RAM Help Please.

[Lee1]

I want to increase my RAM. Currently I have 24gb, odd I know. This is because I bought a computer with 8gb of ram and I had 16gb from an older computer. I know my kit will take up to 32 gb and feel DCS would benefit from the extra ram.

 

What info do I need, please, to be able to successfully upgrade? I already bought and sent back ram I thought was the same as originally in and added that but the computer wouldn't run with that in. The only thing I know for sure is that I need 1.5 volt ram.

 

I have the CPUID CPU-Z prog that will tell me exactly whats in there but it is a question of understanding it.

 

If anyone can help I would be extremely grateful.

[Mars Exulte]

Doing it piecemeal with a THIRD set of 8gb is a bad idea, even to my risky and carefree mentality. Additionally, the difference between 24 and 32 is likely to be negligible, so I would weagh the small gain vs the price of the upgrade you intend.

 

 

 

The things you need to know are:

 

What kind of RAM your motherboard supports. This is in the manual DDR2, 3, or 4.

 

Next is speed, the mhz. Most motherboards have a maximum supported speed. No sense buying 4000mhz RAM if your motherboard only support 2666mhz.

 

So you'll buy, as an example, 32gb DDR3 2666mhz or whatever. Technically I think single vs dual channel can be a factor if you're using a sufficiently cheap motherboard that doesn't support dual, but I think this isn't likely to be an issue usually.

[Bossco82]

Hi Lee1,

Using CPUZ please check your motherboard manufacturer model and chipset, it will be under the section "Mainboard"

Then give us your CPU, Intel or AMD and the model. Then we can advise you further.

What DDR, either 2,3 or 4 are you running now and what is the speed please?, it will be in CPUZ under "SPD"

 

Regardless of the above for 32gb. It is best to use either 2x16gb sticks or 4x8gb sticks. Again this will rely on what your motherboard and cpu combination support. You can go to your motherboards manufacturers website and check the QVL list for memory compatibility. 

[Lee1]

Thanks for the info guys.

 

Bossco82,

Gigabyte Z68XP-UD3P

Intel Sandy Bridge

Re RAM, all DDR3 and dual.

Slot 1 and 3 have the older 8gb Transcend ram siticks in

Slot 2 and 4 have the newer Corsair 4gb ram sticks in

 

On the timings table, slots one and three are identical and read

JEDEC#1 457mhz, JEDEC#2 533mhz, JEDEC#3 609mhz and JEDEC#4 666mhz

SLots 2 and four are also identical  and read

JEDEC#2 518mhz, JEDEC#3 592mhz, JEDEC#4 666mhz and XMP-1600 800mhz

I know mhz is speed but haven't a clue what the rest means.

 

I'll look at the website and see if I can learn anything from there but I suspect it will be mostly meaningless to me. I admit to being a user rather than someone who understands how it all works in the same way that I can drive a car but haven't a clue how to tinker with the internals!

 

Thanks for your help

 

Lee

 

 

 

 

[Thinder]

1 hour ago, Lee1 said:

JEDEC#2 518mhz, JEDEC#3 592mhz, JEDEC#4 666mhz and XMP-1600 800mhz

 

 

This is only the frequency possible with each RAM stick, in reality, the controllers make them run at the slowest frequency if you mix different sticks.

[Lee1]

Thanks Thinder. So, what speed ram should I buy pls? Does XMP-1600 indicate it will run 1600mhz ram and that's what I should get?

TIA

 

Edited February 15, 2021 by Lee1

[Thinder]

7 hours ago, Lee1 said:

Thanks Thinder. So, what speed ram should I buy pls? Does XMP-1600 indicate it will run 1600mhz ram and that's what I should get?

TIA

 

 

 

You need a kit of similar sticks whatever frequency you chose to use, what I meant is that the CPU controller sets the RAM frequency but it canot make slower RAM run faster, so it will throttle all RAM down to the slowest stick frequency.

 

Since apparently you're not looking for optimization, you could fit more of the exact same 1600mhz stick you have now to replace the slowest ones.

[Lee1]

Thanks. So basically, if I get a set of 1600mhz sticks to replace all four, as long as they are matched I will get the best performance?

The non optimisation was because I used what I had at the time

 

Thanks for your help.

 

Edited February 15, 2021 by Lee1

[Bossco82]

Basically what Thinder said,

 

JEDEC#2 518mhz, JEDEC#3 592mhz, JEDEC#4 666mhz and XMP-1600 800mhz

I know mhz is speed but haven't a clue what the rest means.

 

This shows the speed the dram can run at. Dram can be run at several speeds and this shows all the speeds the dram is rated to run at.

 

If I was you I would go to a popular auction site and look for two more sticks of the exact Corsair dram you have. Match the model number. So you then have 4x4gb sticks giving you 16gb. It would be the cheapest option for speed and stability. It just being Corsair doesn't guarantee compatibility. As different sets of dram can have different memory chips on them. Its best to use the same model of memory.

 

If you want 32gb go and find 4x8gb matching sticks rated for XMP-1600 for the best performance. I dont know how much you would benefit from have 32gb though Sandybidge is getting on a bit now. How do you play DCS, single or multi player and at what resolution?

[Lee1]

Bossco, I play single player at the moment and my monitor is at 3440x1440. Cockpit is set up at 1024

 

 

Ideally I need a better computer but that is some time away I fear.

 

[Bossco82]

Okay yeah at that resolution a better system would be better in general. I play single player at 4k, I also using vsync@60fps because I use a track ir. 

 

As for your dram, I dont remember seeing many people loading 4x8gb sticks into your motherboard successfully. Im not saying its not possible. I had a quick look around and at your motherboards spec. I personally think that finding a set of 4x4gb sticks of matching Corsair Vengeance ddr3 XMP 1600 C8 or C9 will be your best bet. Online auctions for used stuff is your best option. Prices seem to be decent and there is plenty available.

 

What is you CPU please mate? Trying to work out a mild to moderate overclock might be an option for you. I think I have a notebook buried somewhere from my 2700k Z77 system.

 

Finally out of curiosity what gpu are you using mate?

[Lee1]

Hi Bossco,

On CPU-Z the specification bit says Intel Core I7-2600k @ 3.40 ghz and 4 cores 8 threads. To be honest, I'm generally satisfied it trundles along at about 80fps but occasionally it just stops dead for a couple of seconds while it catches up. Does it more often in Syria than The Caucasus so I guess it's working very hard for what it is.

 

Am I then incorrect in thinking more ram is better? That 4 matched 4gb sicks would be better than the 2 x 4 and 2 x 8 unmatched that I have and would give me faster response? Would 2 x 8gb work as well as 4 x 4? More importantly, would it help the stopping dead I experience occasionally. As I said, I'm a user not a deep understander of how it works.

 

Reading up, it's a 4k monitor too.

 

Thanks and regards

 

Lee

Edited February 16, 2021 by Lee1

[Bossco82]

Hi Lee,

 

4k in DCS is demanding. Regarding your dead stop, that sounds like a bottleneck somewhere. If you are getting into DCS in a big way. It is a good idea to try to learn a little but about how a computer works and then learn how to work it so it works best for you. 

As for your dram, my advise is to get what you can get hold of at the right price as long as the modules match exactly. There are those that will argue that there is a difference between 2x8gb and 4x4gb. The difference is minimal and wont help with you sudden pauses. So for now while you are on Sandybridge, get what you can used and save your money for a more modern system down the road. 

As for Syria its a demanding map in general. As far as I know there is more optimisation to come on the Syria map, not 100% on that though. I get stutters on Syria and my system is top end for DCS.

The cpu you have is an overclocking version and one of the best available circa 2012. It will overclock quite easily. Try having a look on such as Youtube for videos on "overclocking 2600k".  You can also search for readable guides, there will be many. It would improve your performance. However please read up on it first. 

Try to answer this one what hard drive is DCS stored on? Ie, Mechanical HDD or a SSD, most use a SSD now to load DCS.

Did you build your system? Did someone build it for you? Or was it provided from a store?

Finally where in the world are you based, it will help sourcing anything you might need.

 

For your system now, a 4-4.5ghz overclock on your cpu would help a lot. You will need an aftermarket cooler. Some proper matching dram rated for XMP 1600mhz will help too. This is how it starts mate. You find a game you like such as DCS, then you get into building and overclocking your PC so it performs better.

 

If you can download "GPUZ" from "Techpowerup". Run it and find out what graphics card you have installed.

[Thinder]

9 hours ago, Bossco82 said:

As for your dram, my advise is to get what you can get hold of at the right price as long as the modules match exactly. There are those that will argue that there is a difference between 2x8gb and 4x4gb.

 

It's not an argument.

 

It's a proven FACT, Ryzen works very well with single rank and rank interlacing since Zen 2, but Zen 3 architecture also make use of lower latency and for their controlers to manage it 100%, you'll need 4 sticks of low latency (CL14) and B.die, it works even better and the gain is far from being negligible.

 

I swaped a dual rank CL16 2 X 16GB for a G.SKILL 4 X 8GB single rank, CL14 of the same frequency (3200MHz) and immediately the CPU controller throttled up everything, when the RAM is bound to the CPU properly it works to its optimum capacity, it's the result of removing one of the bottlenecks, as simple as that.

 

Here are the results (Crucial RAM first. G.GKILL second)

 

Fire Strike Ultra

4K gaming with DirectX 11

3840 x 2160 (16:9) (4K)

MSAA x 2

MSI Afterburner ON. AMD Ryzen Master ON; Game mode.

 

>>>>>>

Graphics score: 6 496 vs 6 583. +1.33%
 
Physics score: 23 894 vs 25 339. + 6.04%

 

Combined score: 3 605 vs 3 654. + 1.35%.

>>>>>>

 

https://forums.eagle.ru/topic/252271-amd-5000-series-cpu-performance-in-dcs/?do=findComment&comment=4552794

 

In short, instead of advising to O.C their systems, people should consider advising them to get the most of it without O.C in the first place.

 

Best example for that is another fact; the average headroom for O.C one of the new RADEON 6800 is 5%, meaning I managed more gain for my CPU without O.C just with a good RAM bound, then the GPU runs 1.33% faster at 4K as well simply because the CPU doesn't hold anything, even if the 1080 Ti is still the source of a bottleneck with a 5600X.

 

I'm quite sure there is a similar RAM solution for optimizing Intels as well, just google Rank Interleave and read experienced Intel users in forums and do some research work.

 

 

Edited February 17, 2021 by Thinder

[Bossco82]

Thinder straight up I agree with you entirely, 100%. For my own Ryzen system I swapped out 2x16gb for 4x8gb a while ago.

 

My advise to Lee1 was specific for his system, he is using a Sandybridge 2600k in a Z68 motherboard. The difference will be so minimal he may aswell go for the least expensive option that he can find and put a mild to moderate overclock on his 2600k untill he is in a position to upgrade the system completely. 

 

If he was building a new system I would advise a 5600x with probably 4x8gb sticks of 3200mhz C16 DDR4.

Edited February 18, 2021 by Bossco82

[Lee1]

Thanks guys.

Bossco, running on a mechanical HDD as I have a very small SSD  250gb.

Graphics NVIDIA GTX1070 with 8gb GDDR5'. It has a liwuid cooler, would I still need to replace it? The temp barely goes up at all on what I'm running now.

I got my machine from the local computer shop and I believe it was built by them but bought "off the shelf" and was a HUGE improvement on the one I had. I put my 1070 into it as it had a poorer graphics card in it.

I'm in the UK.

I think minimum spend as you suggest and save up! In fact, probably spend nothing and save up for an Alienware!!

 

Thanks for all your help guys.

 

Rgds

 

Lee

Edited February 19, 2021 by Lee1

[Bossco82]

Hi Lee,

Regarding your sudden pause. If DCS is installed on the mech that's your problem. So check what size your DCS install is in GB and see if you can work things to store it on an SSD.

If I was you I would do the following. eBay is your friend on this one.

If your OS is on the SSD and files and games on the mech. See if there is a SSD on eBay to store DCS on. That is if you have a spare data power connector.

Again find some used ddr3 xmp 1600, I suggest Corsair but that doesn't matter. As long as the 4x4gb or 2x8gb or 4x8gb match. You can sell them on again at a later date if you do a full upgrade.

Finally look for a used aftermarket cpu cooler that has intel and amd fittings. Most mid range air coolers should be fine. Use it to put an overclock of 4.4ish ghz on your 2700k using between 1.25_1.28 score. It will be worth reading an overclocking guide for Sandy ridge as it will give you a good boost. 

The SSD you can use in whatever upgrade you might build in the future. The DDR3 can be sold on. A cooler can be used for something like a modern AMD or Intel cpu if you upgrade to one. The overclock only costs time.

All that should give your system a worthwhile boost for DCS. 

You can even try MSI Afterburner and the OC Scanner in it to see if you can get a boost from your gpu.

 

Software like CPUZ, GPUZ and HW monitor will help you out.

 

Please note I only suggest using eBay or buying used to save you any expense. 

 

Regarding saving for Alienware. Watch a build on YouTube, if you feel confident just build your own. Plenty of members on here can give advise. Scan UK or Overclockers are reliable retailers. If you do want to buy off the shelf I would have either of those stores build one for you. Your not paying so much of a premium for the brand.

 

Let me know how it goes.

Edited February 19, 2021 by Bossco82

[Lee1]

Thanks Bossco, I'll See what I can do re the info you've given me.  Much food for thought.

My DCS install is bigger than the space I have on my SSD so maybe i@ll look for an external one and plug it in then reload all my DCS onto it.

MAny thanks for your time and the information.

WIll let you know what eventually transpires.

Regards

Lee

[Bossco82]

Maybe not an external one Lee, could run into transfer rate problems and usb drop outs.

If your going to get one, get another internal one. They are easy enough to fit mate. I just had a look on eBay. Crucial and Samsung ones are available 250gb for about 25-30 quid.

Your motherboards data ports are halfway down the right hand side of your motherboards.

If you get stuck just come back on here or send me a pm. 

[Thinder]

5 hours ago, Lee1 said:

Thanks Bossco, I'll See what I can do re the info you've given me.  Much food for thought.

My DCS install is bigger than the space I have on my SSD so maybe i@ll look for an external one and plug it in then reload all my DCS onto it.

MAny thanks for your time and the information.

WIll let you know what eventually transpires.

Regards

Lee

 

Do you have a free M2 slot on your motherboard? Because they work way fqatser than SATA or external HDs...

[Bossco82]

Hes on a Z68 chipset mate, I dont think M2's were around then. Could use a pcie adapter though.