Budget Computer RAM.....cas or speed??

[painsfaith]

Hello,

I'm building a budget gaming computer for around the price of $500 - $600. So far, I've decided on the following parts.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813188013

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115037

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130325

***note: the mobo and video card were bought off ebay to help lower the price :lol: ***

I'm having a bit of trouble deciding what RAM to use however. These are my two best choices


http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145035

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231144

Should I go for a lower CAS against speed? Or speed against CAS timings?

Thanks in advance!

 

[rammar16]

here is what i recommend

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145197

first it is 4gb not 2gb and it has the 1066mhz and better heat spreaders with a cool little fan it is a little more and you get twice as much memory so

as for the cas vs mhz the 2 rams there would probably preform very close

hope this helps

 

[Mondoman]

1) Unfortunately, the 680i-based boards are pieces of junk (which is sadly probably why you were able to get a "good deal" on ebay). They don't support the 45nm quad-core CPUs, there are persistent reports of data corruption issues, etc. Sell your MB on ebay and get a nice solid P35/P45/etc MB - you won't regret it.
2) Remember that DDR2-800 RAM is good for up to 1600MHz FSB (because of the dual-channel mode), so I'd go with 2x2GB of RAM, specifically this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145184
However, if $66 is over your budget, get this 2x1GB of RAM for $33: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145034

Good luck!

 

[painsfaith]

Thanks for the advice Mondoman, same to you rammar16.

I was wondering about whether to get 4gb or 2gb, doesn't windows XP 32 bit only support 3 - 3.5gb of RAM? Maybe I'm mistaken

Also, it says on newegg specifically
"Support Intel Wolfdale with BIOS update from EVGA.com"
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813188013

Is that a mistake? or do Wolfdale 45nm processors not work?

 

[gaiden]

you already own the mobo and gpu i assume, so how much of that $500-600 you already spent? if those 2 were my only choice for rams i had gone w/ g-skill partly for the availability but mostly for price/performance. if you are meant spending $500-600 on the rest of the components i would get these:

CPU: E8400 $190
RAM: 2gb G-Skill $60
PSU: Corsair 520w (mod) $100
hs: S1283 cooler $37
hdd: Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 500g $85
case: XCLIO Windtunnel $120
paste: AC5 $6
food: burger $1
desert: 2x dutch apple pie $1
drink: water Free

total: $600


gl

 

[painsfaith]

Yeah, the mobo cost around $60, and the gpu was about $170. I can shave off the PSU, as I already have a 500 watt one which I can pull off my old computer. In its place will be a 300-400 watt psu.

I was wondering whether whether to skimp on the hard-drive. I have a 160gb PATA hdd, but I'm not sure if I should go all the way and buy a SATA hdd. Would I see any performance drop from a slower hdd?

As for the cooler, I got a Zalman 9500A for $15. Its brand new, which surprised me for the price.

Hmm... I wouldn't mind the food though......

 

[Mondoman]

...
I was wondering about whether to get 4gb or 2gb, doesn't windows XP 32 bit only support 3 - 3.5gb of RAM?

Yes, but it's no cheaper to buy 2x1GB + 2x512MB than it is to buy 2x2GB. The "extra" just won't be visible/usable.

...
Also, it says on newegg specifically
"Support Intel Wolfdale with BIOS update from EVGA.com"
,,,

That means that in theory it supports the dual-core 45nm (but NOT the quad-cores). In practice, even with dual-cores, people have been having data corruption issues. You may luck out.

 

[painsfaith]

Thanks for the advice Mondoman, I think I'll go all the way and get 4gb of RAM.

However, I'm going to test my luck with the processor on the 680i mobo, if it fails, I don't think any serious harm would occur, (at least I hope not).

Thanks for the help guys!