RAM types

You need to get the right kind of RAM for your motherboard...

If you already have some RAM and are just adding more, you should make sure that both the new RAM and old RAM are the same kind. Otherwise you''ll run into problems.

Uho.... Crap, I don''t remember what mobo I bought...
I''ll go for DDR (wild guess).

Actually, I''ll go look what type of RAM I''m using right now. I think they''re DDRs.

When you see something like: PC4200 DDR 1gig RAM.
What''s the ''PC''? Speed? quality?

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WiseElben.com | My Journal | My Profile

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Projects: nMagic - Voted #1 in DOSGamesWeekly, a nondiversial DOS lover magazines.


[edited by - GameDev Staff on September 27, 1989 9X:58:97 XMS] For violating Article 43 Page 456 Paragraph 251 Line .042]

PC4200 DDR is 184 pin and runs at 533MHz
PC133 SDRAM is 164 pin and runs at 133MHz

If your mobo takes 164 pin RAM DACs, then buying PC4200 is pointless because you can''t put it in the computer anyways. And vice versa.

If your motherboard only has 133MHz of front side bus, then buying PC4200 is pointless, because it will run at 133MHz anyways.
Currently, the only processors that currently have a 533MHz front side bus are Pentium4 B and C editions (with C having an 800MHz FSB), so if your processor only has a 333/266 MHz FSB (Athlonn XP/Barton) then it''s pointless to have a 533MHz one in there.

This, of course, doesn''t apply if you''re over clocking, but overclocking from 333MHz to 533MHz multiplier will probably blow up your entire system. Usually you don''t over clock more than 10-15%

And I''m pretty sure you''re not an overclocker, seeing as you don''t even know what type of RAM goes into your computer.

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Original post by WiseElben
When you see something like: PC4200 DDR 1gig RAM.
What's the 'PC'? Speed? quality?

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Bus speed. If you are planning on overclocking get the highest speed RAM available. If you don't want to overclock, then get a RAM speed appropriate to your FSB (e.g., PC3200 RAM would be for a FSB of 400mHz, IIRC).

EDIT: Pouya beat me


[edited by - Bossk on October 15, 2003 6:55:08 PM]

Yes, contrary to popular belief, unless you enjoy opening several instances of Visual Studio .NET at once, the speed of the RAM matters much, much more than the sheer amount. If your processor has a bus speed of 166(the box may call it 333) you'll probably be fine with DDR PC2100 RAM, but technically you're overclocking it (I discovered this after the fact on my computer). If it's 133(266) then you'll be fine with 2100, and possibly 1600 (don't quote me on that, though).

EDIT: SDRAM, however, won't fit. DDR ram is esentially double sided RAM, so it can send out data twice as quickly, and is keyed (the little notches that serve no purpose except to tell you if you have it in backwards) differently, so it wont even fit if you buy the wrong type.

[edited by - cowsarenotevil on October 15, 2003 7:00:46 PM]

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Original post by cowsarenotevil
Yes, contrary to popular belief, unless you enjoy opening several instances of Visual Studio .NET at once, the speed of the RAM matters much, much more than the sheer amount. If your processor has a bus speed of 166(the box may call it 333) you''ll probably be fine with DDR PC2100 RAM, but technically you''re overclocking it (I discovered this after the fact on my computer). If it''s 133(266) then you''ll be fine with 2100, and possibly 1600 (don''t quote me on that, though).

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Oh no! I quoted you.

OMG NOES.

quote:

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Original post by cowsarenotevil
Yes, contrary to popular belief, unless you enjoy opening several instances of Visual Studio .NET at once, the speed of the RAM matters much, much more than the sheer amount. If your processor has a bus speed of 166(the box may call it 333) you''ll probably be fine with DDR PC2100 RAM, but technically you''re overclocking it (I discovered this after the fact on my computer). If it''s 133(266) then you''ll be fine with 2100, and possibly 1600 (don''t quote me on that, though).

EDIT: SDRAM, however, won''t fit. DDR ram is esentially double sided RAM, so it can send out data twice as quickly, and is keyed (the little notches that serve no purpose except to tell you if you have it in backwards) differently, so it wont even fit if you buy the wrong type.

[edited by - cowsarenotevil on October 15, 2003 7:00:46 PM]

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I like to run more that one instance of VS.NET.

Yes, I''m not an overcloaker... I''m just starting to get into this comp building/tech stuff. I''ve been reading a few comp build mags and websites. So by the time I save ''nuff money ($2000?) to build my Dream PC, I''ll know enough to not mess up.

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WiseElben.com | My Journal | My Profile

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Projects: nMagic - Voted #1 in DOSGamesWeekly, a nondiversial DOS lover magazines.


[edited by - GameDev Staff on September 27, 1989 9X:58:97 XMS] For violating Article 43 Page 456 Paragraph 251 Line .042]

quote:

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Original post by WiseElben
I like to run more that one instance of VS.NET.

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But do you start them all at exactly the same time? It won''t effect the actual performance, just the loading/exiting. And hard drive speed is very important also.

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Original post by cowsarenotevil

quote:

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Original post by WiseElben
I like to run more that one instance of VS.NET.

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But do you start them all at exactly the same time? It won''t effect the actual performance, just the loading/exiting. And hard drive speed is very important also.

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ummm no, you buy more RAM so that you can keep more programs in memory, instead of copying back and forth from hard drive to ram.

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Original post by leinad
ummm no, you buy more RAM so that you can keep more programs in memory, instead of copying back and forth from hard drive to ram.

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Yes, but, assuming you can in fact read, (which I'm beginning to doubt ) you'd see that he already has more than 300 MB of RAM, which is more than enough to keep a few instances of VS .NET running. It only copies to the hard drive when the RAM is "used up" and the computer has to use "virtual memory" (uses the hard drive as RAM).

[edited by - cowsarenotevil on October 15, 2003 7:29:46 PM]

quote:

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Original post by cowsarenotevil

quote:

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Original post by leinad
ummm no, you buy more RAM so that you can keep more programs in memory, instead of copying back and forth from hard drive to ram.

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Yes, but, assuming you can in fact read, (which I''m beginning to doubt ) you''d he already has more than 300 MB of RAM, which is more than enough to keep a few instances of VS .NET running. It only copies to the hard drive when the RAM is "used up" and the computer has to use "virtual memory" (uses the hard drive as RAM).

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Thanks but no thanks for the "crash course." And I can''t understand "you''d he." Good for him...I don''t care that he has 300 MB of RAM, but thanks for stating it...

quote:

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Original post by Pouya
PC4200 DDR is 184 pin and runs at 533MHz
PC133 SDRAM is 164 pin and runs at 133MHz

If your mobo takes 164 pin RAM DACs, then buying PC4200 is pointless because you can''t put it in the computer anyways. And vice versa.

If your motherboard only has 133MHz of front side bus, then buying PC4200 is pointless, because it will run at 133MHz anyways.
Currently, the only processors that currently have a 533MHz front side bus are Pentium4 B and C editions (with C having an 800MHz FSB), so if your processor only has a 333/266 MHz FSB (Athlonn XP/Barton) then it''s pointless to have a 533MHz one in there.

This, of course, doesn''t apply if you''re over clocking, but overclocking from 333MHz to 533MHz multiplier will probably blow up your entire system. Usually you don''t over clock more than 10-15%

And I''m pretty sure you''re not an overclocker, seeing as you don''t even know what type of RAM goes into your computer.

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The P4 FSB runs at 133Mhz and 200 MHz. The Athlon FSB runs at 133, 166, and 200 MHz.

However, the P4 is quad-pumped (x4) and the Athlon is double-pumped (x2, like DDR) - that''s where the 800 (P4), 533 (P4), 400 (Athlon), 333(Athlon), and 266 (Athlon) numbers come from. DDR533 (PC4200) is only 266 MHz - still higher than any system runs at, and as such is only useful to overclockers.

Also, the Athlon 64 has no true FSB - just an 800MHz (true) HyperTransport link to the Northbridge. The memory interface is DDR333 or DDR400, and built into the processor core.

The best speed comes from matching the true speed of the FSB with the true speed of the memory, so they can operate synchronously. For an Athlon it''s easy, since both DDR memory and FSB clocks are doubled; for the P4 divide the marketing speed (400/533/800) by two to match DDR memory marketing numbers.

So no, higher is not necessarily better, especially once latency is taken into account. 2-2-2 DDR266 (PC2100) is faster for me (in a 133Mhz Athlon board) than 3-3-3 DDR333 (PC2700), since the reduced latency more than makes up for the lower bandwidth.

In short, find out more about your system before deciding. As usual, I recommend THG and AnandTech. HardOCP is also good, as is Ace''s Hardware.

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"The sun is the same in a relative way,
but you''re older"
--Pink Floyd