To OC or not to OC

[redwingslv]

Okay - struggling with a decision:

1) Intended system: DFI Lanparty UT nf3 250gb, A64 3400+ Newcastle, MSI GeForce 6600GT, several SATA HDD (Seagate), etc.

2) Intended use: Gaming (of course!) Home video editing from DV Camera and old VHS tapes, burning DVDs, misc office stuff, etc.

My Dilemma: Should I

A. go with a 1 GB stick of some value ram (Corsair, Kingston, etc for $123) and not try to OC (not going to get much OC w/that RAM anyway, right?) *Leaves possibility of adding another 1gb stick later.

-or-

B. Buy some nice 1gb kit (2x512mb) (OCZ gold Rev.2 DDR500 for $226 for example)and experiment (with everyone's help here since I've never OC'd before and really have no idea how to do it)

I've always wanted to experiment with OCing. Some other factors include: 1) my wife will shoot me if I screw anything up and have to replace a burned out CPU or RAM or whatever! 2) the DFI board is supposed to be a good OCing board (hate to waste it's potential.) 3) For what I'm going to spend a lot of time doing (ie, home movie editing, etc) will I benefit more from a nice little OC'd system with 1GB total RAM or spend same money on 2x1gb sticks of value ram and leave the system stock speed?

I want to use stock cooling, nothing fancy. Also, by going with 2x512MB RAM, I've effectively shot my opportunity to add another 1gb memory to the system later (for 2gb total)

Anyone have an idea or opinion which is a better benefit to me?

EDIT: OCZ Enhanced Latency Dual Channel Gold VX 184 Pin 1GB(512MBx2) DDR PC-4000 -Retail from NewEgg at $260 seems like better RAM for not much more - when it's in stock.

<i>"Newbie" never felt so good!</i><P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1><EM>Edited by redwingslv on 04/20/05 02:35 PM.</EM></FONT></P>

 

[BrentUnitedMem]

1GB is enough for you. 2x512MB is preferable.

DONT GO CHEAP ON MEMORY !
(you'll nost likely pay for what you get)

Anandtech has a good article on value ram:
<A HREF="http://www.anandtech.com/memory/showdoc.aspx?i=2392" target="_new">check it out</A>

mozzartusm is the master Over-Clocker.
(He likes to use snow)

____________________________________________________
"Memory with lifetime warranty? So, whose lifetime is that?"
<A HREF="http://www.brentcrowley.com/" target="_new">homepage</A>
AIM BrentUnitedMem

 

[mozzartusm]

He likes to use snow

We have tons of it here in Mississippi :lol:

Intel P4 550(3.4)<font color=red>Benchmarked 5Ghz</font color=red>
X800XL 474/609 <font color=red>#5 in 3DMark05 #3 in PCMark04
3DMark05-<font color=red>5965</font color=red>
3DMark03-<font color=red>13496</font color=red>
PCMark04-<font color=red>6170</font color=red>

 

[Rugger]

In a blizzard right now on the coast!

__________________________________________________
<font color=red>You're a boil on the arse of progress - don't make me squeeze you!</font color=red>

 

[redwingslv]

Thanks for the link. Interesting article on the value ram. Looks like the OCZ BH5 or VX value is the way to go.

One question though. The article talks about the OCZ BH5 needing a lot of voltage, more than most motherboards can dish out without help. I also read that the Lanparty nf3 250gb can get DRAM to 3.3v after a BIOS update. Is that what they are referring to, and does that mean I should be able to push that RAM pretty good (once I learn how from the friendly folks at THGC!!)

Also, the OCZ Value VX looked good to, for $85 less.

<i>"Newbie" never felt so good!</i>

 

[Rugger]

Wusy's right - they like it up around 3.6V.

__________________________________________________
<font color=red>You're a boil on the arse of progress - don't make me squeeze you!</font color=red>

 

[redwingslv]

So . . . either go with the BH5 and get that OCZ Booster I read about, or go with the cheaper Value VX, which on the AnandTech review reached DDR490 at 3.3V?

Now, that review was based on a nf4 board, should I not expect similiar results on the NF3 + 3400 NC? Or should I be able to get it in the ballpark of that? That VX RAM seems like a great deal.

BTW, where can I find the Value VX Ram from OCZ? The article says it's rated 2.5-3-3-7 at DDR400. I can't find that on NewEgg or the OCZ web site, although they quote the article. Anyone have a link?

EDIT: Part # from article is OCZ4001024WV3DC-K found it on NewEgg for $134, but the listed timings are different. Instead of 2.5-3-3-7 it is listed as 2.5-4-4-8? What gives?

<i>"Newbie" never felt so good!</i><P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1><EM>Edited by redwingslv on 04/21/05 10:50 AM.</EM></FONT></P>

 

[BrentUnitedMem]

Here you go Senior:

<A HREF="http://www.monarchcomputer.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=M&Product_Code=140760" target="_new">512 MB DDR PC-3200 (400) OCZ Value VX (OCZ400512WV3) </A>

Monarch is a reputable source.

____________________________________________________
"Memory with lifetime warranty? So, whose lifetime is that?"
<A HREF="http://www.brentcrowley.com/" target="_new">homepage</A>
AIM BrentUnitedMem

 

[BrentUnitedMem]

1GB of the same:

<A HREF="http://www.monarchcomputer.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=M&Product_Code=140761" target="_new">1 GB DDR (2 pcs 512) PC-3200 (400) OCZ Value VX (OCZ4001024WV3DC-K) </A>

I saw it listed as 2.5-4-4-8 also. Which probably means it is initailly programmed as 2.5-4-4-8.

However, you can probably manually run it at 2.5-3-3-7, by changing the latency values in your system's BIOS.
____________________________________________________
"Memory with lifetime warranty? So, whose lifetime is that?"
<A HREF="http://www.brentcrowley.com/" target="_new">homepage</A>
AIM BrentUnitedMem

 

[BrentUnitedMem]

New egg always has good deals!

"Once you know, you new egg"

haha! ..stupid.

The VP is a personal friend of mine and I always give him [-poop-] for it.

____________________________________________________
"Memory with lifetime warranty? So, whose lifetime is that?"
<A HREF="http://www.brentcrowley.com/" target="_new">homepage</A>
AIM BrentUnitedMem

 

[BrentUnitedMem]

I wonder if Koklas would have any koklas-cola?

<font color=green>*****
"Memory with lifetime warranty? So, whose lifetime is that?"
<A HREF="http://www.brentcrowley.com/" target="_new">homepage</A>
<font color=red>AIM BrentUnitedMem

 

[redwingslv]

Those are the same sticks I saw on New Egg. When I zoomed in on the picture, the sticker over the chips say 2.5-3-3-7 same as in the review I read. Not sure why they are listed differently, seems kinda stupid. But either way, those are the ones. Thanks for all your input!

<i>"Newbie" never felt so good!</i>

 

[Rugger]

Interesting - I looked for the Value VX on Newegg. I guess I didn't find them because they aren't labeled Value VX - just Value.

__________________________________________________
<font color=red>You're a boil on the arse of progress - don't make me squeeze you!</font color=red>

 

[Rugger]

I gathered that from the posts - it's just odd that Neweg doesn't label them as Value VX on the site. With the recent review that says they're the best thing since sliced bread they might get more sales by doing that. Just an observation...

__________________________________________________
<font color=red>You're a boil on the arse of progress - don't make me squeeze you!</font color=red>

 

[Rugger]

Done - THAT'LL LEARN THOSE LAZY BASTICHES!

__________________________________________________
<font color=red>You're a boil on the arse of progress - don't make me squeeze you!</font color=red>