RAM compatible with 3930K and ASUS P9X79 PRO + more

[Matthews Media]

Hello all-knowledgeable computer friends,          

I am taking the plunge and am about to purchase these parts via newegg for ~$2000 to complete my DIY Premiere Pro 6/AE video editing computer for DSLR footage. I would love any feedback possible. What do you love/what do you hate? What should I change?

Some questions:

-Can anyone double-check my RAM, motherboard, & CPU compatibility? 

-Should I invest in a cooling fan?

-Will 750w be enough for PSU?

-Which RAM should I go with, 1600 or 1866 with the 3930k? Ripjaws a good selection?

[MOBO]

ASUS P9X79 PRO LGA 2011 Intel X79 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard with USB BIOS

[RAM]

I can’t decide between the 1600 and 1866? Will one be more compatible with my CPU?  Intel’s website lists the 3930k compatible with 1600 only I think? Anyone know? G. Skill seems like a good option for my configuration (unless anyone thinks otherwise please let me know).

-G.SKILL Ripjaws Z Series 32GB (8 x 4GB) 32 GB 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9Q2-32GBZL

• Vs.

-G.SKILL Ripjaws Z Series 32GB (8 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1866 (PC3 14900) Desktop Memory Model F3-14900CL9Q2-32GBZL

[CPU]

Intel Core i7-3930K Sandy Bridge-E 3.2GHz (3.8GHz Turbo) LGA 2011 130W Six-Core Desktop Processor BX80619i73930K

[GPU]

EVGA SuperClocked 012-P3-1572-AR GeForce GTX 570 (Fermi) 1280MB 320-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI

[DRIVES]

What is the best configuration with these drives? I’m think SSD for programs, etc. but then what? Should I RAID0 the two 1TB?

Plextor M3 Series PX-128M3 2.5" 128GB SATA III Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)

(x2) Western Digital Caviar Black WD1002FAEX 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

[PSU]

I am still trying to figure out this one? Anyone have any recommendations? I have an old 750w PSU that I think may work?

[CARD READER/DVD]

Rosewill RCR-IC002 74-in-1 USB 2.0 3.5" Internal Card Reader w/ USB port / Extra silver face plate

DVD-RW from old computer

[CASE]

I have a large Antec case from previous computer.

Thanks for your help!

[Harm_Millaard]

Haven't found them yet in the Netherlands, but in a worst case scenario, you order them from Newegg, have them shipped to someone in the US who then ships them out to you. Newegg does not do exports. You could ask Salland.eu, Azerty or MaxICT when they will have them. They do have other Samsung sticks.

[Tamas]

I'm really thinking to just go for a 32gb set of these:

http://www.corsair.com/vengeance-low-profile-8gb-dual-channel-ddr3-memory-kit-cml8gx3m2a1600c9w.html

or these:

http://www.crucial.com/store/partspecs.aspx?imodule=CT2KIT51264BD160B

My patience is reaching its limits, so I probably won't be waiting for the Samsung sticks to be available in Holland.

Or would these be a very bad choice?

[Harm_Millaard]

Gut feeling: Crucial...

Why? Lower voltage and the higher CAS latency, which may mean they do not use Micron chips.

Eric, can you please bow in here?

[ECBowen]

Well based on the 1 timing listed under the Crucial, that is correct for the Low Voltage. I would definitely go with those over the Corsair from the 1 timing listed.

Eric

ADK

[Tamas]

Correct me if I`m wrong, but I always thought that a  lower latency is the better choice, in this case the corsair having 9 over the crucial having 11. But I `m probably wrong 🙂

The second thing I don`t understand is the low voltage. They both run on 1,35v, so what is the difference?

Please explain, I am really confused at the moment.

[Harm_Millaard]

Things have changed a bit on the X79 platform. First of all , LV (low voltage) has gotten to be much more important than CAS latency. You are right that lower CAS latency used to be the last performance gain to be eked out of memory modules, but when fully populated, these lower CAS latencies are also the source of problems. Micron chips tend to have lower CAS latencies than other brands, but when a X79 mobo is fully populated, they also tend to give more problems with stability, and that is why the impact of lower CAS latencies is no longer the main issue, it is more about stability and lower voltage and chips, other than Micron.

[Guest]

so we really need 1.35v on x79?

[ECBowen]

The only modules that we have tested that have been bullet proof at 1600 regardless of SB-E CPU module used have been the LV ram. We tried several manufacturers modules that ran fine at 1600 on I7 Gen 1 and would not run stable at 1600 on Gen 2. If you don't want to play Roulette because of your ram then I would highly recommend LV ram.

Eric

ADK

[Colin_Grigson]

Hi Eric - how does one guage stability properly? I'm presuming it's not just seeing if Windows crashes - but running a burn-in test of some sort?

[ECBowen]

There were several ways we were able to determine stability.

1. restart the system several times and see if it posted correctly and without kicking on the watch dog.

2. Memtest host programs over an extended period of time

3. Load windows cleanly without corruption errors.

4. Run burn in with applications such as Intel CPU Diag tool and Sisoft Sandra for an extended period of time without BSOD's.

5. Run Premiere or Cubase with test projects including encoding without errors for a long period of time without errors.

One of the major benefits the Cuda based applications such as Premiere CS5/6 and Pro Audio applications with low latency Asio drivers is the intensive load on the ram. The ram is constantly buffered to and updated besides the usual read write operations. This often finds issues with latency timings on the ram because if the read, write, erase, and refresh timings are off, then you are going to have corruption and application crashes. With audio the data corruption comes across as distorted audio from the audio engine. You can also duplicate some of this by Overclocking the CPU some to see if the stability remains with certain applications because the CPU handles the memory management. We were able to detect errors consistently and without failure with these methods especially the latency timing compatibility issues. The biggest challenge the new Memory controller CPU architecture brought to the table is syncing the host controller to the modules across a bus effected by heat, signal attenuation, and Voltage regulation. This requires the controller and the board to re-detect memory timings every time the board boots up from a non-powered or powered state along with maintaining voltage levels with a very fine margin of fluctuation. The Board manufacturers have to adjust that detection based on modules in the market and considering the scope of modules, that is no small challenge. Now add to that Quad channel and changes/version differences in the host controllers ie Memory controllers and you have the current problems you see today in the memory compatibility.

Eric

ADK

[Colin_Grigson]

Eric - wow!  Thanks!  You certainly know your stuff.  Great you can share this knowledge with us.

I've downloaded and prepared a boot cd from http://www.memtest.org and will use those other tools as well.

Unfortunately I'm probably in for a world of frustration as most of my parts are already ordered and will be with me in a couple of days.  If I weren't downunder, I would certainly be using you to build my machine.

I have coming a ASUS P9X79 PRO with an INTEL 3960x processor

The ram is 32GB of G.SKILL Ripjaws Z Series 1866 (PC3 14900)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231499

According to all the good advice above, it's not going to be fun getting them working.

Combination was recommended by VideoGuys in their DIY9 build.  Will let everyone know how the testing goes...

[ECBowen]

The 3960X has far better memory compatibility than the 3930K. I always suspected the 2 CPU's had different memory controllers like many of the I7 Gen 1 CPU's. However when I asked the CPU Engineer's at the ISS conference they stated that was not the case with the new SB-E CPU's. Now I dont know if they were just not aware of what was happening in the East or if that is really the case. Either way in all of the ram testing I did here and other system configurators I talk to have done, the 3960X was able to run most of the Ram modules at 1600 that did not work with the 3930K. This was also the Case with the Xeon CPU's as well. Unless these current G-Skill modules have issues with timings due to new IC's I have not tested then they should be ok. With the Ram parts bidding market, you never know what is going to be bought by the manufacturers for production. You definitely have a far better chance with the 3960X than you do the 3930K of getting those to run at 1600.

Eric

ADK

[Tamas]

Hi folks!

First of all, thank you for all your input here, been a great help! Here`s a little update. Today the I got 32gb of the http://www.crucial.com/store/partspecs.aspx?imodule=CT2KIT51264BD160B kit delivered, which I discussed earlier in this thread with you. I just installed 2x4gb modules to test it and it seems to be working fine. The mobo I use is a gigabyte ga x79 ud5, with of course the 3930k.

When I look in the bios the cpu runs at 3500mhz, the memory at1600mhz. However, the memory seems to be running at 1.5v, at least the bios is saying so. Should I adjust this to 1.35v, or is it ok to leave it at the automatic setting of 1.5v?

[ECBowen]

That is the Base Profile for those modules that I spoke of before. If you load the XMP Profile then the voltage and timings will change.

Eric

ADK

[Tamas]

Hi Eric,

When I go in the bios of the x79 ud5, the enable xmp profile option is greyed out and set to disabled. I have the feeling that these modules do'nt support xmp at all. Do I have to set some things manually now? And if so, which settings do you recommend?

I'm also thinking to overclock the 3930k to 4,37ghz. In that case, do I have to use different settings for the ram as well?

[ECBowen]

Tamas, If the base Profile is 1600 then I would not change anything since they did not include an XMP profile on these modules. Run with the base since it is working.

Eric

ADK

[Guest]

is that what u r talking about? SamSung 4GB DDR3 Desktop SDRAM (1600MHz PC3-12800)

• DDR3 30nm
• PC3-12800 Design
• 30 Nano Class
• DDR3 SDRAM
• 1600MHz (PC3-12800) Write Speed
• Compatible with1333MHz (PC3-10600)
• CL11 (11-11-11-28) @1600MHz CAS Latency
• 1.65W Power Consumption
• 1.35V Voltage

So only 1.35V is important now for x79? these high CL numbers are not that important anymore?

[Harm_Millaard]

Correct.

[klfi]

Hi Harm,

for your RAM information and the further RAM discussions/recommenadtions.

I run ASUS P9X79 WS with 64 GB RAM, i3930K

G.Skill RipJawsZ DIMM Kit 64GB PC3-12800U CL10-10-10-30 (DDR3-1600) (F3-12800CL10Q2-64GBZL)

EUR 445 at www.geizhals.at

no problems, After Effects CS6 with "extra Global Perf. Cache SSD" works great.

regards

Klaus klfi

[Guest]

there is something i dont understand about ram Voltage....... from what i read as i understood 1.35 is better then 1.65, if say true i did not know its something to think about at all.....

here is what i am goign to build:

INTEL X79TO SOCKET LGA2011 DDR3

INTEL CORE I7-3930K 3.2G 12M SOCKET LGA2011

INTEL 520 SATA3 SSD 120G 2.5 MLC 25NM 10 - C drive

16GB  DDR3-1600 HYPERX KIT OF 4x4GB KINGSTON (about 140usd)

ZOTAC GeForce GTX 580, 3000MB DDR5

the rest i already have on my curent system and i ll use it.......(box, HDDs, 800W power)

as i understand my RAM uses V1.65, at least its own website states it in spec pdf - DDR3-1600 at a low latency timing of 9-9-9-27 at 1.65V (but also they write Power (Operating) 1.410 W* (per module))

so 1.65V is no good? they also say - It’s designed to deliver maximum performance when paired with Intel’s Sandy Bridge-E processors and X79 Express motherboards....

so do u think i better change it to 1.35v?

i wonder if some one can suggest a pci express card with many sata 3 connectors on it? not just 2, but maybe 6 or more? are there any like that at all?

about GPU - really hard to decided..... can go with 680 or 670 as well ..... but cant decide what is better...... and just decied to stop at GTX580 with 3GB hope its something good

[Harm_Millaard]

i wonder if some one can suggest a pci express card with many sata 3 connectors on it? not just 2, but maybe 6 or more? are there any like that at all?

You mean something like this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16816151121

24 internal ports and 4 external ports and a hardware raid controller included.

[Guest]

You mean something like this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16816151121

no not that one! as its also a raid controller thats is extreamly expansive! i would prefer more simple one just with sata 3 ports.... something like that:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16816129087

unfourtunatly the next one with more sata is 400$ right away..... would like to find it cheaper....

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16816117214

regards

[DaveCowl]

I am expecting to go through the RAM install process in the next week or two... sounds like it needs 'tweaks' (BIOS tweaks?) to get it to work correctly.

Any specific information on how to set up the Motherboard with the Samsung RAM would be great!

Loving this thread! Thanks in advance to the folks helping out here!

Cheers! Dave.

[ChrisLeeDallas]

I can report that the G-Skill Ripjaws Z DDR3 PC3-17000 9-11-10-28 2133MHz in a 8x4GB setup at 1.5v 1600MHz is working with the following build:

Gigabyte X79-UD5 mobo

Intel 3930K i7 @ 4.2GHz OC

Rosewill Thor V2-White Edition (love this case)

EVGA GeForce GTX 580 3GB

2x Seagate Barracuda 7200 rpm 1TB in RAID 0 (onboard)

2x Seagate Barracuda 7200 rpm 2TB (one for exports, one for storage)

1x Samsung 830 SSD 128GB for OS & Progs

Pioneer Internal BD writer (BDR-207DBK)

Corsair AX-1200 watt Gold PSU

Noctua NH-D14

Windows 7 Pro SP1

And CS6 of course.

I did have issues when I tried to run the ram in XMP mode, which I guess it should since the 3930K doesn't work with clock speeds over 1600. So I left it alone and this machine screams. I do think I need to tweak some things as the PPBM5.5 came in at #47, and TrevorD with a very similar build is up at #6. He does have a 10K rpm drive for projects, a 4.4 OC which I think is making a huge difference. He also is running a GTX 570 instead of my 580. I wonder if that makes a difference? Either way, when I have time I am going to try to get into the top 10.

[JEShort01]

Chris,

TrevorD is running CS5 which runs the PPBM5 test faster than CS5.5 / CS6 on the same hardware (Harm and Bill say it is something having to do with how Adobe changed the caching in the different versions). He also has a 5xRAID 0 that will do better at matching the powerful cpu you both are running.

You will also need to do lots of system tweaking (mostly Windows, not CS itself) to get CS performing at its best.

Your build is a nice one - enjoy it!

Regards,

Jim