Intel Motherboards - Z68 Extreme4 with i7-2600, RAM & other upgrade

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Z68 Extreme4 with i7-2600, RAM & other upgrade

Printed From: ASRock.com
Category: Technical Support
Forum Name: Intel Motherboards
Forum Description: Question about ASRock Intel Motherboards
URL: https://forum.asrock.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=111717
Printed Date: 02 Aug 2025 at 1:45am
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 12.04 - http://www.webwizforums.com

Topic: Z68 Extreme4 with i7-2600, RAM & other upgrade

Posted By: dane
Subject: Z68 Extreme4 with i7-2600, RAM & other upgrade
Date Posted: 16 Jun 2025 at 6:03pm

I need help to upgrade my RAM to 16 GB.

Motherboard is ASRock Z68 Extreme4, CPU i7-2600.

Checking the manual it says:
Supports DDR3 2133(OC)/1866(OC)/1600/1333/1066
non-ECC, un-buffered memory (see CAUTION 3)

CAUTION 3:
DDR3 frequency options may depend on the processor. Only K-Series
CPU can support DDR3 overclock to 2133 and 1866.

Checking intel site for i7-2600 it says only DDR3 1066/1333.

My doubt is can I use DDR3 1600 because intel say only 1066/1333 or it is better to use 1333 if I do not want to do anything extra like overclocking?
Or does it not make much difference for normal use (not gaming) video conferencing, email, pdfs & many browser tabs?
If locally for me a 1600 option is available at a lower cost will it be better to take that?

Thanks.

Replies:

Posted By: FannyDMullins
Date Posted: 28 Jul 2025 at 11:21am

dane wrote:

I need help to upgrade my RAM to 16 GB.

Motherboard is ASRock Z68 Extreme4, CPU i7-2600.

Checking the manual it says:
Supports DDR3 2133(OC)/1866(OC)/1600/1333/1066
non-ECC, un-buffered memory (see CAUTION 3)

CAUTION 3:
DDR3 frequency options may depend on the processor. Only K-Series
CPU can support DDR3 overclock to 2133 and 1866.

Checking intel site for i7-2600 it says only DDR3 1066/1333.

My doubt is can I use DDR3 1600 because intel say only 1066/1333 or it is better to use 1333 if I do not want to do anything extra like overclocking?
Or does it not make much difference for normal use (not gaming) video conferencing, email, pdfs & many browser tabs?
If locally for me a 1600 option is available at a lower cost will it be better to take that?

Thanks.

If the 1600 option is more affordable, go for it as it will significantly improve your multitasking experience

Posted By: FannyDMullins
Date Posted: 28 Jul 2025 at 3:01pm

FannyDMullins wrote:

If the 1600 option is more affordable, go for it as it will significantly improve your multitasking experience

If you have any other optimization methods, please let me know. Thanks you