I'm trying to decide whether I should go DDR2 or DDR3 for my next build. For purposes of this discussion, cost is NOT as issue. Known components will be:
- Intel Q9550 quad-core CPU @ FSB 1333
- X48 Northbridge
- 4GB of either DDR2 CAS 4 or DDR3 CAS 7
I don't really intend to overclock, but I do want fast yet stable performance, and I figure you guys probably know more about this than most. My understanding is that Core 2 likes the memory to be in synch with the FSB. So, the two options are:
1. Go DDR2 and run the memory at DDR 667 (333x2) IN SYNCH with a FSB of 1333 (333x4).
2. Go DDR3 and run the memroy at DDR 1333 (667x2) or DDR 1600 (800x2) OUT OF SYNCH with a FSB of 1333 (333x4). This presumes that DDR3 can be run at 2x or 2.4x the speed of the FSB (is that possible?).
- Which option would provide better performance? Although DDR3 might appear to be the better choice, I'm not so sure given the FSB bottleneck and higher latency of DDR3.
- Is it possible to run DDR3 at 2x or 2.4x the speed of the FSB. If I go DDR3, I will be getting either a Asus P5E64 WS Evolution or a Gigabyte GAX48T-DQ6.
Thanks in advance for your time.
- Intel Q9550 quad-core CPU @ FSB 1333
- X48 Northbridge
- 4GB of either DDR2 CAS 4 or DDR3 CAS 7
I don't really intend to overclock, but I do want fast yet stable performance, and I figure you guys probably know more about this than most. My understanding is that Core 2 likes the memory to be in synch with the FSB. So, the two options are:
1. Go DDR2 and run the memory at DDR 667 (333x2) IN SYNCH with a FSB of 1333 (333x4).
2. Go DDR3 and run the memroy at DDR 1333 (667x2) or DDR 1600 (800x2) OUT OF SYNCH with a FSB of 1333 (333x4). This presumes that DDR3 can be run at 2x or 2.4x the speed of the FSB (is that possible?).
- Which option would provide better performance? Although DDR3 might appear to be the better choice, I'm not so sure given the FSB bottleneck and higher latency of DDR3.
- Is it possible to run DDR3 at 2x or 2.4x the speed of the FSB. If I go DDR3, I will be getting either a Asus P5E64 WS Evolution or a Gigabyte GAX48T-DQ6.
Thanks in advance for your time.