Can somebody please explain to a pleb (me) what the difference is between AM3 and 1156 kits? And why there not compatible? Thanks.
Basically amd memory is fine with around 1.8v ddr3, whereas the intel memory controller shouldn't go over 1.65v. Running the 1.65v ddr3 should be fine in an amd board you should be able to under volt it a bit or run the memory over volted somewhat without issue.
MrGumby's broadly right. Intel's s.1156 and s.1136 can only tolerate a maximum difference between memory and memory-controller (on-die) voltages - if you haven't fiddled with the voltage of your memory controller, this translates to a limit of 1.65v for memory. However, they don't need 1.65v; lots of '1156' memory is 1.5v and there are LoVo kits around that are as low as 1.3v. AMD's limits (both maximum and minimum) are higher - therefore memory kits optimized for AM3 are typically around 1.8-9v.
Yep, you can get away with an 'intel only' kit in an AMD setup. For example i have patriot Sector 5's in my AMD rig running at the stated 1.65v and not had any probs. But try an 'AMD only' kit in an intel setup and it's not gonna play ball.
Right, so that's why virtually everything in 1600Mhz DDR3 on Scan says 1.65v. The only things that state anything higher are ridiculous money. So you'd be safe to pretty much plump anything into an AM3 board, but it's the overclocking/volting that makes a difference? Presumably, sticks that say 1.65v won't wanna go higher than that? And finally, do you NEED to go higher than that with AM3 to achieve decent overclocks?
You can stick any DDR3 in an AMD system. Older DDR3 (from back in the C2D days) had a fairly high voltage requirement. AMD chips are fine with this but i5's & i7's can't use it. All they've done is rebrand older sticks as AMD memory
Whoah - not so my friend! You should be able to but you can't. I have just built a new AM3 system and initially thought the same as you. I got this Corsair Ram from Scan but had problems from day one. It was never stable. After a month of frustration I followed the motherboard VQL (Vendors Qualified List) and ended up with G. skill that works with both Intel and AMD. Not all memory does this. There are now AMD-specific RAM from OCZ that look a good bet for AM3 systems. I wanted one of those but they were out of stock at the time. I'm more than happy with my G. Skill. As for voltage my AMD RAM is between 1.5v - 1.65v. I set it to the default 1.5v for 1333 speeds then upped it to 1.6v for 1600. I could go to 1.65 or maybe higher but it works great at 1.6v 1600. To be perfectly honest I have found the increase from 1333 to 1600 on both the Corsair and G. Skill so small that it has little affect. First priority - get the system stable!
Hi Saspro, See my post above. You most definitively CANNOT put any DDR3 in an AMD system. It is motherboard dependant as well as CPU. Don't make the same mistake I did!
