New RAM, suggestions welcome.

[PaulTa]

Hey guys,

I have a 250 USD limit on some new RAM, and I need 2x1gigs of 800mhz RAM. Stability and lower latencies are prefered over OC-ability, but all in one isn't that bad either.

I have an Intel D975XBX2, so if you have a recommendation for that board specifically I'm all ears.


As a side question, I'm going to be upgrading from four 256 sticks of DDR2 200mhz RAM to 2x1 gigs of 800mhz RAM. What kind of a performance difference can I look forward to? (I mostly play RTS games and FEAR).

Thanks for any and all comments/suggestions/chit chat.

Regards,
Paul

 

[col-p-todd]

I would recommend Corsair or OCZ ram:

Corsair
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820145168

OCZ
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.asp?Submit=ENE&N=2010170147+50001550+1052308477+1052416064+1052508081&Subcategory=147&description=&Ntk=&srchInDesc=

 

[Bruins004]

I agree that OCZ and Corsair are good brands, but many people have had problems with OCZ due to the high voltages these sticks need.
The Dominators are now overrated RAM since they dont use Micron chips anymore with them.

I would go with these sticks from G Skill. ( http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820231114 )
They got good reviews and can be OC very nicely.
Plus you cant beat the Timings, which is what matters most.

 

[PaulTa]

Yeah, I was looking at the 6400C4 corsair stuff without the fancy heat spreaders (something about paying 30 bucks extra for nothing but heat spreaders strikes me as a waste). I didn't know if it had much head room though, and you can't base it off of reviews since Corsair has been chip hopping to find the cheapest supplier.

The OCZ 6400 looked good, probably the ATI stuff since I know for sure that works with my MB without a hitch, but I don't know how important the fourth timing is (4-4-4-15 as opposed to 4-4-4-12).

I was also considering the Super Talent 6400C4, because of it's really decent timings. Something about the 2.2V requirement makes me think that I might have trouble running it stable at JEDEC standards long enough to change things around in the BIOS. I don't have any RAM that I can plug in the mobo to change the BIOS before hand, so stability at 1.8V is pretty key.

I was also considering Wintec AmpX 6400C4, since it's a good 30-40 dollars cheaper than the competition with the same timings and lower voltage requirement.

 

[PaulTa]

I agree that OCZ and Corsair are good brands, but many people have had problems with OCZ due to the high voltages these sticks need.
The Dominators are now overrated RAM since they dont use Micron chips anymore with them.

I would go with these sticks from G Skill. ( http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820231114 )
They got good reviews and can be OC very nicely.
Plus you cant beat the Timings, which is what matters most.

Yeah, I was looking at those. The timings are pretty solid, but I have some unexplainable problem buying RAM from people who can't even hire someone to put correct English on their box. 8O

Thanks for the help so far guys. What do you think of the Wintec stuff though? I could probably save the extra money towards an 8800, which will probably give me a much better performance boost for my money.

Any word on the performance jump I can expect upgrading from four 256 sticks of DDR2 200mhz RAM to 2x1 gigs of 800mhz RAM?

 

[col-p-todd]

That is what I heard that corsair is using different chips. how do these new chips matchup against the old chips?

Yeah, I was looking at the 6400C4 corsair stuff without the fancy heat spreaders (something about paying 30 bucks extra for nothing but heat spreaders strikes me as a waste). I didn't know if it had much head room though, and you can't base it off of reviews since Corsair has been chip hopping to find the cheapest supplier.

The OCZ 6400 looked good, probably the ATI stuff since I know for sure that works with my MB without a hitch, but I don't know how important the fourth timing is (4-4-4-15 as opposed to 4-4-4-12).

I was also considering the Super Talent 6400C4, because of it's really decent timings. Something about the 2.2V requirement makes me think that I might have trouble running it stable at JEDEC standards long enough to change things around in the BIOS. I don't have any RAM that I can plug in the mobo to change the BIOS before hand, so stability at 1.8V is pretty key.

I was also considering Wintec AmpX 6400C4, since it's a good 30-40 dollars cheaper than the competition with the same timings and lower voltage requirement.

 

[zenmaster]

Pls post your MB, Processor, and the speeds at which you want to clock your CPU and FSB. (If you dont know about clock speeds that is ok.)

Also, what do you use your PC for?

The biggest gain will likely come from simply moving from 1gb to 2gb of memory. Many games dont need over 1gb so you will not see a difference. Others really fly with over 1gb so there could be a huge difference.

The Faster RAM will not help if your CPU/MB cant or are not setup to run them at their full speed. This is why the request for your hardware is important.

 

[PaulTa]

Well the mobo, as previously stated, is the Intel D975XBX2, or the Bad Axe 2. It supports 800mhz memory, which is why I'm going to load it up.

I'm going to be purchasing an E6600 and probably OCing it to about 3.0ghz, once I actually figure out how to OC (I have no idea as of now, but nothing a little forum searching can't solve ).

Like I said, I have a 250 USD limit, and I am leaning towards the Wintec stuff. Paying premium for a brand name doesn't sound like it's worth it since no one but G.Skill (I think anyways) is using Micron chips in their modules anymore for PC6400.

I use the PC mostly for gaming and school work.

@Col-P-Todd: I have no idea, that's why I'm worried. All of the reviews for the Corsair stuff was with the Micron chips, which they conveniently ran out of after their first revision. If you go to the Corsair support forums and ask about IC manufacturer's, they'll link you to a whole freakin' list. Something about a company that has used around 7 different IC's (Probably searching for the cheapest IC that supports the rated speed) just doesn't click with me very well. Corsair seems to be riding on their name and hot air for anything under 8500, which are actually Micron based.

 

[zjohnr]

I'm going to be upgrading from four 256 sticks of DDR2 200mhz RAM to 2x1 gigs of 800mhz RAM.

Really?? I've never heard of DDR2-200. That could just mean I'm out of touch ... it usually does. But I still find it hard to believe DDR2-200 even exists. After all, DDR2-200 would supposedly run at a clock speed of 100MHz which you've got to admit is pretty darn furshluggin' slow these days, isn't it?

Have you run CPU-Z (or equivalent) to get the numbers for your current DRAM? If the clock speed for your DRAM is actually 200MHz then it would actually be DDR2-400, no? Still amazingly slow but believable, I suppose, if you bought the memory back around the dawn of DDR2.

Spending a lot more money to lower your latency one notch is a waste for a Core 2 based system. You'll pick up maybe 1-3% in performance for memory intensive applications. That's a small enough change that you won't even be able to notice it. Don't take my word for it. Go google and read the various "Is faster, lower latency memory worth it?" articles. If money is not that important to you, go ahead and do it. Otherwise, there are probably other ways to spend it that will give you more bang for the buck.

My recommendation would be to look for a CAS 5 DDR2-800 which works at close to 1.8V from a name brand manufacturer.

-john, the ostensibly clueless redundant legacy dinosaur

 

[Bruins004]

That is not true.
All companies excluding Crucial Ballistix, do still use Micron chips in a few of their modules. I think the best chance in getting Micron chips was with SuperTalent modules who ONLY use it in 20 percent of their gaming memory.
However, by ordering Crucial Ballistix RAM you are guranteed to get Micron chips. This is bc they are the ones that produce the Micron chips.

As for the Corsair problem with some 6400C4 chips being Micron was answered by Corsair. The 6400C5 RAM chips are Micron chips (which is why they are over $300). However, some of the Micron 6400C5 chips could not pass the test so they sold them for 6400C4 chips which is why some of those chips are Micron.

Also, another interesting note is that the reason many companies do not use Micron anymore is due to the limited supply left. So dont expect to get Micron chips unless you buy Crucial.

 

[PaulTa]

@ Bruins004- Crucial's 6400 modules go past my budget, which is why I said that Micron or not really doesn't matter anyways. I didn't mean that no memory uses Micron, just nothing in my price range.

The C5 chips use Micron for Corsair though? You know that C5 is in reference to latency. I don't see why an entirely similar memory module with higher timings would be better quality.

@zjohnr- My mistake. The clock speed of the memory before doubling it is 200mhz. I got the information from CPUID.

I was thinking that CAS 4 rated memory would allow me to loosten the timings and OC a little bit better, but I am probably missing something.

Thanks for the suggestions and help so far guys.

Regards,
Paul

 

[Bruins004]

These are the ones I was talking about ( http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820145033 )

Granted they do have higher timings, however, these sticks are DDR2 1066 instead of DDR2 800.

However, your best bet would be to look at any of these since timings mean more than higher rated DDR2 after DDR2 800.

SuperTalent
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820609026

G Skill
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820231114

Mushkin
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820146673

Granted the G Skill has the best timings and is the best bang for the buck (heck its the best RAM out of the 3). I still think you should get that one even though you are impartial to them bc of their packaging (which makes no sense to me since they are reliable and have lifetime warranty like all other RAM). Still if you dont want the G Skill then go with either of the other 2. Granted SuperTalent has the best timings, but the Mushkin has OCed higher.

 

[zjohnr]

I was thinking that CAS 4 rated memory would allow me to loosen the timings and OC a little bit better ...

Perhaps. This is not an area I have any experience with so I cannot offer a useful opinion. But it also depends on how high you wish to try to overclock. The DDR2-800 DRAM with a 1:1 ratio should be capable of handling a 400MHz (1.6GT/s) FSB which with the multiplier 9 on the E6600 could take you to 9*400 ~= 3.2GHz.

Have you looked into what experience other folks have had with overclocking an Intel D975XBX2? My anecdotal understanding was that Intel motherboards typically do not overclock all that well. The D975XBX2 could be an exception, of course ... :?

-john, the ostensibly clueless redundant legacy dinosaur

 

[PaulTa]

I was thinking that CAS 4 rated memory would allow me to loosen the timings and OC a little bit better ...

Perhaps. This is not an area I have any experience with so I cannot offer a useful opinion. But it also depends on how high you wish to try to overclock. The DDR2-800 DRAM with a 1:1 ratio should be capable of handling a 400MHz (1.6GT/s) FSB which with the multiplier 9 on the E6600 could take you to 9*400 ~= 3.2GHz.

Have you looked into what experience other folks have had with overclocking an Intel D975XBX2? My anecdotal understanding was that Intel motherboards typically do not overclock all that well. The D975XBX2 could be an exception, of course ... :?

-john, the ostensibly clueless redundant legacy dinosaur

The new D975XBX2 is supposed to be Intel's olive branch to OC'ers and gamers. I've read that it's one of the better overclocking boards available in it's price range, but even more importanty it is a very stable board.

@Bruins004- I was seriously considering the SuperTalent RAM. I've read good reviews and like the timings, not to mention that they are cheaper than Corsair.

If the general consensus is a thumb's up for the SuperTalent, I think the deal is sealed so to speak.