16GB DDR3 running at 1600MHz or 32GB DDR3 ECC at 1333MHz — both options offer different memory capacities and speeds.
16GB DDR3 running at 1600MHz or 32GB DDR3 ECC at 1333MHz — both options offer different memory capacities and speeds.
I have an old Xeon E5-1650 model from 2012, a Sandy Bridge version, that I'm trying to maintain for years ahead. Right now it runs with 8GB of DDR3 at 1600MHz, but adding more memory is causing some problems since the available RAM isn’t sufficient anymore. Previously I used less memory, so things were fine. I’ve looked on Craigslist and found two options: one set of two 8GB DDR3 1600MHz sticks for $50, and another pair of individual 1333MHz 16GB ECC sticks for $20 each. Gaming isn’t essential to me, but I’m interested in running more VMs, doing video/photo editing, and possibly using it as a server later if memory increases. How noticeable is the upgrade from 1333 to 1600 in games? And does it make sense to choose non-ECC RAM now?
You're considering a motherboard that might lack ECC RAM support, but the performance boost from faster RAM will still be noticeable. Opt for an upgrade to ensure better speed regardless of the RAM type.