Memory For new Q6600 based system

[capri435]

hi

am planning to build a system with Core 2 Quad Q6600....and Nvidia 8800GTS.But am still undecided on the ram.I really dont have knowledge about ram.Last time when i build a system (Athlon X2 4200+) i ended buying a costly Kingston RAM that performed below par.I simply went with a costly option as i had no clue.I am 3D artist and 3ds max is the main application i'll be working with.My experience over the last years has been that i have not seen a memory usage of more than 1.1 GB of ram even working with very heavy scenes.I didnt played much games during this period but looking forward to play some high end games like Crysis at medium settings.

I have decide to not buy more than 2 GB ram.Would like to know your views about this.
I want a value for money 2GB ram.....i'll probably go with DDR2 800[PC 6400] but my problem is what brand to go for.

The market is flooded with so many products....from $61 PNY to $385 corsair products.What should i look for??

 

[Scotteq]

OK - A Q6600 uses a 1066 Front Side Buss. FSB frequencies are x4, whereas Memory is x2. So 1066/4 = 266. 266 x 2 = 533. You therefore need DDR2 533. You can buy faster RAM if you want - Nearly all motherboards will auto-detect it's speed and set the appropriate ratios.

If you are planning on overclocking, you'll need faster memory to support your targeted clock speeds. If you do not plan on overclocking, then it isn't strictly necessary to buy faster memory. Though you can if you want to.

 

[majorpain1588]

Crucial Ballistix, G.Skill and Corsair are good brands. DDR2 533 or 667 is plenty fast if you don't OC, but DDR2 800 is fine also if you really want it.
Here is some Crucial DDR2 667 for $59 right now with the rebate its only $29 for 2 gigs!
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820146567

 

[capri435]

@Scotteq ....i can understand math but cud u plz explain the logic behind those figures....and does that mean that i wont have any performance gains by going beyond the 533 mhz mark.

@majorpain1 588 ...thanks for the link....that crucial memory looks really cheap....i had a budget of upto $250 for RAM.Why so much difference in price....am unable to understand.

And secondly i was unable to find Crucial ballistic from any of the online stores in Australia.....am from melbourne.

Cud u give some other alternative

 

[Scotteq]

Capri - It doesn't mean there aren't performance gains to be had by using faster memory. DDR2 533 memory's 'spec' name is PC2 4200 - The '4200' refers to how much data throughput the stuff is capable of (4264 MB/s). 667 RAM nets 5336 MB/s, 800 nets 6400 MB/s, etc etc... Just know that it's a balance between what your processor is capable of running: If you aren't running that much throughput, then the extra bandwidth is more or less wasted. But neither do you want your RAM to be a bottleneck. So many people may opt for faster RAM, to make sure. Even if they don't intend on overclocking.

If you *do* intend on overclocking: Determine your target clock and the Front Side Bus speed you'll need to run in order to get there. Then make sure your RAM is as good as, or better than, that.


Regarding the cheaper RAM - If you aren't overclocking and therefore don't need memory capable of being driven beyond it's rated specs, the cheap stuff works perfectly fine.

Regarding my original post: I merely pointed out what you "need". If you want faster, and it works within your budget?? Then go for it!

 

[drumr1829]

Well...the frequency the RAM runs at is one aspect of it's price. The other is the timings. If you find RAM with timings like 4-4-4-12, or 3-3-3-11, they will be more expensive then timings such as 5-5-5-15. Also with tighter timings/lower latencies/ increased frequency, you'll also get more heat and the need of heat dissipation. With these you'll most likely find the bigger heatspreaders on your $385 corsairs/ mushkins....

 

[majorpain1588]

Prices in AU are much higher than here in the states. I don't really know any AU pc hardware stores. Just go with whatever reputable brand has the best price for whatever kind of DDR2 you decide on. Crucial, Corsair, G. Skill, Geil, Patriot, OCZ are all good.

 

[capri435]

thanks for the explaination scotteq......and yeah am planning to overclock the Q6600 to something safer like 3.0 or even lower 2.8GHz with the stock cooling.

thanks all for the help