Unbuffered, Registered, and Buffered

[Guest]

I’m building a new system and I can’t decide on the type of memory. I know my new mobo will take unbuffered and registered. I also know that registered is for servers and stuff like that, but what I don’t know is what is does (how it works) and how much it will slow my SDRAM down. Can some one help??

I plan on using crucial 256MB DDR PC1600 • CL=2.5 • Unbuffered or Registered • ECC • 2.5V • 32Meg x 72

If some one could explain how unbuffered and registered memory works I would greatly appreciate it.

I will manly be using my system for programming, word processing, The Internet, and a good game every now and then.

Thanks Bob

 

[mpjesse]

Registered memory is: delayed memory information for one clock cycle to ensure all communication from the chipset is collected by the clock edge, providing a controlled delay on heavily loaded memories.

Unbuffered is: where the chip set controller deals directly with the memory. There is nothing between the chip set and the memory chips on the module as they communicate.

Buffered is: Isolating the memory from the controller to minimize the load on the chip set. It is typically used when the system has a high density of memory and/or when a system has more than 3 memory module sockets.

Basically, registered memory is considered the best in terms of performance- but is really only needed when dealing with dual CPU's. When two CPU's are trying to access the same memory and chipset, clock cycles get out of sync- increasing latency. It keeps everything in perfect sync which improves performance. Unbuffered is what i'd recommend for you. Buffered is pretty self explanatory- it's only useful in system memory sizes of 1GB and up.

-MP Jesse

"Signatures Still Suck"