is an upgrade of ram worth it?

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wbirkin

wbirkin

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Dec 27, 2006
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i currently have a ram that is a dual channel 1Gb X2 Kingston value ram 667mhz at 5-5-5-15 and i was thinking since i bought my q6600 if games would benefit largely if i upgrade to any 1066mhz ram. I have a gigabyte 965p-dq6 but im not sure if this mobo can handle anything above 800mhz. Although ived seen many reviews where they used this same mobo with high numbered rams, I have read the compatible ram list from their website but it doesnt even mention rams above 800s.

and yes, i overclock. I currently have my cpu clocked at 334 fsb with a ratio of 1:1 on the total of 3.0 GHz. Any higher , even if uped by 1 fsb, it fails.

any suggestions or recommendations are highly valued

thank you

 
Given that you're into overclocking, I would recommend getting the best ram you can afford. Take your pick, OCZ, Mushkin, Corsair or Giel. Someone else may have a different favorite. The value ram will not hold up under stress as well as good ram, which is why you get failures when overclocking. Also, as you raise the fsb, you have to alter the divider a bit. That's where higher ram speeds, like the 1066 mhz stuff helps, because it has better tolerance.

Can't say anything about your motherboard and the compatible ram for it. Companies usually release lists of what they have tested as working at stock speeds. That way, if you use something else and/or overclock and it fails, they have the ability to say that you used something else, so its not their problem. You can probably find better information from the various ram companies, including actual settings of the ram to get the best performance with your board. I know Corsair and OCZ do this.

As for better performance in games, look for 2-5%. Depending on the individual ram types and speeds, you might get as high as 10%, but that would be unusual. If you're going from a standard speed value ram to a high speed, high performance ram, you might get closer to the 10%. Can't say for sure on that. It depends on too many different factors. Keep in mind that when you talk of very high priced ram, the price quickly goes up while the comparitive performance difference gets increasingly small. Using Corsair for an example, the performance increase might be 5% going from value to XMS for a small amount of money, but the difference between XMS and the Dominator might only be 2%, even though the Dominator is much more expensive than the XMS.

Just a few thoughts. Good luck in yor quest.
 
Wow! that might be the best answer i have gotten ever here in the forums!

Anywayz, im gearing towards these:

800's
Mushkin HP2-6400 DDR2-800 2x1GB High Performance Series CAS 4-5-4-11 $129.99

OCZ DDR2 PC2-6400 800MHz CL 4 FlexXLC Edition 2GB (2x1024MB) Dual Channel Kit $126.99

OCZ DDR2 PC2-6400 800MHz Reaper HPC Enhanced Bandwidth Edition 2GB (2x1024MB) EPP Dual Channel Kit $164.99

1066's
OCZ DDR2 PC2-8500 1066MHz Reaper HPC CrossFire Certified Edition 2GB (2x1024MB) Dual Channel Kit $195.99

I dont have much knowledge when it comes to ram and the OCZ brand keeps popping everywhere, plus they have it on my local store. those 1066 are more expensive as heck, and that is the cheapest one there that is a 2X1024, they still sell 2X512 at a price of those 800's that i covered.

And also, will i see any improvements other than gaming is concerned such as windows applications? I dont do photoshop, or graphic imaging with the likes of CADs or Maya's. I mostly surf, chat, open multiple applications with music or movie playing all at the same time. i dont think it uses page file as i barely see the available physical memory below 300's.
 
Don't expect a breathtaking preformance increase. It ain't gonna happen. 10% at it's very best.. 15% if you are very lucky but 15% is already not very realistic * Gamewise. Better RAM might give you a better overclock but I assume that you tryed to push your CPU while leaving RAM at reasonable OC values.

On the other hand if you have cash to burn... :sol:

- You can get more out of you CPU.. Maybe with better cooling?
- 8500 DDR2 worked for a friend of mine witha similar mobo. (965P-DQ3 + Crucial 8500 Tracer) You are safe as long as you stick with high brand.
 


You may want to read this article:

[http://www.anandtech.com/memory/showdoc.aspx?i=2867&p=4]

The y have a very detailed memory preformance scaling. Keep in mind that any of the RAM presented there will be faster then yours on 677 Mhz speed, but only slightly. As for choice.. My fav is Crucial:

Crucial Ballistix 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) 130$ AR
Crucial Ballistix Tracer 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) 160$

Both preform the same but Tracers have a LED's witch look amazing if you have a transparent sidepanel. This is among the best 8500 RAM you can get. Most will say that this is the very best as it is based on Micron D9 chip (Crucial is thier retail arm)
 
unfortunately my budget relies on those values i have written beside the rams that i listed. actually i only have $100 right now, i can charm those cashiers as they are all women and i have successfully con the males there. I got the price of my 2900xt down to 2/3 of the original price.

An improvement is an improvement for me, unless i get somewhere below 5% and the price is high, i might be able to look somewhere else.
 
Xela, thanks for the link

i see the prices of those two here, and they are $174.99 and $174.99

not bad actually, i might consider these two.
 
:pfff:

Get 6400.. if you have only 100$

Crucial Ballistix 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) $84.99 AR

This memory will overclock past 8500 easy. And it's a great value! There are whole threads on many forums dedicated to Micron D9 chips 😗
 
Of the two OCZ 6400 series ram sets you listed, they are nearly equal so won't make a noticable difference on game speed. The OCZ flez allows for watercooling, which you may or may not need. If you go for one of the 6400 ram sets, the Mushkin has the best timings, but the OCZ Reaper may overclock better. Can't say for sure.

The 8500 OCZ Reaper has slower timings on the face, but because of the higher frequency, it will run a bit faster. But this is where you get into diminishing returns. More money for comparitive less performance.

On the face of it, the Mushkin set looks the best. One set I saw that you didn't list is the Mushkin DDR2-800 Extreme performance at 4-4-3-10 timing. It uses the Microm D-9 chips which is prized for its overclocking ability. Costing $147.99 on Newegg, its not cheap, but its not as expensive as the OCZ Reapers, whether the 6400 or 8500 series. personally, I'd go for that one.
 
I suggest just getting very low latency 667 or 800 ram, it should provide the best performance increase while not costing $300, and if you relax timings you should be able to OC the modules to 8500 speed
 
Crucial Ballistix DDR2 800Mhz PC2 6400 2GB Kit (1GB x 2) 240-pin $146.99 without led, $10 more with

Mushkin XP2-6400 DDR2-800 2x1024MB Extreme Performance Series CAS4-4-3-10 $209.99

these two have a big possibility, although the two crucials are on stock at the store.

They have a deal at the moment:
Asus P5K Socket 775 Intel P35 ICH9 Chipset DualChannel DDR2
Mushkin Enhanced Memory EM2-6400 DDR2-800 2 X 1GB CAS 5-5-5-12
$251.97

if i get this deal (if it is) i have an extra 805, the old ram, the old mobo and my old x1950pro. I could create a new system to sell which i could use the extra money to add my $100.

Hmmm... Intresting...
 


Ok, since I came up with lower prices on Newegg, I'm going to assume that you can't buy from Newegg, like you're not in the USA. Either that, or we're looking at two different ram sets.

In any case, the package that you're looking at with the motherboard and ram looks good. Its almost like buying the ram and getting the motherboard for free.
 
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