What DDR3 Ram for Asus P5E3?

Hello all,

I have this board on order and would like to know which ram would be the best for it. The processor I have is a core 2 duo e6850 fsb 1333 so I wish to get ram of the same fsb. I wasn't sure what timing/voltage to get and whether it should be:

DDR3 1333 (PC3 10600) (80)
DDR3 1333 (PC3 10660) (10)
DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) (86)

As these are the 3 categories of 1333 DDR3 on newegg. I want to get the best possible speed without having to overclock. I believe the P5e3 supports up to 1333 without overclocking.

I would really appreciate any help on this matter. Thanks!
 
The Asus board will support most recognised (name brand) RAM. To make sure I would download the memory QVL (qualified vendor list) for the board and choose from Asus's recommendations.

The three categories are all (confusingly) the same specification. Some RAM vendors are more pedantic than others in listing memory bandwidth (10600, 10660, 10666 MB/sec)
 
I'm really glad you were the one to reply... I wanted to pm you but since I am a new user I was unable to. Now we can just talk here :)

I read the thread from a year or so ago about ram compatibilty with this board. I wanted to be sure before I went ahead and ordered. So any of those three timings will do? Also will any latency I decide on work alright or should I stick to certain timings?. Thanks again!
 
Yes, any of the three timings will do. You'll find that certain manufacturers favour one of the three, but it comes down to them being the same. I'd personally look at a vendor with a lifetime warranty and a good RMA service (Corsair, Crucial, G.Skill). Avoid OCZ like the plague.

Latency comes more into play if you are overclocking. Tight timings will give a little better performance, but bear in mind that 1. the cost will be higher, 2. You may have to manually set the timings and voltage to take advantage of the performance (not a biggie. I think my previous forum posts on the P5E boards show that it's a relatively painless operation), and 3. is really only needed if you plan on overclocking- since tight timings (low latency) generally has more overclocking headroom as you can relax the timings closer to standard.

Something like this 4GB Corsair kit would fit the bill. (relatively cheap, ok timings, compatible with Asus X38/X48 boards). Corsair's full list of compatible kits for the board is >>here<< (Just fill in the three fields under the "Search by Product Type"- (Motherboard - Asus - P5E3). You can google the memory configurators for the other major vendors if the Corsair kit isn't to your liking.
 
I ended up ordering the exact ram you recommended, however I ordered 6gb as I wanted a little more. Will the triple channel kit be ok for that board? I am assuming it will. If not I will have to only use 2 for now until i get a 4th 2gb stick.
 
Well it looks like I am better off running 4 or 8 as opposed to 6. However I can't seem to find a 2gb stick with the same latency and voltage :/

Should I just order the 4gb kit you linked and just have an extra to sell? I want to make sure they all match up.
 
For the price difference I would just use two of the three sticks. You can try to sell the third stick, or hang onto it - it may come in handy for troubleshooting (either your rig or someone elses) in the future.
 
Good idea to hang onto it... I'm going to end up buying another 4 gb within a few weeks anyways. I'll let you know how everything works out when it arrives. I may need some help if I can't get it to post, etc.

My last motherboard decided to die on me after several years :/ I put a blu ray burner in and then all of the sudden no post no nothing not even an error code on my dfi lan party p35. So i had to get a new board and i decided to go with something that will last a couple years max.I plan on running power color single slot radeon 6850's on this board to future proof it a bit. Just a small background as to why I'm getting the board. Thanks again for your help.
 
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