memory - I bought a motherboard that supports DDR3 RAM

I bought this ASUS Sabertooth X58 motherboard from http://msy.com.au/product.jsp?productId=7301

But I'm not sure what DDR3 RAM to buy.

I haven't built a PC from scratch in about 3 years, and I'm wondering the following:

• Do DDR3 ram chips need to be installed in three at a time? Or can I just install one or two now and install more later without any particular pattern?


• If I buy 2000MHz RAM from Corsair, will that work at 1866 MHz? (which is the highest frequency the motherboard supports)


• Is it just me or is 1866 RAM not around?

Answer

You can install DDR3 sticks in any way you want. If you do chose to install them in groups of two or three, you can use dual or triple channel for access. You can also add sticks later if they are sufficiently similar.

RAM can generally be downclocked, so it should work fine at 1866 MHz. Also note that there may be some restrictions on frequency, so do read motherboard manual.