GDDR3 and motherboard

[ChimeraTA]

Hello,

I don't have a clue about the new GDDR3 memory. I certainly know I need a chipset which supports GDDR3 (such as P35, X38). In fact, GDDR3 memory is still too expensive, so I will buy GDDR2. But I also want a motherboard which is ready for the future, so are the GDDR3 RAM-slots downward compatible with GDDR2 so I could put in GDDR3 RAM's later?

The mobo I took a look at is the Gigabyte GA-X38-DQ6 which supports GDDR2 after the specifications on the manufacturers website, but does it also support GDDR3 since it is X38?

Thanks for your help

ChiemraTA

 

[Maziar]

Dont make a mistake mate,
GDDR3 and GDDR2 are for Graphic card
DDR3 and DDR3 are for RAMs

for example , 8800GTX is GDDR3 and it will work fine with DDR2 Motherboards

also some X38 chipsets support only DDR2 and some of them support only DDR3, u CAN'T use DDR2 RAM on DDR3 motherboard or vice versa

 

[michiganteddybear]

Maziar hit it perfectly on the head.

GDDR and DDR are different technologies, as GDDR is optimized for video use.

Now, to add something to Maziar's post, or clarify maybe (depending on how you read it).

X38 chipsets support either DDR2, or DDR3 (depending on how the mobo maker configures the board), but not both at the same time. Their are boards (or will be) that support both, but again, NOT at the same time.

 

[ChimeraTA]

oh yes, GDDR and DDR...big mistake, I should have known that...

ok, so I guess I have to buy a X38 motherboard which supports DDR2 memory to be best prepaired for the future (PCI 2.0)? DDR3 is no option because of it's price..

thanks a lot

 

[geofelt]

How far out is the future you are looking at? If it is a year or more, then you are out of luck. The Nehalem processors will require a new chipset, socket, and motherboard.

Your PC will not perform any better with DDR3 vs. DDR2. DDR3 is very much more expensive now.
Your VGA card will not perform any better with pcie-1.0 vs. pcie-2.0.

X38, P35, and many P965 chipset mobos can run the new 45nm penryn processors. Verify the specifics from the manufacturer.
There will be no noticeable difference in stock performance among them. High overclocking might be another matter.

 

[ChimeraTA]

I'm looking at a future of about 3-5 years. I hope DDR2 RAM will still be available in 3 years so I could buy 2 additional RAM's. The Core 2 Quad Q6600 should be enough for 3 years, since my legacy-Pentium 4 is still capable of playin Crysis demo at medium, so I hope it will be no difference with the Q6600 in 3 years..

I know that the current VGA cards don't support PCIe 2.0, but I think the VGA card will be the first part i need to upgrade (because of DirectX10.1?), and the new VGA cards will be PCIe 2.0, won't they?

 

[Maziar]

dont worry about PCI-E 2.0 or DX10.1 or ......
Current PCI-E slots will support PCI-E 2.0 cards

get a Q6600 with a nice GPU (like 8800GTX) and dont worry about anything

if u want to go with new tech , u cant every buy a new PC

 

[ChimeraTA]

ok thanks a lot,

I will go for the Gigabyte GA-P35-DQ6, because it offers good performance for the buck and it has excellent overclocking properties..