A few newbie questions, and 2GB DDR2 stick availability?

[bberson]

I read the FAQ. And I'm re-reading it. And I'm referring to it as I compose this post. I just need a few ambiguities explained, thanks...

1. When shopping for RAM and comparing timings, very often the command rate data - 1T vs 2T - is omitted. Why? From what I've read, that one single parameter makes a bigger difference than any of the other timings individually. Is it safe, or stupid, to assume that if it doesn't say 2T in the specs that it's operable at 1T ?

2. Is there a performance penalty in using four 1GB sticks versus two 2GB sticks, given the same frequency and timing specs? (in dual-channel mode).

3. Looks like 2GB sticks are awfully tough to find. Any guesses on when my luck will improve? So far the best I've been able to do is this run of the mill Crucial stuff, which ought to be OK for the D975XBX2 board I'll be getting but at 667MHz doesn't leave much headroom for OC, and Crucial doesn't disclose the full timing specs on it.

4. Looking for high performance ("gaming"?) ECC DDR2 in ANY size seems just as difficult. Am I the only retard on the face of the earth that likes the soft cuddly (and perhaps expensive) safety blanket of ECC?

Thanks for humoring me here. I've got a pretty good grip on all the other aspects of the system build but I never bothered to get RAM savvy (and obsessive) until now.

-Brad

 

[Mondoman]

...
1. When shopping for RAM and comparing timings, very often the command rate data - 1T vs 2T - is omitted. Why?

It's a function of the MB/memory controller design, not of the memory modules.

2. Is there a performance penalty in using four 1GB sticks versus two 2GB sticks, given the same frequency and timing specs? (in dual-channel mode).

Some MB/controller designs will go to 2T w/4 modules.

3. Looks like 2GB sticks are awfully tough to find. Any guesses on when my luck will improve?

Next year, especially after Vista starts being widely adopted. There's not much point to getting 2x2GB sticks when Win XP will only see around 3GB of it.

4. Looking for high performance ("gaming"?) ECC DDR2 in ANY size seems just as difficult. Am I the only retard on the face of the earth that likes the soft cuddly (and perhaps expensive) safety blanket of ECC?

Yes. Pretty much the only people who use ECC are the server folks, and their MBs almost always need registered (not unbuffered) RAM, so registered ECC and unbuffered non-ECC are the two available types. In any case, you can make your worries go away by running memtest86+ and/or PRIME95 for 24-48 hours straight and verifying that you don't get any errors.

 

[bberson]

Thanks Mondoman,

If 1T and 2T timings are a function of the MCH design, then why do I see the command rate timings published at all in the RAM advertising?

Is there any way to know in advance whether or not four sticks will end up going to 2T? I'm hoping to use an Intel D975XBX2, which employs the 82975X MCH and 82801G IOC.

Thanks,
-Brad

 

[gentrinity]

http://www.mushkin.com/doc/products/memory_detail.asp?id=516

Thats the memory I was planning on getting. It seems to be a very good choice as long as you stay clear of Gigabyte boards.

The only reason im not getting it is because I want a Kentsfield and I want to OC that sucker. So 533 is out of the question. Like Mondoman said, itll be a while before some good 2GB sticks come out, and as soon as a 800 2GB stick comes out, im getting it, im getting 8 freakin gigs of RAM. That machine is gonna be freakin awesome.

Kingston also has some modules that arent that expensive, so does Aeneon and AData, but good luck if you can find them at decent prices, let alone find them at all.

 

[bberson]

Good sticks are tough to find it seems. The Corsair 6400C3 sticks that have gotten so much fan mail here and elsewhere, are not to be found anywhere in the USA.