PC800/PC1066 RDRAM & 533MHz FSB

[allencrawford]

I am getting ready to upgrade my computer and I am fairly sure I want to go with the Asus P4T533-C board and the P4 2.26GHz CPU. However, I have a few questions about RDRAM. If I go with the 533MHz FSB CPU, do I have to use PC1066 memory, or will PC800 work fine? I've read several articles and am still a little confused, most recently this one:
http://www.gamepc.com/labs/view_content.asp?id=p424b&page=1

I realize that to get the best performance on that board/chip, I should get PC1066. However, I just want to know if it requires it. The article above was written before PC1066 was released and I'm curious as to whether or not I MUST overclock the PC800 RDRAM or if that is just an option?

Can anyone shed some light on this?

Also, if you have opinions on whether I should pick this board or the P4T533 with the 32-bit RDRAM, I'm all ears.

Thanks.

 

[HokieESM]

You can certainly use PC800... and if you need it as a stop-gap measure, go right ahead. But keep in mind that it can make a LARGE difference in applications that use lots of memory (its noticeable on my nearly identical setup--a P4T533-C with a P4 2.26).

Also, keep in mind that installing PC1066 AND PC800 will make ALL of the RAM run at PC800 speeds.

Personally, I would stick with the -C. A lot of people will recommend the 32-bit RIMM version--but try finding the RAM. <grin> The prices have dropped to sane levels on the PC1066... I would buy 2 256MB RIMMs (either Samsung or Kingston), and go for it!

Best of luck!

 

[Crashman]

Most PC1066 comes at 32ns, which usually allows it to overclock to at least PC1200 speeds. PC1066 is a direct match in bandwidth to Intel's "533" bus speed. You could try overclocking PC800 to PC1066 speeds, but this is not guaranteed to worky worky.

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