Noob questions about memory

[sycmaster33]

Ok. So I have an ASROCK Dual-VSTA with a 6400 on it. I'm using old DDR400 (512 x 2) ram along with my old Radeon 9800 Pro. I was thinking of getting more memory so of course i'd replace the old stuff with DDR2. But here is where the questions comes in.

Can i get memory that is faster then what the motherboard supports? Will it work but just run slower? Do I need to worry about voltage? I am hoping it will just work at the fastest the motherboard would allow which is 667. I am asking this since I eventually want to get a different motherboard ( maybe the MSI P6N SLI-FI LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 650i) and would like to have some good memory for that board. Newegg has some Crucial DDR2 1066 (2 x 1GB) for 119 after rebate which i think is a pretty good price.

The other question I have is do I want memory that is the same speed as the FSB or does that not matter? Is that the same thing? Little confused on this part.

I know that the future board says it supports DDR2 800. Would I be better off just getting a pair of sticks at that speed with maybe lower numbered timings (lower numbers are better right?)?


Thanks ahead of time for the help.

 

[badge]

Ok. So I have an ASROCK Dual-VSTA with a 6400 on it. I'm using old DDR400 (512 x 2) ram along with my old Radeon 9800 Pro. I was thinking of getting more memory so of course i'd replace the old stuff with DDR2. But here is where the questions comes in.

Can i get memory that is faster then what the motherboard supports? Will it work but just run slower? Do I need to worry about voltage? I am hoping it will just work at the fastest the motherboard would allow which is 667. I am asking this since I eventually want to get a different motherboard ( maybe the MSI P6N SLI-FI LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 650i) and would like to have some good memory for that board. Newegg has some Crucial DDR2 1066 (2 x 1GB) for 119 after rebate which i think is a pretty good price.

The other question I have is do I want memory that is the same speed as the FSB or does that not matter? Is that the same thing? Little confused on this part.

I know that the future board says it supports DDR2 800. Would I be better off just getting a pair of sticks at that speed with maybe lower numbered timings (lower numbers are better right?)?


Thanks ahead of time for the help.

Can i get memory that is faster then what the motherboard supports? Will it work but just run slower?

Yes, exactly.

Do I need to worry about voltage?

You should set the voltage to the mfg. specifications.

I am hoping it will just work at the fastest the motherboard would allow which is 667.

Any speed DDR2 should work in the MB.

The other question I have is do I want memory that is the same speed as the FSB or does that not matter? Is that the same thing? Little confused on this part.

Both the FSB and memory frequency are adjustable non dependent of one another.

I know that the future board says it supports DDR2 800. Would I be better off just getting a pair of sticks at that speed with maybe lower numbered timings (lower numbers are better right?)?

PC6400 DDR 2 800mhz. should run in your present board. Then you can move them up to a chipset that fully supports PC6400 later to answer your question. HTH.

 

[scoot241]

I'm a bit confused. You currently have DDR400 in your board and want to get DDR2-800? Is that correct?

Assuming it is, you can't put DDR2 modules in a board that uses DDR. The pins are different and they are keyed so that they cannot fit.

 

[sycmaster33]

I'm a bit confused. You currently have DDR400 in your board and want to get DDR2-800? Is that correct?

Yes. That is correct. But the board is one that has slots for both. Ideal for someone who wants to upgrade but not all at one time.

Assuming it is, you can't put DDR2 modules in a board that uses DDR. The pins are different and they are keyed so that they cannot fit.

Again correct but see above.

Badge

PC6400 DDR 2 800mhz. should run in your present board. Then you can move them up to a chipset that fully supports PC6400 later to answer your question. HTH.

Thanks for all the answers. Couple more questions. Are voltage settings pretty standardized or is that something you adjust depending on the memory you put in the board? Will all boards, for the most part, be able to put out the voltage needed for most RAM?

And with regards to the above quote from you. I realize that I could get DDR2 800 and it would work in both boards, but would there be any reason for me to get the 1066?

Thanks again!

 

[badge]

If you are overly concerned about buying RAM and the voltages causing a problem, you can email tech support of the RAM mfg. and verify the RAM will work in your board. Or use one of these configurators:

http://www.corsairmemory.com/corsair/configurator_search.html

http://www.crucial.com/index.asp

http://configurator.ocztechnology.com/

PC6400 rated at 4-4-4-12 will generally require a little higher voltage to run at those timings. Slightly less voltage required for PC6400 rated at 5-5-5-15 in general. Mfg. specs I see for 800 mhz. DDR2 RAM is pretty much 1.8v. to 2.2/2.3. Micro boards typically have less voltage adjustment in BIOS than a board like yours should have. If you look in your BIOS at memory frequency, you should have voltage adjustments from 1.8 to at least 2.4 or more. You MB should have memory frequency adjustments you can apply to mfg. voltage requirements. It should match up, it's pretty standardized if that helps.

This PC6400 DDR2 I have will run in excess of 1000 mhz. Really how fast your RAM will run depends on many factors, BIOS adjustments and system hardware.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820231065

 

[sycmaster33]

From what you wrote, it sounds like I don't have to worry too much about the voltage compatibility as it can be adjusted to fit the ram I use. One more question and then I'm done.

Since the price is about the same, should I get DDR2 800 or the 1066, and why?

 

[badge]

Since the price is about the same, should I get DDR2 800 or the 1066, and why?

Let's see if I can answer where you understand

PC6400 = 6.4 GB per second data transfer rate

PC8500 = 8.5 GB per second data transfer rate.

The faster yoiur RAM is running (mhz.) the faster the data transfer rate between your processor and RAM become. Simple enough.