Ivy Bridge RAM

[Oyster]

Anyone of you know of any sources detailing the memory architecture in IVB? Is it dual or quad channel? Seems like the pictures of mobos from the CES indicate dual channel architecture. I am in the market for new RAM, so as well buy something that will be compatible with IVB.

Thanks for any input.

 

[dma0991]

Dual channel DDR3-1600 for IB. Quad channel DDR3 for IB-E.

 

[BrightCandle]

Ivy will be dual channel in its initial form on 1155. When Ivy Bridge comes out for 2011 however it'll be 4 channel. Really depends on which platform your intending to build your system on.

 

[Diogenes2]

To OP:

FWIW, dual or Quad channel makes no difference, it's still DDR3..

Of course if you go with a Quad channel mobo, populating 4 slots vs 2, will make a difference.

 

[Concillian]

To OP:

FWIW, dual or Quad channel makes no difference

[...]

with a Quad channel mobo, populating 4 slots vs 2, will make a difference.

WAT?

OP, the bottom line is that IB is using the existing platforms. The 1155 and 2011 platforms that exist now will be what works for IB. Whatever is true for memory in current Intel plaforms will hold true for Ivy Bridge. So look at current SB 1155 or 2011 reviews and use that as your guide for IB.

 

[gramboh]

Related question, the top end 1155 IB CPUs will be DDR3-1600 default speed (from what I can tell, and DDR3-1333 on some SKUs).

Is there any reason, currently known, that IB would respond differently to higher memory speeds/lower latencies than SB does? Based on this AT article, there is no tangible performance benefit on SB to faster memory/lower latencies for my usage case (gaming, encoding, some benchmarking for fun): http://www.anandtech.com/show/4503/sandy-bridge-memory-scaling-choosing-the-best-ddr3/1

I'm thinking of grabbing a Corsair 4x4GB DDR3-1600 CL9 low profile kit next time it goes on sale for $80 here ($100 presently). Moving up to 1833 and beyond, or lower latencies, causes the price to rise by 50% or mroe with barely any improvement. 2x8GB DIMMs is also appealing but again, 50% price premium over 4x4 kits here.

 

[grkM3]

I would wait before you grab ram,prices are only going down and speeds keep going up.DDR 3 2400 is out now and it looks like IV supports up to 2800 ram speeds so we can expect faster kits to hit the streets soon.

You might be able to pick up a 8gb 2400 set for the price of 2133 ram when people start selling 2800 mhz kits

 

[Grooveriding]

Any old DDR3 will be fine, I wouldn't worry about it. If you are going mainstream IB; 2, 4, 6 or 8 sticks of RAM will work fine for you for dual-channel DDR3.

RAM is one of the only purchases I never spend much on, there is just nothing to be had for my usage from faster ram, lower timings etc. The only use I see for faster RAM is maintaining certain speeds if you are overclocking by changing the BCLK. That said, you could just reduce speeds on DDR3 1600 ram and not notice the performance loss in general usage, gaming etc.

 

[ThatsABigOne]

Any old DDR3 will be fine, I wouldn't worry about it. If you are going mainstream IB; 2, 4, 6 or 8 sticks of RAM will work fine for you for dual-channel DDR3.

RAM is one of the only purchases I never spend much on, there is just nothing to be had for my usage from faster ram, lower timings etc. The only use I see for faster RAM is maintaining certain speeds if you are overclocking by changing the BCLK. That said, you could just reduce speeds on DDR3 1600 ram and not notice the performance loss in general usage, gaming etc.

No. It would be advisable to get 1.5v or lower kits as older kits were 1.65v.

 

[IntelEnthusiast]

The Intel® Core™ processors only support DDR 3 memory at 1.5v ±5% make sure you stay at this and you shouldnt run into problems with voltage in the future.

 

[Diogenes2]

WAT?

OP, the bottom line is that IB is using the existing platforms. The 1155 and 2011 platforms that exist now will be what works for IB. Whatever is true for memory in current Intel plaforms will hold true for Ivy Bridge. So look at current SB 1155 or 2011 reviews and use that as your guide for IB.

Not sure what you are questioning..

Are you say there is no difference in performance between dual vs quad channel RAM ? ( 1155 vs 2011 )

 

[Concillian]

Not sure what you are questioning..

Are you say there is no difference in performance between dual vs quad channel RAM ? ( 1155 vs 2011 )

You said in one sentence that dual or quad channel makes no difference, then in the next sentence you say it makes a difference.

Whatever point you were trying to convey did not get conveyed very clearly.

 

[grkM3]

intels web site says 2133 at 1.65 is supported with there memory profile.

If its not supported why did intel make a profile that uses 1.65 volts?

 

[Diogenes2]

You said in one sentence that dual or quad channel makes no difference, then in the next sentence you say it makes a difference.

Whatever point you were trying to convey did not get conveyed very clearly.

I suppose I wasn't clear.

I was trying to inform the OP that the same type of RAM ( DDR3 ) would work with either platform ..

My 2nd statement noted the difference between running dual vs quad ..

...populating 4 slots vs 2, will make a difference.

 

[Oyster]

Thanks for the feedback, guys. Based on the previous release cycles (SB, SB-E), I have observed that RAM prices actually tend to increase by a certain amount during processor launches. I don't have any hard data, but believe me... I have been procrastinating my CPU upgrade for quite some time now and follow the prices on the Web closely. IMO, retailers actually have an incentive to not drop prices during processor launches because they have a high probability of pocketing those slim margins.

Sure, in the long-term, prices will continue to go down, but I don't want get desperate on launch day and spend $50-100 extra on a pair of RAM I wasn't planning on buying. I got a reply from Kristian Vättö, confirming that IVB is is dual channel and supports up to 1600 MHz (straight from the Intel roadmap).

I'll be on the lookout for RAM deals in the near future here because it looks like IVB is very much going to be on time.

 

[grkM3]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231519

8 GB 2133 for 64.99 shipped with free flash stick

 

[gramboh]

Wow that GSkill is cheap, for some reason memory prices are higher here in Canada, will continue to monitor. Although, for my use, there is no benefit to going above 1600 or paying more for tighter timings (well there is, but it's insignificant, 1-3% versus 50% price premium).

 

[Puppies04]

intels web site says 2133 at 1.65 is supported with there memory profile.

If its not supported why did intel make a profile that uses 1.65 volts?

Link?

 

[grkM3]

http://www.intel.com/content/www/us.../core-i7-memory-suppliers-1111-datasheet.html

 

[blakehew]

Anybody know what the max per DIMM slot size is. Can i put in 4X 8GB DIMMs for 32GB of RAM. How Bout 16GB DIMMs if/when they get to that point?

 

[Kristijonas]

That depends not on the CPU, but on the motherboard socket. It's the same Z68 for Sandy and Ivy bridge, so it's going to be the same about RAMs as well.

4X 8GB DIMMs for 32GB of RAM.

No problem. Can do that with Sandy Bridge too.

4X 8GB DIMMs for 32GB of RAM. How Bout 16GB DIMMs if/when they get to that point?

No 16Gb RAM sticks will be supported on LG1155 I think. I don't think there's even a need for 16Gb RAM sticks, as the larger they get, the harder it is to make them fast as well.

 

[PreferLinux]

Just make sure that any 8 GB DIMMs are unbuffered – registered memory, which is much more common for that capacity, won't work.