Cas latencey: CL5,CL6.... does not make any sense!

[PCuser64]

Hello everybody!

I bought a stick of memory (Kingston 2GB DDR2 800 mhz) and here is its part number: KVR800D2N6/2G

So as you can notice that it is a cl6 ram, I know that the cl5 will give me a bit more performance (2-4 %), but the local seller does not have any cl5 sticks.

So I visited Kingston website to see the difference in prices between the cl5 and the cl6, and surprisingly the price is exactly the same for both the KVR800D2N5/2G and KVR800D2N6/2G.

I then visited the websites of some other memory manufacturers, and I found that the difference in prices is very very small (zero, one or at max two dollars).

So this is really weird !!! Why do Kingston and others manufacture cl6 memory sticks if they are going to sell the cl5 at the same price (if the reason was commercial then they will sell them at different prices)? Is there any advantage for cl6 over the cl5?

 

[Shadow703793]

You will NOT see a benefit for faster timing/speed in real life. You'll need that only if going after top benchmark scores, which I doubt you are going to be doing.

 

[Mongox]

I was hoping that an examination of the reviews at NewEgg would show that the slower model came out before the faster one. Or that the faster one used more voltage - a sign it was really the same but mgf overclocked.

No such thing - the first reviews came out on the very same day, implying both were released at the same time. And really have the very same specs other than CL.

We're left with guessing that when these models came out, there was more difference in price between them - but that's just a guess. A good guess, since you see that now on cutting-edge speed DDR3 modules.

 

[PCuser64]

I thing that I am going to install this memory stick in my PC.

I know that I will lose a very small amount of performance (even if it was so small like 1%), but in return will I get an increase in stability (even if it was very small like 1%)?

 

[Mongox]

PCuser - you mention one stick. Does your computer already have one stick in it? What kind and model of computer and memory?

If you have memory now in the computer, the speed of THIS RAM won't much matter because it will behave like the memory you already have - likely slower RAM.

And if your computer supports dual-channel operation and you have two memory sticks in it now, adding a single stick will disable the dual-channel and make the memory access much slower.

 

[PCuser64]

I built that PC 2 days ago:

-Intel Core 2 Duo Desktop Processor E7500 2.93 GHz

-Intel Motherboard DG41TY

I bought this stick yesterday, and what I need to know, is there any gain of it at any side (even a 1% stability). I really feel unsatisfied, do you think that I should return it to the seller, and search for a cl5 stick?

 

[Mongox]

I would look for some CL-5 memory if I were you. I'm actually using RAM set at 800 and overclocking it to CL-4 but that's not necessary for you. But find some CL 5 and be satisfied.

However, much more important is that if you have only one stick of RAM you won't be able to use dual-channel. This will make so much more difference to your computer's speed than any choice of CL. You NEED two modules of RAM in that computer. Either get two 1GB modules or two 2GB modules.

Stability is not an issue with either CL choice.

According to your motherboard manual:
The board has two DIMM sockets and supports the following memory features:
• 1.8 V DDR2 SDRAM DIMMs
• DDR2 667 MHz DIMMs with SPD timings of only 5-5-5 (tCL-tRCD-tRP)
• DDR2 800 MHz DIMMs with SPD timings of only 5-5-5 or 6-6-6 (tCL-tRCD-tRP)

Note the specification for 1.8V .... this is most important. Only choose RAM which is rated at 1.8V - not greater.