RAM vs Processor FSB on Asus Striker Extreme

Toggle sidebar Toggle sidebar
R

radium02

Distinguished
Jul 23, 2007
54
0
18,630
Hello,

I have the Asus Striker Extreme Motherboard. [http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813131074]

I am planning to get this RAM: OCZ Platinum 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500)
[http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820227178].

The FSB on the motherboard for the ram is 800 MHz, but I have an Intel Quad Core Q6600 that has a FSB of 1066 MHz. The motherboard supports 1066 MHz FSB for the processor but only 800 MHz for RAM.


Does this mean that my processor may step down?
How does this exactly work...why would Asus not have the same FSB between the RAM and the CPU?

Thanks for the help.

 
You should get the Crucial Ballistix PC2 8500 2GB kit of (1066MHz) Ram because this Ram can do 3-3-3-8 @800MHz @2.1volts or 5-5-5-15 @1200MHz @2.2volts. You can get it at NewEgg right now for $159.99. You know your getting Micron memory chips since Crucial is the same company as Micron. As far as Ram speeds having a 1066MHz devide x4 is 266Mhz FSB quad pumped.
 
The motherboard supports and optimized for DDR2 800 but you can use the DDR2 1066 just fine. It might set the ram automatically to the 800Mhz settings but you can manually set the frequency to 1066. That will have a ratio of 2:1 to the CPU. This is very good for overclocking by the way as it gives you more headroom.

If you're not overclocking then forget about it and get a generic DDR2 533. DDR2 533 and DDR2 1066 do not have much difference on gaming performance on stock settings of the cpu. The CPU however has more influence in performance and especially when overclocked. So my advice is do some overclocking to get the best of your components. Based on your system and your future ram you'll have a good change of achieving higher overclock. Just make sure you have stable power supply.
 
Intel Processors have a Quad pumped FSB, the Q6600 runs at 266.5mhz FSB X 4= 1066mhz FSB.
DDR2 memory doubles the FSB.
To run stock speed on the Q6600 at a 1:1 ratio with your RAM you would need DDR2 533.

DDR2 800 at 1:1 with your Q6600 would be 400mhz FSB.
Your Q6600 has a multiplier of 9 meaning 400mhz FSB X 9 = 3.6ghz
I really doubt you would be able to overclock the Q6600 1:1 with DDR2 1066 without some extreme cooling. That would be a 533mhz FSB or 4.8ghz.
You could lower the timings to CAS3 on the DDR2 1066 and run it at DDR 800.

 
Wow. Thanks systemlord, chuckshissle, and Gh0stDrag0n for the fast responses. That sort of clears things up.

So If my understanding is correct, then by purchasing the RAM I had originally intended to purchase, I will not have any "lag" between the CPU and RAM? Is this true?

I am confused a bit on the CPU multiplier function and how DDR2 doubles the FSB. Can someone please elaborate on this?



Thanks again!
 


At DDR2 800MHz basicly each memory stick is running at 400MHz duel channel x2 = 800MHz effective as they call it. In other words having two memory sticks running at 400MHz working together makes 800MHz key word "effective". Some will say that having a 1:1 ratio is best because ram & CPU are running in sync together. But I have tried running my ram @1200MHz and after running Everest Ultimate shows 1000MB more transfer speed & lower latency. Here are some of my test done at 800-1200MHz. Look at the "Read Speed = 8291MB 54.nano seconds @800MHz & 9988MB "Read Speed" 47.ns @1200MHz. Sometimes when OC'ing you can multiply 9x400 fsb = 3.6GHz, or a multiplyer of 8x400 fsb = 3.2 GHz.

There are times when you OC your mobo becomes unstable and by changing the multiplier sometimes helps avoid instabilities. Other times you can simply find a more stable OC with lowering your multiplier. Some people like higher fsb speeds than having a higher multiplier allowing you to run your ram at higher speeds to. Its really simple try OC'ing if you hit an unstable place in your mobo fsb try and shoot past the instability sometimes helps, if not lower your multiplier and try again. I'm sorry I know its a lot to take in but in the end it will be easy a cake.

 


If you get DDR2 800 or DDR2 1066 and at stock speeds then no, but a small OC will solve that little problem. If I were you I'd try a multiplier of 8x with a FSB of 400 (8x400) will give you 3.2GHz. At 3.2GHz for a quad core is really good. Theres so many combos that you can try, the list would be longer than my arm,lol. 7x400= 2.8GHz, 9x333= 2.9GHz, 9x350= 3.1GHz and so on...
 
This is the cooler that you should get for that Q6600 as you have four cores to cool. NewEgg has them for about $65. I know its big but it will fit. Tuniq Tower 120

 
Hi! I too am not very experienced w/ all of this stuff and would like to get some of it clarified...

First I thought the multiplier was locked on the Q6600? I might be wrong tho.
Secondly, from what I understood in those 2 pics you posted, having a 1:1 ratio performed sightly worse than 2:3(?) with higher Memory Clock Speed/Cas latency, Correct?
Third, what about those uncommon ratios, like 3:7, etc? Do they negatively impact performance?

If they don't, then I pretty much just need to worry about price/performance and compatibility, regardless of FSB speeds..?

FYI, I am looking to buy a Q6600 with Patriot eXtreme Performance DDR2-800 PC6400 2x1GB 4-4-4-12 ram with a 800/1066/1333mhz compatible Motherboard. Any recommendations are welcome.

Ram Link: http://shop4.outpost.com/product/52...CsQsyg+w**.nod e2?site=sr:SEARCH:MAIN_RSLT_PG
 


My multiplier can go from 9x (stock) to 6x, its locked from going any higher than 9x but not completely locked. I know I went through the same thing two months ago. The X6800 Exteme has a stock multiplier of 10 or 11. In my bios theres a setting called "Modify Ratio Support" 9-6. A lot of people will sware that 1:1 is the best and theres nothing you can tell them otherwise, but have a look at those tests I put here.

I'd say if your going to OC then go DDR2 1066 that gives you more head room to OC and when you run into instability you know its not your ram holding you back. When OC'ing always under clock you ram so that way you can see what the limits are for your mobo & CPU are, then bring your ram up in MHz and tighten those timings to 5-5-5-15 or 3-3-3-8 if your mobo will let you. Patriot makes great ram and runs 4:5 @1000Mhz @4-4-4-12 will give you some great results. This test results right in the middle of the other two in my last post. And look at the latency its lower than both of those above 46ns. Here let me show you.

 
Hi systemlord,

This may be diverting from the convo right now, but I'm trying to clear some of this up in my head as well. I have a question that is pre-discussion above.

When I'm looking to get a new mobo and ram, and I see the mobo has specs for FSB 1066/1333, but says memory standard is DDR2 800, how does this actually relate? I'm probably going to get the Core 2 Duo E6750, so I want a mobo that supports a FSB of 1333, right?

And does the FSB and RAM relate to each other at all? And do I need to find a mobo that says the memory standard is 1033 (because thats the RAM speed I'm looking at right now)? And finally, how does OC'ing relate to the specs I see for a mobo and the speed RAM I get??

I'm a little lost, so I appreciate any help you can provide!!

Thanks,

thephatp
 
@radium02,

I would suggest visiting the Striker Extreme forums;
http://vip.asus.com/forum/topic.aspx?board_id=1&model=Striker+Extreme& SLanguage=en-us
There are several topics regarding memory, overclocking and the ratios involved.

Good luck
 
:fou: No wonder there are so many posts about someone's computer not working or a new build that won't post..... Do a little research on your own people. Why someone attempts to build a computer and not know how any of it works is beond me. :pfff:

A Intel processor has a QUAD PUMPED FSB that means the 1066 or 1333 is divided by FOUR (4), 266.5fsb and 333.25 fsb respectively.
A processor has something called a MULTIPLIER, this is the number TIMES the FSB to calculate your CPU's clockspeed
The E6750 has a multiplier of 8x and is running at 333fsb giving you a clockspeed of 2664mhz or 2.6Ghz
The E6600 has a multiplier of 9x and is running at 266fsb giving you a clockspeed of 2394mhz or 2.4Ghz

DDR2 memory Multiplies the FSB by TWO (2), DDR2 533 for 1066fsb processors and DDR2 667 for 1333fsb processors.
DDR2 800 runs at 400fsb
DDR2 1066 runs at 533fsb

Do any of you see a pattern here?


 
So basically I have DDR2 1066 RAM that runs @ 533 FSB per stick.
And in my Q6600, each core is running @ 266.5 FSB.

Does this mean that the FSB on my RAM is faster than it is on my CPU?
 


Your CPU / RAM ratio would be 1:2 at stock speeds.
You can run your ram at DDR2 800 (400fsb) and lower the RAM timings to CAS3 or CAS4 and overclock your CPU to 3.6Ghz (9x multiplier X 400 FSB) or 3.2Ghz (8x multiplier X 400 FSB). You do not have to run DDR2 1066 at its rated speed, by lowering the speed you can also lower the latency and voltage required to run it (lower heat).

Overclocking is an art. Use high quality components and take your time, a lot of us have been doing it for years and have learned through trial and error. Each has his or her own style but the end result is the same...getting the most out of your hardware.

Good Luck!
 
Oh, ok. That makes a little bit more sense to me. So essentially, I can either step up my processor to match the FSB with the RAM, or I can step down the RAM to match the CPU FSB?

I am guessing either direction would require proper cooling?

Thanks again for the help!!
 


Unless you have a Extreme edition C2D (unlocked multiplier) you can only step down your CPU multiplier. I think the Q6600 has a range of 6x to 9x, You could try a 533fsb with a multiplier of 6x to run 1:1 with DDR2 1066 but you will need a good motherboard and cooling setup. You would still be at 3.2GHz. There are many ways to get the same results, stability testing will tell you what the best configuration is.
Your most important componet is your Power Supply, save yourself a future headache and buy a high quality one. 😉
 
Yea, I know about the power supply requirements for my setup. I've spent a number of nights looking up good ones, reading reviews, checking manufacturers websites, and asking other people. Actually, I had purchased and was in possession of mostly all the parts of my custom computer except a power supply. My other parts have been sitting in my room for atleast a week cause I couldn't find a good power supply. But since the PS is now an important component, I thought it would be worth all of the research. I purchased the KingWin 600 W ABT-600CW. It has enough amps on the +12V rail, modular support, is SLI ready and has a decent efficiency.

I asked a few people that had a setup similar to mine who had this power supply, and they had no problems -- so I purchased it.

I originally intended to spend about $40-50 for a power supply...it was only after some research that I found that this would cause a disaster. I figured a one time big expense will last me a long time.

Remember the days when power supplies use to be "just cables"? Nowadays, you need a fricken Peco/Exelon Nuclear Power Plant next to your house just to power some of your components in your computer, lol!



Anyways...

Gh0stDrag0n, will my setup be OK if I run it at stock speeds? Remember that my mobo (ASUS striker extreme) supports DDR2 800 and my processor (Q6600) has 1066 FSB. The memory chips that I am getting are SLI compatible. By using a stock setup, will I be at some advantage of having my memory running a a larger FSB than my CPU?

Thanks again!!
 
Your system will run fine at stock speeds. Any advantage you gain using faster memory you will more than likely not notice, your system will be fast as it is. A 5 to 10fps gain on a game that runs at 200+fps will not make any differance in gameplay, your monitor is probably capped at 60 or 75fps anyway.
 
Can I change the setting in BIOS to allow the memory to run at 1066Mhz (dual channel) ? Would I need additional cooling?


The specs on ASUS's website says that SLI-Ready memory is supported up to 1200Mhz.
 


My Crucial Ballistix 1066MHz will do 1200MHz, you should be able to set your ram upto the rated speed of 1066MHz without overclocking anything. At first I didn't plan on OC'ing, then I got greedy. Look where I ended up @3.6GHz, Ram at 1200MHz 5-5-5-15 @2.2volts.
 
Hey guys,

I'm about to upgrade my pc, and I've been reading through this discussion a little confused...

Are you saying that depending on the cpu fsb speed (looking at either 1333mhz or 1066mhz) some ram might be faster than others?
(eg, stock, in some cases 800mhz ram would be faster than 1066mhz) because of the cpu fbs speed and the ram fsb speed?

Basically, if I were to buy a cpu with a fsb speed of 1333mhz(E6850) or 1066mhz(Q6600), would it be worth it to buy 1066mhz speed ram over 800mhz ram? (If you weren't going to overclock.) Is it worth spending the extra money on 1066mhz ram?

And if I were to overclock the 1333mhz processor (E6850) which ram would be best?

 


Get DDR2 800 if your not going to overclock, 1066 is good for people that are planning to OC. DDR2 is the standard for Intel's Core 2 Duo's.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

Latest posts

Moderators online

Share this page

COMPANY
RESOURCES
FOLLOW
Top Bottom