what ddr 800 modules...?

[exo12]

hi

i have been speculating on what computer parts to buy for a while now and will place an order for my rig soon

asus p5w dh deluxe
core 2 duo 6600
direct x9 card for now (x1950 pro? not sure)
ocz gamexstream
(open to comments and other suggestions, especially on graphics card)

my question is with the memory i should get. i was set with getting a corsair xsm2 6400c4 2 gb set until i realised i could get the same spec memory, 6400c4 2 gb, but in the dominator series for the same price

which one should i go for? first thoughts were to get the dominators as they are corsairs "top line" modules, but some research here and looking at reviews online leads me to go with the former modules. (concerns with overclockability)

what do you lot think? xms2 or dominator? (or something else?) advise much appreciated

 

[ReverendGadgetBoy]

well i dont know much about your RAM, but i would advise against that mobo. i currently have that one, and it will not allow me to change my RAM timings. it is DDR2-800 4-4-4-12 ram, but the mobo recognizes it at DDR2-667 and 5-5-5-15. it allowed me to put it back up to DDR2-800, but the bios doesnt let you change ram timings. and yes, i have the latest version.

 

[little_scrapper]

but i would advise against that mobo. i currently have that one, and it will not allow me to change my RAM timings.

I dont mean to speak against anyone who has that mobo and I do not but I am highly skeptical about that statement. I have read about lots of people putting lots of different kinds of ram on that mobo and doing all sorts of overclocking.

 

[ReverendGadgetBoy]

it could just be a problem with mine. most bios-es allow you to change timings. exo12 might just want to look into that problem before buying.

 

[rwaritsdario]

Most probably, or youre doing something wrong because youre are the first person I've heard complaining about this and I've seen countless overclocks with different timings on such board.

 

[rwaritsdario]

Alot of people are having trouble because the lastest versions of the Dominator 800CL4 are using Promos chips instead of Micron. But of course there is always better value than the whole Corsair brand.
Thats an amazing card for the price, it even beats the crap out of a 7950GT.

 

[little_scrapper]

Thats an amazing card for the price, it even beats the crap out of a 7950GT.

Wrong. at low resolution the 1950pro can basically tie the 7950GT in a couple benchmarks but is soundly beaten in most. At 1600x1200 the 7950GT beats the 1950pro in EVERY benchmark and on 3DMard06 the 7950GT pulls nearly double the score the 1950pro does.

7950GT = $240-$300
1950pro = $200-$240

If the choice is between the two I would personally spend the extra $30-40 on the 7950GT. But a X1950 PRO for $200 is definatley a good price

 

[rwaritsdario]

3DMard06 the 7950GT pulls nearly double the score the 1950pro does.

Thats because Nvida makes dedicated bunholio mark crunchers. But when taking $/performance in consideration, its definitely the better deal.

 

[matador_de_sa]

No way is the 1950 a worse buy than the 7950, the ONLY reason I would IMAGINE going NVidia is for SLI.

 

[Guest]

Agree, 3Dmark 06 favors nVidia card, and I really wouldn't put much faith in those scores, way to CPU depend to really tell you about real world performance!

That said the 7950Gt do give you a lot of performance but as stated, better $/perf for 1950

 

[exo12]

thanks for the replies,

im pretty much certain on what i'm going to get, and from what i've seen,
the p5w dh is a good overclocker, but maybe i'm wrong.
(tried upping the voltages? heard a bit about the boards not reconizing the right timings on first boot)

ive heard about the dominator problems, and that recently corsair have gone on the cheap and switched to promos modules,
i won't overclock it at first, but when i do it wont be huge,
(bad experiences) so i think the previous corsair modules will do me just fine

thought the x1950 pro looked a good deal (cheers for the comments )
good performance for a nice price, and will do me fine until dx10 cards become a serious option for me (price...)

 

[ReverendGadgetBoy]

yeah i was just pretty much being stupid. ive got my problems worked out now, and the RAM is easily OCed.

sorry everyone.

 

[rwaritsdario]

Great to know.

 

[Guest]

Lol, like how you phrased that =)