Please Help With New Motherboard/Ram

[Tattered Wings]

Aight so i just picked up an intel dx38bt at microcenter a few days ago (it was mis-marked at $100 ) and of course the x38 chipset uses ddr3 wich i dont have atm. So my question isss... my motherboard only supports 1333MHz ddr3. I was searching for the cheapest possible ddr3 cuz im basically broke, and tiger direct had 2x 1 gig OCZ sticks 1333Mhz for 30 after rebate but they just took it off there site today. Now all they have is some off brand 2x 1gig stick set for less but its 1600MHz. Ya i no i drag on but....ya my question is will the 1600MHz ram drop down to 1333 on my mobo because i dont want to risk frying my ram or my mobo, thanks

 

[Atomic Rooster]

You can use DDR3 1333, DDR3 1066 or DDR3 800 on that motherboard.

The operating speed of the memory is dependent on the bus speed of the CPU. So if you were to use the DDR3 1600, it will run at 1066MHz if that's what the CPU runs at.

 

[Tattered Wings]

alright my q9400 will be at 1333 of course thanks, im not that smart

 

[Atomic Rooster]

There ya go. Don't worry, I'm sure you're plenty smart. It's just that there is quite a bit to learn about computers. I've been at it for years and I'm still learning. Just keep reading and asking questions when you get stuck.