DDR3 & SSD

SgtBob

Hi All,

So, I've decided that I'm gonna build myself a new machine in the next couple of months. Just trying to put the cash together. I haven't built a machine in a few years, so a bit out of the game in terms of some hardware.

I'm building it for gaming, BF3/4, Dayz, etc

I have my specs pretty much set, but I was looking for some opinions on RAM and SSD.

Specs:
i5 3570K
ASUS P8Z77-M
ATI Radeon 7870 or 7970 (Depending on price when I buy the kit)
600W PSU
Already have a SATA DVD-RW and HDD for storage
Haven't decided on which CPU cooler to go for
Already have a nice mATX case

Essentially, I am wondering will I see much of a difference between PC3-12800, 14900, 17000?

Would 8Gb suffice or should I or do I need to go up to 16Gb?

In terms of SSD's, I know nothing. I was looking at a 256Gb capacity. But in terms of specs, what should I be looking out for? (Obviously not looking to spend 400 on one )

tuxy

For intel CPUs PC3-12800 is as fast as you need the gains you get from faster ram is tiny.

There is no benefit in getting more than 8gb for gaming.

For good price/performance SSD get either the Samsung SSD 840 or Crucial M4. The Samsung is a bit faster but also a bit more expensive but both are very good.

Serephucus

Samsung 840 is a great value SSD. There's the 840 Pro as well, but it's a lot more expensive, and for 99% of cases, the extra performance isn't needed / won't be used. The 250GB version is around €150, and the 500GB version is about €290.

btkm8unsl0w5r4

Sorry to Hijack here but can anyone tell me, I have memory DDR3 that runs at 1600 with a CL of 9 or 1866 with a CL of 11, given that increased speed really has little performance improvement, am I better to take the lower timings than the increased speed??????

marco_polo

Molly Future Shipyard wrote: »

Sorry to Hijack here but can anyone tell me, I have memory DDR3 that runs at 1600 with a CL of 9 or 1866 with a CL of 11, given that increased speed really has little performance improvement, am I better to take the lower timings than the increased speed??????

The relative decrease in timings is quite small too so it would have little impact in performance. In general increased speed performs slightly better, but either way the difference are miniscule in benchmarks and practically non existent in normal real world usage.

http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/memory/display/ivy-bridge-ddr3_3.html

SgtBob

Thanks guys, I think you've answered my questions there.