Voltage and lifespan?

[Abit667]

So I've got some Crucial Ballistix Tracer PC-6400 ram in my system right now with a 780G motherboard and Athlon X2 BE-2400 @ ~2.87Ghz.

I can run the FSB at 250mhz, so the memory is at 500mhz, ddr2-1000. It needs 2.2V and active cooling to do this though, which it says it's rated for. If I put the divider down a step and run it at the normal ddr2-800 however (or just set everything to stock speeds) I still found it needs about 2V to boot and be stable otherwise it will crash randomly or not boot.

I've heard a lot of people saying that running memory at this voltage will reduce it's life span considerably, even if it says it's rated for it. I've been told this will "only last a couple months" which seems ridiculous to me. Is there any truth to this? With DDR2 being so cheap, I could just buy ram already rated for 1066 and then just run it at it's stock voltage and speed and not even have to worry about it.

 

[larrymoencurly]

The data sheets from the DRAM manufacturers say that the absolute maximum for DDR2 is 2.3V, and every one I've seen recommends 1.8V. So in my non-expert opinion, any module rated for more than that must be overclocked by its maker, especially because the chips are also designed to meet all specs at 80-90C chip package temperature.

 

[Mike Clements]

On that particular CPU+MOBO, I'd test it both ways (800 vs 1066) and compare the results. If you are not getting real world gains then I'd suggest the more conservative settings.