Rookie Memory Question 5-5-5-12 Vs. 4-4-4-15

[redboy33]

Back in September I bought this 2GB kit from newegg:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820227139

I just purchased this kit, thinking it was the same version:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820227124

they're not the same. One is Platinum the other Gold.

I know ZERO about memory timing, but it looks like the Platinum is rated @ 4-4-4-15 and the Gold is rated @ 5-5-5-12.

Is this like pc100 and pc133, where the pc133 would "down clock" to pc100? OR will both pair of memory run at their rated speed?

I do not overclock my processor so I am not worried about overclocking.

I run 4-5 VMWare Virtual Windows 2003 servers on this physical server, and occasionally play FEAR and HALFLIFE (with the virtual servers offline.)

Is having 2 different memory modules going to screw up my system?


Here is my system:

GIGABYTE GA-M51GM-S2G Socket AM2 NVIDIA GeForce 6100 MoBo
OCZ Platinum Revision 2 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800
OCZ Gold 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800
AMD Athlon 64 X2 3800+ Windsor 2.0GHz Socket AM2 Processor
4 - Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD2500KS 250GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb (Raid 5) Data and Games
1 - Western Digital Caviar SE WD2500JB 250GB 7200 RPM IDE Ultra ATA100 OS - Windows Server 2003 Std.
3 - Maxtor 80GB IDE (Raid 0) Virtual Servers - On PCI IDE Raid Card
SAPPHIRE 100176L Radeon X1950PRO 256MB

 

[Mondoman]

...
Is this like pc100 and pc133, where the pc133 would "down clock" to pc100? OR will both pair of memory run at their rated speed?...

First, all the memory in the system will run at the same speed (MHz) and timings (e.g. CL4).
Assuming you are using "auto" settings in the BIOS, on bootup the BIOS will look at the set of (usually conservative) manufacturer-default speeds/timings stored in a small memory on each module (called the SPD) and choose the fastest speed/timing combination that *ALL* modules can support.
The fly in the ointment here is that until recently there hasn't been an official standard for DDR2-800 speed and so most modules sold as "DDR2-800" (including yours, I think) won't actually run at DDR2-800 under standard 1.8V. They require manually boosting the memory voltage and changing other settings in the BIOS to achieve that speed. Thus, chances are that your system is actually running the memory at DDR2-667 or DDR2-533 speed.
See this post for more info: http://forumz.tomshardware.com/hardware/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&p=1249881#1249881

 

[redboy33]

8O DDR-533??? WTF?? That needs to change. How can I tell what it is running at now? Can I do this while in the OS? Or does it have to be during POST?

I'm very comfortable going into the BIOS and screwing around. How can I make sure my Ram is running @ DDR-800?

Thanks!

 

[Mondoman]

Run CPU-Z and/or PC Wizard 2007 under Windows.

 

[redboy33]

Run CPU-Z and/or PC Wizard 2007 under Windows.

 

[Mondoman]

OK, you've found the SPD data, which shows the (usually conservative) pre-programmed settings in each module.
IIRC, for the actual settings the memory is running at, you need to look at the "Memory" tab under CPUZ; for PC Wizard, click the "computer case with arrow pointing down" icon in the upper left, then the "Chipset" (not "Memory") line in the upper right window, and all the info should appear in the bottom right window.