1GB 533 OR 512MB 800?

[smvp]

Hello,
I'm building a budget system.
AMD X2 3600+
Asus M2N pv-vm/BioStar T550/MSI K9 Neo-f
XFX 7600GS or the GT
What kind of RAM should I use? Its confusing to read so many articles and not understand half of them, my brain just freezes.

I don't know if i have to use the 533 or 677 or 800
and i'm confused if 1gb 533 is better or 512mb 800, and how much does the brand affect the performance i have a choice between transcend(cheapest), kingston and corsair(costliest).
Just my budget shortfall.

I'm not looking for fantastic frame rates, just want to play comfortably at 1024x768.

If I don't Overclock what is the bestmemory to use, the freq and how much ?
If I overclock what is the best?

Thank you very much.

 

[prong]

Hello,
I'm building a budget system.
AMD X2 3600+
Asus M2N pv-vm/BioStar T550/MSI K9 Neo-f
XFX 7600GS or the GT
What kind of RAM should I use? Its confusing to read so many articles and not understand half of them, my brain just freezes.

I don't know if i have to use the 533 or 677 or 800
and i'm confused if 1gb 533 is better or 512mb 800, and how much does the brand affect the performance i have a choice between transcend(cheapest), kingston and corsair(costliest).
Just my budget shortfall.

I'm not looking for fantastic frame rates, just want to play comfortably at 1024x768.

If I don't Overclock what is the bestmemory to use, the freq and how much ?
If I overclock what is the best?

Thank you very much.

Check the MB website for which RAM speeds the board will run. If you are building the ASUS VM micro board, it may or may not support PC6400 800 mhz. RAM. Micro boards in general have less overclocking ability and less BIOS adjustments especially with things like DIMM voltage. DDR2 PC5300 667 mhz. RAM requires less voltage to run than PC6400 800 mhz. DIMMS. There are a few 1.8 v PC6400 RAM kits available, but generally 800 mhz. RAM requires 2.0v to 2.3 volts to run at the PC6400 6.4 MB per second speed. I would guess the very best the ASUS micro board will do is 2.1 volts and very likely only 1.9 volts. You should check the MB specs regarding RAM requirement carefully.

Windows XP will run much better with 1 to 2 GB of RAM regardless of the speed. Vista runs better with 2 to 4 GB's. 512 is the minimun I would put in a system to run XP. You will experience delays and slowdowns with 512 MB running XP. HTH

 

[smvp]

No its not micro atx. 512 mb is min i know. but i want to know if there is a a substantial gain in performance between 533 and 800 without overclocking. if its not the case, i would like to stick to 533 1 gb. there are faster rams on the way, so after a few months i will change the processor and ram, and i'm good.
i'm just playing with my budget thinkin that the videocard plays the big role while handling games and i want to save so i can get hold o a decent card like the 7600gt.

 

[prong]

No its not micro atx. 512 mb is min i know. but i want to know if there is a a substantial gain in performance between 533 and 800 without overclocking. if its not the case, i would like to stick to 533 1 gb. there are faster rams on the way, so after a few months i will change the processor and ram, and i'm good.
i'm just playing with my budget thinkin that the videocard plays the big role while handling games and i want to save so i can get hold o a decent card like the 7600gt.

PC5300 has a transfer rate of 5.3 MB per second. PC6400 transfers at 6.4 Mb per second. Yes, a substancial difference. If your system is strong and the RAM is 'overclocker's' RAM, you should be able to get the 667 mhz. RAM running somewhat faster with some simple BIOS adjustments. The PC5300 would never reach PC6400 speeds. HTH.

 

[Mondoman]

.... DDR2 PC5300 667 mhz. RAM requires less voltage to run than PC6400 800 mhz. DIMMS.

This is a popular misconception. All non-overclocked DDR2 RAM is designed to run at 1.8V. Higher-quality chips are needed to run at faster speeds, which is why faster DIMMs are usually more expensive. However, lower-quality chips can sometimes be forced into working at faster speeds by boosting the voltage above the standard 1.8V. However, the higher the voltage boost, the greater the risk of premature failure (because of electromigration caused by the increased voltage and heat). This is one form of "overclocking". See this post for more details: http://forumz.tomshardware.com/hardware/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&p=1249881#1249881

 

[prong]

.... DDR2 PC5300 667 mhz. RAM requires less voltage to run than PC6400 800 mhz. DIMMS.

This is a popular misconception. All non-overclocked DDR2 RAM is designed to run at 1.8V. Higher-quality chips are needed to run at faster speeds, which is why faster DIMMs are usually more expensive. However, lower-quality chips can sometimes be forced into working at faster speeds by boosting the voltage above the standard 1.8V. However, the higher the voltage boost, the greater the risk of premature failure (because of electromigration caused by the increased voltage and heat). This is one form of "overclocking". See this post for more details: http://forumz.tomshardware.com/hardware/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&p=1249881#1249881

Okay. I think I was just referring to the specs manufacturers list on PC5300 compared to PC6400. There are a few PC6400 Dimms (and only a few) specified to run at 800 mhz at 1.8v. I just bought these (for $119!) to run on my 965G micro. I hope they run as advertised.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820211066

 

[enewmen]

Hello,
I'm building a budget system.
AMD X2 3600+
Asus M2N pv-vm/BioStar T550/MSI K9 Neo-f
XFX 7600GS or the GT
What kind of RAM should I use? Its confusing to read so many articles and not understand half of them, my brain just freezes.

I don't know if i have to use the 533 or 677 or 800
and i'm confused if 1gb 533 is better or 512mb 800, and how much does the brand affect the performance i have a choice between transcend(cheapest), kingston and corsair(costliest).
Just my budget shortfall.

I'm not looking for fantastic frame rates, just want to play comfortably at 1024x768.

If I don't Overclock what is the bestmemory to use, the freq and how much ?
If I overclock what is the best?

Thank you very much.

Usually better to get more slow-ram than small fast-ram.
If you DO overclock, get 2 gigs of fast ram. (But then it's no longer a budget system)

 

[smvp]

yup, thanks.
I will stick to 533 1gb.