Need some help understanding RAM speeds

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Mortem420

Mortem420

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Feb 12, 2017
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So i have currently have 8GB of 800MHz DDR2 G.Skill RAM in my pc and when looking around online I had noticed that there is a 1066MHz version of this RAM

My question being, whats the difference?? Would that difference in RAM speed actually do anything or would my pc run more or less the same??

After trying to look online quickly for an answer all i get are explanations about timings and how adding more RAM probably wont make a PC any faster than it already is
 
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well, like I said above, the higher speed memory would only provide a small boost in CPU heavy applications, but as for whether or not it's worth moving up to that memory speed is entirely up to you and your use case. The ideal solution would be to simply overclock your memory if your motherboard supports it (and if the sticks are stable at those speeds), so that should be your starting point unless you're on a prebuilt with a locked down BIOS. The upgrade that would make the biggest different for general system responsiveness would be a solid state drive for your Windows installation. An SSD can really breathe new life into older systems and make them feel like new again.

But really, I can't in good conscience recommend putting any...
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doubletake

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Sep 30, 2012
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Seeing as whatever CPU you're running is old enough to be using DDR2, I would not waste any money on memory for it. The largest performance gains to be had are when you move up to a newer generation on at least low latency 2133-2400MHz for DDR3, or 3000+MHz for DDR4.

Faster memory helps CPU performance whenever the CPU is the limiting factor. A faster CPU/memory mostly benefits gaming and programs that rely on high per-core performance rather than a high core count. For almost anything else, the biggest improvements to be had for general system responsiveness come from faster storage (SSDs).

TL;DR

Don't waste money on DDR2 upgrades, save up for a modern system instead.
 
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Mortem420

Mortem420

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Feb 12, 2017
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I know that it seems kinda stupid to spend money on older parts when it would be a better idea to just buy a newer generation. But I don't get much chance to save any money and if I can just do a few quick cheap upgrades to get basically the best RAM and CPU my MoBo can support then I won't be able to upgrade anymore and then I can actually start saving for new without feeling like I can do a bit better with what I already have.

I already have a whole other PC build parted out but its just kinda pricey. If its worth it I'd rather spend like few hundred more on this PC I have before dumping like $1700 into a new one. But that's probably just how I feel about that

I'm just curious if my RAM speed being upgraded to 1066 MHz from 800 MHz would do anything worthwhile towards my general system perfomance
 
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doubletake

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Sep 30, 2012
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well, like I said above, the higher speed memory would only provide a small boost in CPU heavy applications, but as for whether or not it's worth moving up to that memory speed is entirely up to you and your use case. The ideal solution would be to simply overclock your memory if your motherboard supports it (and if the sticks are stable at those speeds), so that should be your starting point unless you're on a prebuilt with a locked down BIOS. The upgrade that would make the biggest different for general system responsiveness would be a solid state drive for your Windows installation. An SSD can really breathe new life into older systems and make them feel like new again.

But really, I can't in good conscience recommend putting any more money into a DDR2 system. Even the fastest CPU from the DDR2 era (highly overclocked Core2Quad or Phenom II x4) gets thoroughly trounced by the budget offerings of today (Core i3 and Ryzen 3 series) thanks to both massive per-clock performance increases and memory speeds 2-4x higher than the fastest available DDR2. If you were on something at least one generation newer that used DDR3 such as the first gen Intel Core i series from 2008 , then you'd have more options available for upgrading your system on the cheap. As it stands now, your system just isn't worth trying to upgrade when even ~$500 worth of modern parts will get you a significantly faster system for almost any kind of workload you could throw at it.
 
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