Help with new CPU

[STUBBY]

Hi guys, need some noob advice.

My friend just gave me an AM2 X2 3800 Dual Core CPU.

I'm currently running an AM2 3500+ Single Core with a stick of 1Gb DDR2 667MHz Patriot RAM. The FSB of my motherboard is 1 GHz.

My motherboard does not support overclocking(I checked with MSI, !#@$% BIOS) so I run everything at stock speed.

I heard that it is ideal that the CPU:RAM ratio should be 1:1, but I cannot increase the FSB in any way.

Should I get another stick of 667MHz RAM to run dual channel? Or get one stick of 800MHz RAM(and remove the 667MHz RAM)?

Sorry for asking such a noob question =P

 

[rockyjohn]

Yes get the other stick of 667 MHz and run dual channel assuming your MB supports it.

 

[m25]

A MSI board tthat does not give OC-in options :?: :!: Check it again, otherwise, there's the cool ClockGen, to OC directly from windows

 

[m25]

I don't think a MSI; ASUS cheap boards are really crap and the newest crap does not even have overclocking options. I am sitting on one of those crappy motherboards; the A8V-MX and even if I pushed it's HTT clock to 250MHz on an IDE HDD, my new SATA HD gets locked @ only 225 by the stupid controller :x .

 

[STUBBY]

MSI K9NGM-L

Other than the lack of overclocking options(I emailed MSI for this), it is actually a fairly decent board.

So should I buy another stick of 667MHz and run dual channel? or replace my RAM with a single stick 800MHz?

Budget only allows for 1 stick of RAM.

 

[piesquared]

Which OS are you running? If it's XP, then i'd get another 1GB of your existing ram, if it's Vista, then i'd "definitely" get another 1GB of your existing ram.

 

[STUBBY]

I'm running Win XP.

Don't really want to change to vista yet since my gfx may not be DX10 ready. . .

 

[JMecc]

How do you calc the natural speed for the AM2's? For C2D it is quad-pumped 1066, so 266 ext = DDR2-533. For AM2 I think they are 5x pumped so 1000MT is 200MHz external, therefore needing DDR2-400. So is the suggestion to go to DDR2-800 to obtain a 2:1 memory ratio?

Jo

 

[m25]

MSI K9NGM-L

Other than the lack of overclocking options(I emailed MSI for this), it is actually a fairly decent board.

So should I buy another stick of 667MHz and run dual channel? or replace my RAM with a single stick 800MHz?

Budget only allows for 1 stick of RAM.

Then another 667 stick will be fine.