Is it worth getting DDR2-1200 memory?

F

FusionXP

Limp Gawd
Joined
Feb 8, 2005
Messages
460
I'm planning on a new build with a P5Q Deluxe that supports DDR2 1200/1066/800/667 memory, but don't know if I should just get the DDR2-1200 right of the bat or something of a lower spec. Also there is only a few manufacturers that make the DDR2-1200. OCZ is one of them with the Reaper HPC. I have noticed that many people use 1066 or 800 memory and oc it. Will that give better performance than getting the highest supporting memory for the mobo?
If it helps I have always liked OCZ, Mushkin, and Crucial.
 
How much are you planning to get? 2GB (2x1GB) or 4GB (2x2GB)? The cheapest 2GB of DDR2 1200 ram I could find is the OCZ Reaper which, after rebate, is still more expensive than 4GB of DDR2 800 ram. Personally, I would look into getting 4GB of DDR2 800 ram (it can be very cheap now) and overclock it as much as your processor/motherboard allow. Even if you leave it at stock and tighter timings (5-5-5-15, for instance), 4GB of DDR2 800 will perform faster than 2GB DDR2-1200. There was also an article on TomsHardware about bus speed vs. timings...you should look into that.

That being said, I would seriously consider this ram: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820220269.
Eased Latency Kit: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820220227
 
Probably 2GB (2x1GB) if I get a duo cpu but 4GB (2x2GB) if I go quad.

My choices are:

Duo - E8400 or E8500

or

Quad - Q6600 or Q8200
 
Don't bother with the Q8200, it has a lower multi and has half the cache of Q6600. Not only that the Q6600 is cheaper. As for E8400 and E8500 they seem to hit the same over clock due to E0 stepping but its your choice with the dual core, I wouldn't advise getting the Q8200.
 
E8500 is probably the way to go, unless you're very intent on getting the quad core. Now, the Q6600 is an excellent processor (one of the best), especially for the current price. However, keep in mind that its the old 65nm architecture which runs hotter than the newer 45nm chips. All factors considered, I think the E8500 would overclock quite nicely to match or even outperform the Q6600.

Wait until the i7 series comes out and prices will fall.
 
Get the memory speed you need to run at the FSB of your overclock, 1:1 with the FSB (ie 500FSB = DDR2 1000).
There is a small performance penalty when breaking from 1:1.
Each motherboard is different but if you exceed the max speed it will run the memory at 1T timings, you will jump to 2T, losing performance.
Either of these can make the system slower unless you have substantially faster memory.

So rather than using higher clocked ram, there is more of a performance guarantee using memory that has tighter timings.
ie 1:1 clock, tighter timings
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top