PDA

View Full Version : What RAM for my motherboard



garyb
07-31-2010, 11:58 PM
I am building a PC with the GIGABYTE GA-P55A-UD4P motherboard recommended by Rob. I would like to be sure that the RAM I buy will work in that motherboard. I found a great buy on some RAM that was supposed to work with Intel Core i7 based motherboards, but I noticed that hidden within the specs was a statement that the RAM was built for the X58 chipset. After a lot more checking, it seems that this RAM would not be compatible with the motherboard because the latter has a P55 chipset. I have searched specs for several RAM modules and can't find any chipset specifications. I am probably looking at this incorrectly. How can I find whether or not a specific RAM module will work with my motherboard?

garyb
08-02-2010, 03:39 PM
I did a lot more research on this subject and it seems that the chipset doesn't define the RAM memory. If the chipset supports DDR3, then DDR3
RAM should work. If this is incorrect, then please let me know.

I have gone ahead and purchased 4 GB (2@2 GB each) from Amazon.com. It is the exact same RAM that Rob used that he bought from Crucial.com, only cheaper. At Crucial, it is 2 * 74.99 = 149.98 plus CA tax of 12.37. With free shipping this comes to 162.35. At Amazon, it was 2 * 59.99 = 119.98. There was no tax and the shipping was free, so that was the total cost. That is a 42.37 savings for the exact same item. Here is a copy of the order line on the invoice: 2 "Crucial Technology BL25664BN1608 2 GB Ballistix 240-pin DIMM DDR3 PC3-12800 8-8-8-24 Unbuffered NON-ECC DDR3-1600 1.65V 256Meg x 64 Memory"
Electronics; $59.99

RickyTick
08-02-2010, 05:24 PM
Here's a link to Gigabyte's specs for that motherboard.
http://www.gigabyte-usa.com/Products/Motherboard/Products_Spec.aspx?ClassValue=Motherboard&ProductID=3441&ProductName=GA-P55A-UD4P

It says 1.5V DDR3 DIMM sockets. The ram you purchased is 1.65V. This shouldn't be a problem, but when you first boot the system you should go into the BIOS and make sure the ram voltage is set to 1.65 Volts.

garyb
08-03-2010, 06:41 PM
Thanks