question on matching memory to a mobo....

[phendyr]

hey folks,
I'm basically new to building my own computer, and would appreciate some education on matching memory to a motherboard.

I'm considering the GIGABYTE GA-965P-DQ6 motherboard, and in its specifications it states:

Notice: Only DDR2-800 memory supporting JEDEC approved 1.8V operation with timings of 5-5-5 or 6-6-6 is supported on Intel Desktop Boards based on Intel 965 Express Chipsets.

I've been looking for an explanation of 'timings' but cant quite find one... while looking on newegg.com for memory, I see them listed with timings like 5-5-5-15 or 4-4-4-12, for example....does this mean I could only use the ones listed as 5-5-5-15? or is there something you can do to the ones listed at 4-4-4-12 and still have them work reliably?

thanks in advance for helpin' this newb :lol:
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[phendyr]

must be a lame question :lol:

can somebody at least point me in the direction of information about timings so I can understand it a little better? I'm honestly just not sure how to select the memory I need based on the requirements listed on the motherboard...

thanks

 

[Mondoman]

You should be able to read about latency timings in the Forum sicky FAQ. I'd recommend especially the link near the end to the Corsair multimedia presentation.