ddr 800 or 1066

[bobfan]

im looking into getting a e6600 and i was wondering which memory would fit it the best. i heard that the 1066 fsb will run at 667 speeds with the e6600. i would like to get my ram to match up in speed to my processor, any idea about how this all works out with the numbers. intel stuff confuses me. thanks in advance

edit* im going with the evga 680i motherboard

 

[Guest]

If you want the ram to match up the processor Speed all you need is DDRII-533, perfect match for the Core2Duo.

The 680 can run ram faster without to much performance hit. I personally suggest 667 or 800 so if you want to OC at some point you have it already. 533 and 667 price are usually pretty similar.

 

[mikeny]

I have the 1GB Corsair XMS2 pro series kit DDR2-533. So with my e6300 im matched perfectly? I was going to add another GB (2GB total ram). Should I add the extra 2 sticks (x2 512mb)? I was also maybe thinking of getting x2 1GB sticks (take out the 512 sticks) and next summer get another 2 for a total of 4GB of ram. In the future, maybe next summer I might get the e6600 also. My system is only a gaming system. What do you think? Should I stick with the ddr2-533? go with ddr2-667?

 

[Guest]

If you don't want to OC I think you would be perfectly fine with DDR533.

If you buy new ram I would suggest going for a 2X1gb combination it is the safest way to run the board stable, with matched stick. Also if you upgrade and plan to go with 2X 1gb, I suggest 667 as it is the same price and will allow you to OC if you feel like it at some point.

I would recommand some mild OCing, almost any core2duo and motherboard(given its a 965/975/680i/even 570 have a llllllittttle) can handle a little Overclocking.

Most can get you to 2.33ghz with DDR667, pretty close from the performance of a e6600!

 

[mikeny]

ok, thank you

2x 1GB should be the way to go and either 667 or 533 is fine. I already have 2 sticks of 512mb if I get the 2 sticks of 1GB I will have to shelve the 512 sticks? I dont plan on overclocking because Ive never done that. I just got my first build completed last August, dont want to destroy my new parts lol. Then again it is on my mind, if I can oc it to e6600 realm why pay $300 bucks for it when it can be oc'd. I guess what your sayig is if i do decide to oc, then go with the 667 and if I dont the performance between the processor and ram is still optimized?

 

[Dahak]

If you plan on over clocking then buy the fastest ram you can.Otherwise go with what INTEL recommends for that processor.Goodluck.

Dahak

primary gaming rig
AMD X2-4400+@2.4 S-939
EVGA NF4 SLI MB
2X EVGA 7800GT CO IN SLI
2X1GIG DDR IN DC MODE
WD300GIG HD
EXTREME 19IN.MONITOR 1280X1024
ACE 520WATT PSU
COOLERMASTER MINI R120

secondary gaming rig
GYGABYTE MB AGP
AMD X2 3800+ S-939
2X512 DDR IN DC MODE
X1650PRO 512 AGP
17IN.MONITOR
MAXTOR 120GIG HD
450WATT PSU

 

[CompuTronix]

Labbbby's recommendations are right on target. With 667Mhz memory you should easily be able to achieve a moderate OC on the 6600 to 3.0Ghz at stock vCore, cooler, and memory with a 1:1 ratio.

If you're fortunate enough to receive a clean CPU core, you should be able reach a more aggressive OC at 3.4Ghz, with a small vCore bump on the CPU and memory (and perhaps relaxed timings), while still maintaining a 1:1 ratio, which would be 756Mhz on the memory.

Many quality 667 sticks are available, and can OC quite well. If you want to raise your potential OC ceiling even further, then you'll need a good aftermarket CPU cooler, and 800Mhz memory to maintain a 1:1 ratio.

Hope this helps you out.

 

[bydesign]

I must have a "clean" cpu I run at 3.4GHz (E6600) with stock voltage but the performance hit for using slower ram setting is minimal at least in the benchmarks and for render times.

 

[CompuTronix]

I got lucky with this one, but yours may be even cleaner. It's not stable at stock 1.35 vCore at 3.4. It needs a small bump to 1.3625 in BIOS, which is measured as 1.336 ~ 1.360 in SpeedFan 4.31. At 3.5 it's 1.40, then 3.6 is 1.45, and 3.7 is 1.5125 BIOS (1.480 ~ 1.504 SpeedFan) stable at full load.

Have you been able to push yours up any further?