Z97 DDR3 recommendations?

[Lays]

I've been looking to get a kit of ram for benching only, but was curious what I should look for.

 

Should I be looking for psc, Samsung, hynix or what? Do the different IC's perform differently at the same timings?

 

I'm leaning towards psc because I see a lot of people on here with really tight timings on psc, but figured I'd ask first.

If I do get psc, should I just get some off eBay to save money and hope it clocks well? Do they have a really good rep for always clocking well, or is it really difficult to find a good kit?

 

 

 

Sorry for all the questions, I'm new to the whole ram OC'ing game.

Edited July 9, 2015 by Lays

[Massman]

SuperPI > PSC

General Purpose > Samsung

[websmile]

Ebay will make you suffer, other than people think and results you see at hwbot and forums, tons of psc are unable to do 2600C8 tight stable at any voltage, and lots of Samsungs fail 2800 C9 as well - if you plan to use cold psc are by far best option for most benches, air use Samsung is good choice like Pieter said. Skip Hynix completely, benchperformance is bad.

There is no "same performace at same timings" - good psc can take tighter subtimings than samsungs for example, and best possible maintimings are different as well at same frequency

[Lays]

Ebay will make you suffer, other than people think and results you see at hwbot and forums, tons of psc are unable to do 2600C8 tight stable at any voltage, and lots of Samsungs fail 2800 C9 as well - if you plan to use cold psc are by far best option for most benches, air use Samsung is good choice like Pieter said. Skip Hynix completely, benchperformance is bad.

There is no "same performace at same timings" - good psc can take tighter subtimings than samsungs for example, and best possible maintimings are different as well at same frequency

 

 

I have a set of Samsung trident x that did 2800 c9 on a friend's 4790k and asrock oc formula, but I can't seem to get them to do further than 2666 c9 on my 4770k and oc force.

Not sure if I'm doing something wrong or what, he gave me pics of all the timings etc and voltages to try & use but I couldn't get it to work.

I tried doing what bullant was talking about in his threads about "training" like booting at 2400 then 2600 then 2666 etc, but that didn't work either.

 

Is my imc just bad? I tried like three different bios as well so I don't think it's my board.

 

 

I was thinking of selling the kit I have now(2400c9 Sammy tridentx 4x4), getting a cheaper ram kit for 24/7 use and a good kit of psc or something for superpi, then pocketing the rest of the money I have leftover, but idk.

[websmile]

Keep the Samsungs, if you use normal GA Socf and 4770K, it is most likely the system that limits you, the fact they do 2800c9 on different rig shows mems are of good quality. Put the 4770K in your friends rig and test if the IMC can do 2800C9, afterwards you will know if board or IMC limits you - make a decision on what to do after this test^^

[Lays]

Keep the Samsungs, if you use normal GA Socf and 4770K, it is most likely the system that limits you, the fact they do 2800c9 on different rig shows mems are of good quality. Put the 4770K in your friends rig and test if the IMC can do 2800C9, afterwards you will know if board or IMC limits you - make a decision on what to do after this test^^

 

I'd like to do that but he's an online friend so using his board would be difficult as he lives quite far away.

 

Newegg has a sale on oc formula right now so I might get one to test and see. I have heard it's one of the best boards for z97 overclocking so I may just switch to it if all goes well. Thanks!

[Guest Bullant]

Training is not really required much at all and less required on Samsung,you'll have to make sure all your setting are correct,you also haven't said what bios your on.I would only use X04 bios,its a proven bios that works very well and "if"training is required on PSC then this is the bios you need to be on

 

It could be also your imc but with the best imc and wrong setting and bios on this board could also have it failing,so many factors that you just need to eliminate one by one

Edited July 9, 2015 by Bullant

[Lays]

Training is not really required much at all and less required on Samsung,you'll have to make sure all your setting are correct,you also haven't said what bios your on.I would only use X04 bios,its a proven bios that works very well and "if"training is required on PSC then this is the bios you need to be on

 

It could be also your imc but with the best imc and wrong setting and bios on this board could also have it failing,so many factors that you just need to eliminate one by one

 

I am on X04 yeah, I can't boot straight to 2666 c9 or I get boot fail error. I have to train up from 2400. I have tried messing with system agent and iod/ioa and doesn't seem to have any effect. Not sure what else to do, I could get 2800 c11 to boot, but not c10 or c9.

[Guest Bullant]

Have you tried same dram volts as what your mate did?maybe try what web said before you go any further,just check your chip in your mates pc.Least this way if your CPU works fine @ 2800 on your mates pc we can then help you with your board and settings

[Lays]

Have you tried same dram volts as what your mate did?maybe try what web said before you go any further,just check your chip in your mates pc.Least this way if your CPU works fine @ 2800 on your mates pc we can then help you with your board and settings

 

 

I can't check my chip in the mates PC, he lives across the country

 

Yeah I tried the same voltage he was using, 2.08v DRAM voltage. I only have to use a very small amount of System agent and IOD/IOA to get 2666 9-11-11-18 TRFC 110 1t to run, with semi tight second/third timings. Surely adding more IOD/IOA System agent shud work, but I couldn't get it to post at 2800 c9.

[Guest Bullant]

I have seen few people using higher dram v for 2800 cl9 tight if memory are little weak ,you could also have a sub timing to tight or rtls could be causing the problem.You tried booting 2800 9-12-12-21 twcl6-7 with everything els on auto then if you get it working start to tighten up

 

The other thing was your mate running the same sub timings that your trying that is failing,is so many things could be the problem

[Lays]

I have seen few people using higher dram v for 2800 cl9 tight if memory are little weak ,you could also have a sub timing to tight or rtls could be causing the problem.You tried booting 2800 9-12-12-21 twcl6-7 with everything els on auto then if you get it working start to tighten up

 

The other thing was your mate running the same sub timings that your trying that is failing,is so many things could be the problem

 

He told me to put everything to auto except primary, tried that and it didn't work either. I will try again later by training up to 2800 to see if it'll work now.

[rsnubje]

For me with X04, putting it on tigth 2666, training it, then putting it on 2800 and not training it, worked for me.

[Lays]

For me with X04, putting it on tigth 2666, training it, then putting it on 2800 and not training it, worked for me.

 

 

 

What do you mean by training 2666 and not training 2800? I'm pretty new to all this, still trying to figure out all the terminology and methods.

[websmile]

Training is called memory boot mode iirc on Gigabyte, is same like MRC fastboot I think, so you disable this for training and enable it if you don´t want additional training. I only had socf a few days, so I hope I remember this right

[Lays]

Training is called memory boot mode iirc on Gigabyte, is same like MRC fastboot I think, so you disable this for training and enable it if you don´t want additional training. I only had socf a few days, so I hope I remember this right

 

Do you happen to know what exactly memory training does? Just curious, trying to learn as much as I can.

[websmile]

Reading the spd and memory, it is process of recognition

[rsnubje]

I don't know exactly what training does, except for that it sets some timings right for the speed you are using.

 

For Gigabyte boards: Disabled fast boot will let the board train, enabling fast boot will skip memory training. You can find this option at the memory menu.

[Lays]

I don't know exactly what training does, except for that it sets some timings right for the speed you are using.

 

For Gigabyte boards: Disabled fast boot will let the board train, enabling fast boot will skip memory training. You can find this option at the memory menu.

 

I didn't ever have that setting disabled, could that be the reason I couldn't get the ram to do 2800 CL9, but 2666 CL9 was working?

 

Also does anyone know what I should be looking at for VSA/IOA/IOD voltages?

I know every chip is a bit different, but can someone give me a rough estimate? I can't seem to find anything online about what voltages I should need, or atleast an estimate.

[rsnubje]

About +200mv SA and +300mv IO is what I used.

 

Try to play with the training a bit.

[Lays]

About +200mv SA and +300mv IO is what I used.

 

Try to play with the training a bit.

 

I just messed with it for nearly 2 hours, with hundreds of boots and it just doesn't do it

The best I could get it to boot at was 2666 9-11-11-18 1T, with somewhat tight second/third timings and 42 RTL's

IDK what else to try, the 2 sticks I have were validated by my friend before I bought them, and they were doing 2800 9-12-12-18 and 9-12-12-21 with real tight timings.

IDK If it's my board, or CPU or what. It barely takes any voltage to VSA/IOD/IOA for 2666 c9, but I continued to bump up the voltage while trying 2800 c9, and it wouldn't post. I got all the way up to .225 VSA, .3 IO, and no post still, so I'm just gonna give up.

 

 

Should I try putting them in the orange slots instead of the black ones even though the black ones are closer to CPU?

Edited July 15, 2015 by Lays

[zeropluszero]

orange slots are the correct slots.

try +0.1 on each VSA and IO. on Z97 you're too high.

start at 2.2vdimm and work down.

set just the primaries and post at 2600, 2666, then 2800.

its really not that hard, unless your cpu really is that shit.

[Lays]

orange slots are the correct slots.

try +0.1 on each VSA and IO. on Z97 you're too high.

start at 2.2vdimm and work down.

set just the primaries and post at 2600, 2666, then 2800.

its really not that hard, unless your cpu really is that bunnyextraction.

 

Oh wow, could that have been my issue? I was using the black ones because they were closer to the cpu, but now I see that orange are numbered 1 & 2.

 

Can't test right now since I'm using my rig to watch movies lol. Also I was told past 2.15v on Sammies causes permanent damage, is this true?

[JunkDogg]

Nope, up to 2.35V on air is fine.

[websmile]

Stop watching p**n and give the orange slots a go - use a fan to cool the mems