I am now looking for a replacement for my old AMD 3500+ that was burnt last weekend. I am thinking in a I3-560 using a H55 motherboard from Gigabyte (P55 microATX is difficult for me to find). I think this motherboard support DDR3-1333 as indicated in Intel web but in the other side, Gigabyte state that DDR3-1666 is also possible so finally it is not clear to me. I have also a question related to dual channel. It is not clear for me if it is better buying 1x4 Gb or 2x2 Gb. I have read different ideas in forums and I would like to have your opinion. ¿Any brandon recommendation for memory? As you can see looking to my previous configuration I am totally obsoleted in this field and a little lost in the wide spread possibilities.
As always, i recommend getting 2 sticks of memory as opposed to 1. This is because with 2 sticks you can utilize Dual Channel, which effectively doubles data throughput. I would get 2x2GB. DDR3-1333 and DDR3-1666 are speed indicators. If Gigabyte states it can support both these speeds, then it can support both these speeds. Whatever Intel state is irrelevant since Gigabyte is the manufacturer of the board. If you're looking for trusted RAM manufacturers, check out Geil, Mushkin, Crucial, OCZ, Corsair, Patriot, and Kingston.
