherboard_memory_ga-ex58-ud5.pdf

I'm sure I'm not the first nor last person who's going to run into this, so hopefully SOMEBODY will have an answer. If not, I may call their 800 number tomorrow.

Geesh! It's ALWAYS something, huh?
Jeff

[The Wise Monkey]

That is the case, but it will still work. It just means that you probably won't be able to overclock the CPU as much due to more voltage being required for the memory controller and the RAM.

You will have to manually set the DRAM voltage to about 1.65V and the memory speed to 1600 otherwise it will just default to something lower i.e. 1333Mhz and about 1.5V.

So your RAM will definitely work, but it will just take some time to get it to run as fast as it was intended. I would recommend starting with 6GB in slots 1,3,5 then add one stick at a time into slots 2,4,6 until they are all in and stable.

[chronicbucks]

I am a bit confused by this, and I am going to be placing an order for my MOBO hopefully within the next 24 hrs.

I am going with the UD4P, which i believe operates the same.

What DDR3 should i order to get the peak performance?? run flawlessly?

[JeffAHayes19]

Chronic, I would recommend going to www.gigabyte.com.tw, then click on the motherboards link, then on the link for that specific motherboard, then click on the link for certified memory (or whatever it's called), and see if it has the same notes for your motherboard.

IF you're not planning on using more than 6 GB -- either now, or in the future -- my understanding is it won't matter how fast your RAM is up to something like 2100 Mhz... But IF you're planning on populating more than half of the DIMM slots, you may not be able to exceed some Mhz threshold (when Core i7 was first released, it was certified only for 1066 Mhz DIMMs, but that's LONG been exceeded, although if you buy from someone like Dell, that's still all you'll get).

At any rate, that's what I'd do.

As for ME, WiseMonkey (and everything's finally here, now), if I don't feel like having to keep opening and tinkering with my case, and maybe will hold off on any attempts at overclocking until my ankles are thoroughly SOAKED, so to speak, do you think it's even SAFE to populate all 6 DIMM slots right out of the gate, or should I still hold off on those other three? If the 6 DIMMs will all just drop down to 1333 Mhz, I can EASILY live with that -- A LOT MORE EASILY than if I had to RMA them back to NewEgg, instead, and get new 1333 DIMMs, instead... In fact, I'd much RATHER do that than boost the voltage to the DIMMs in order to get them to run at their specified speed -- at least, again, until I'm really comfortable with my system and my experience with it.

Thanks, again, for all your assistance. If there's ever anything I can do for YOU, please let me know!
Jeff

[The Wise Monkey]

@chronic - DDR3 1333 MHz RAM is all you really need, and this will be totally supported by your motherboad.

@Jeff - You can certainly put all the sticks of RAM in straight away, but I would recommend doing a first boot with as few components as possible i.e. motherboad, cpu, 1 stick of RAM and video card, just to be on the safe side. You can always add the RAM back in at any point and it should all be picked up correctly.

[JeffAHayes19]

First, my apologies, WiseMonkey. I can really ask some ridiculously stupid questions sometimes. I should KNOW I'm going to have to be opening and closing that case a dozen times or so tinkering with things before I'm done -- GEESH!

Second, I just got off the phone with Tech Support @ Gigabyte (Note: No toll-free number... don't know why I thought there was one -- nobody in this business has one -- but no biggie, and my cell phone has free LD and LOTS of unused minutes.) Very short wait on hold, and the guy's accent wasn't nearly as thick as I had expected (I had to ask him to repeat himself once). He took just a minute to research my specific RAM, then got back to me and said NO PROBLEM with using all 6 sticks, and it WILL run dual-channel, but that I should do my first boot with just 1 or 2 sticks because the motherboard is set to default at 1.5 volts for RAM and mine is set for 1.65 volts. There's a utilitiy that comes with this motherboard called "SmartTweaker," and he said I could go into that and tweak the RAM voltage up to 1.65, then turn it off and install the rest of the RAM.

He told me if I use just three sticks, they will run at 1600 Mhz; if I use all 6, they will drop down to 1333 Mhz (as I had suspected). He said I could have saved money by just buying 1333 Mhz RAM to start with. I told him before I called I'd just checked ALL of NewEgg's 1333 DDR3 DIMMs and they have NO DEALS better than the one for these 1600 Mhz OCZ DIMMs, so as long as they will SAFELY operate at 1333 Mhz and still give me my full 12 GB I'm happy. He said they will.

And I'm happy.
Jeff

[chronicbucks]

well, after speaking with a bunch of people, i decided to go with the same MOBO as you did, the UD5, because i figured maybe i will want to do a 3 way SLI, i will be interested to find out how your install goes.

i only plan on using 6gb atm, but you never know what is going to happen, and i may upgrade

which RAM would work ideally with this mobo??

please keep my posted on how your build goes!

[JeffAHayes19]

Actually, Chronic, the RAM I'm using (and which I was worried about) was recommended to me by WiseMonkey.

I haven't looked today, but I BELIEVE it's still on sale with the $20 rebate (and it may still also include the bonus free 4 GB USB flash RAM) At $99 BEFORE a $20 rebate and not counting the free flash RAM, I really don't think you can go wrong... And according to the tech support at Gigabyte, so long as you're not using more than 3 sticks, it will run at the full 1600 Mhz.

I think it was actually $89 at one point, but this rebate expires TODAY, so today's your last day to get it with the rebate (I JUST looked at the rebate certificate I printed out)... Also you can't use more than one rebate per household, so I won't get to use the rebate on my second set of 3 DIMMs, but at that price, and with me still getting a second free flash drive, I'm NOT disappointed.

So if you're ready to HOP, I'd HOP -- at least on the RAM -- at least if you're getting THAT RAM.
Jeff

[The Wise Monkey]

but that I should do my first boot with just 1 or 2 sticks because the motherboard is set to default at 1.5 volts for RAM and mine is set for 1.65 volts...if I use all 6, they will drop down to 1333 Mhz


You will have to manually set the DRAM voltage to about 1.65V and the memory speed to 1600 otherwise it will just default to something lower i.e. 1333Mhz and about 1.5V.

:D

But I'm glad the Gigabyte support guy was able to help... :p