Help Finding Suitable DDR3 RAM

• 

  garetz on 08/03/2022 - 09:52

  Open the program, then open your control panel.

  The panel will show you the use of your cpu cycles as well as memory usage.
  If either is maxing out then you have your answer to what the bottleneck is.

  I do not think you can purchase dd3 ram brand new anymore, you would have to look for 2nd hand sales.

• 

  skid on 08/03/2022 - 09:54

  It'll be rare but look for matching RAM on gumtree, ozb, ocau and ebay.

  Do you run anything else concurrently with Photoshop? If not, 16GB should be enough. If you do, consider replacing with 4x8GB modules. That will start to cost.

  I paid a premium to max out the RAM but beggars can't be choosers.

  • 

    bazingaa on 08/03/2022 - 15:15

    DDR3 8GB modules might not work on some 6x chipsets without BIOS upgrade, learned it the hard way with Q67

• 

  scrimshaw on 08/03/2022 - 09:55

  +1

  You can mix and match RAM brands. Try to not to mix speeds — if you're going to keep using that 1600mhz kit then try to purchase another 1600mhz kit. DDR3 is obsolete now so buying second hand is likely your only option.

  would help a bit for when Photoshop struggles?

  The CPU is the bottleneck for most operations in Photoshop, you can look at PugetSystem's photoshop benchmark for a rough guide and a quick explanation of how each part (CPU, GPU, Memory, storage) contributes to PS performance.

  If you're after significant performance increases you'll need to upgrade your CPU (but also pretty much everything else since your motherboard is a Ivy Bridge era platform)

  • 

    subywagon on 08/03/2022 - 12:34

    Yeah, I'm sure my CPU and the rest of my system are major contributors. I was just thinking that RAM could be a cheap and simple bandaid for now. It's not always unusable, just on larger 100mb + files it can struggle. I'm trying to put off getting a new PC until I can get work and some disposable income again.

    My specs:
    CoolerMaster Hyper 212+ CPU Cooler
    Samsung SpinPoint F3 1TB HD103SJ
    Corsair TX-650 V2 Power Supply
    G.Skill Ripjaws F3-12800CL9D-8GBRL 8GB (2x4GB)
    ASRock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3 Motherboard
    Intel Core i5 2500K
    Crucial M4 SSD 64GB
    AMD Radeon(TM) R9 390

• 

  AndyC1 on 08/03/2022 - 10:12

  Google perfmon and read up on how to use it.

• 

  MoneyPincher on 08/03/2022 - 10:52

  +1

  Umart still have a range of DDR3 new and currently have the G.Skill Ripjaws F3-12800CL9D-8GBXL which I believe is a newer version of your current one.
  https://www.umart.com.au/product/g-skill-8g-2x4g-ddr3-1600mh…

  I was recently looking for DDR3 for an X58 board and was surprised how much DDR3 stock is still floating around new even if it's not exactly priced well considering how superseded it (and the boards that use it) is.

  • 

    subywagon on 08/03/2022 - 12:40

    That's the same price I bought it for originally. I guess it's okay, as I've seen price rises before for superceded RAM lol

• 

  shaz0316 on 08/03/2022 - 11:27

  +2

  Hey mate. I think I have the exact or very similar RAM at home from my last computer. Happy to give it to you at no cost if you want to pay for postage. I'm in Hobart if by any chance you are local. Will give you a chance to try it out without buying it, just in case.

  • 

    subywagon on 08/03/2022 - 12:39

    Thanks mate. I'm in Launceston, might be able to work something out if I can't find anything local.

• 

  bazingaa on 08/03/2022 - 15:14

  +1

  Ideally you can match with DDR3 1600MHz CL9 as PC3-12800 CL9 RAM.
  But realistically it won't that much matter (I have 4*4 GB mixed 1333 MHz & 1600 MHz) and don't spend much on old RAM as you can't use it in a new system.
  I sold my i5-2400 CPU + Q67 MB + 16 GB DDR3 for just $50 couple of months back after upgrading CPU+MB+RAM, could have given that it to you.