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Ram bus speed and Processer bus speed: what's the deal? (other questions inside re: performance)
    #4655070 -

Alright, so i've been poking about.
Bought a new board, new processer, and now i need to figure out what RAM i should be having.
How is the performance/bus speeds between the two components related?
From what i can gather, one should ideally be running a board with the clocks matched (i.e, my new processer would be an athlon xp 2500+...FSB is 333.  So i should be running pc2700..?)
But what, if any, real effects would a mismatch (say, pc2100 with the aforementioned processer) have on performance?

Now, suffice to say, i've built puters before, but mostly from spare parts and donations, with some bargain shopping....this is probably my first real attempt at putting together a quality system in terms of performance.  My other few attempts have been mostly just a "work, dammit!" proposition.

WHich brings me to my second question:  Cooling.  I've got another fan mount (outgoing) that i need to fill, but lets talk RAM coolers.  Worthwhile?
Also, would i be getting anymore lifetime out of my processer if i slap a copper sink and a better fan on it, given that i don't intend to overclock now, if ever?

I'll post more n00b questions when they come up. :smile:


--------------------
"..all those molecules thrashing their kinky little tails, hot for destiny and the street."  Gibson


Nuke baby seals for Jesus!

(This has been a +1 production.)

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Re: Ram bus speed and Processer bus speed: what's the deal? (other questions inside re: performance [Re: Randolph_Carter]
    #4655325 -

Definitely get ram that is the same rating as your board (pc2700 for 333mhz). DON'T go any lower on the ram - if it works at all it will mean you are running your ram too fast (or your system too slow!). Most likely the ram just won't work, because it won't be rated to run at that speed.

I would shell out the couple extra bucks and get some good DDR-400 (PC3200) ram. Last I checked the price difference was litterally a few dollars between pc2700 and pc3200 ram - so go for the faster stuff and save yourself an upgrade down the line.

Cooling is essential, especially with the faster CPUs these days. I'd go for a good copper heatsink/fan on the CPU and at LEAST one case fan (sometimes two is better, if your power supply only has one).

As for the ram heatsinks...I don't know how much benefit they give you. RAM doesn't run at too high of a clock speed anyway (PC2700 ram "at" 333mhz is actually only doing 166mhz - DDR means double data rate, not clock rate!).

The ram I have came with heatsinks already installed. I got a nice pair of OCZ DDR-400 ram sticks specifically meant for use in a dual-channel configuration.



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Once, men turned their thinking over to machines in the hope that this would set them free.
But that only permitted other men with machines to enslave them.

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Re: Ram bus speed and Processer bus speed: what's the deal? (other questions inside re: performance [Re: Randolph_Carter]
    #4655854 -

Like Trendal said, get RAM that's rated at whatever speed your motherboard recommends. However I wouldn't really recommend going for a higher-than-necessary rating, unless you can get it for the same price. A motherboard you buy in the future is probably going to require DDR2 or some future standard anyway. High-end RAM will have heatsinks attached already, and I don't think it's necessary to buy that if you're not overclocking. Kingston Value memory or something similar is a good choice for you I think. Get a good brand, but don't spend too much money.

And likewise, if you're not overclocking, you probably don't need a better CPU cooler than the standard retail one.

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Re: Ram bus speed and Processer bus speed: what's the deal? (other questions inside re: performance [Re: MarioNett]
    #4655914 -

Thanks guys, but in this case, considering that the board can only take two ddr-400 sticks, i'll probably just get 2 512 333's and a gig.

The main reason i'm concerned with the CPU/ram coolers is the fact that i've been running that Folding at Home stuff NON-STOP.....i mean, last run, before i caught the lightning strike, it had been running for about 3 weeks.
So it's more looking towards extending the life of the hardware considering that it'll be operating full bore pretty much all the time.

Anther RAM related question tho: What's the deal with compatability over different brands? I keep reading that i should try to have all my RAM be from the same manufacturer....but if they have to conform to standard, why? Haven't been able to reason that one out yet, any help would be appreciated.

Another question still!
SATA: Is this just a higher transfer-rated connection as opposed to ATA or IDE connections? I'm not intending to run any serious drive space (2x80 or 80+120 gig drives) but i MAY get gaming again. Would the performance boost from wiring them for SATA be worthwhile?


--------------------
"..all those molecules thrashing their kinky little tails, hot for destiny and the street."  Gibson


Nuke baby seals for Jesus!

(This has been a +1 production.)

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Re: Ram bus speed and Processer bus speed: what's the deal? (other questions inside re: performance [Re: Randolph_Carter]
    #4655973 -

I recommend the Zalmann copper coolers. I have one box running the copper cooler and the other running the AL/CU. The CU only is worth the extra $10 or so. They are also VERY quiet. These are my favorite air coolers.

The serial ATA drives have a few speed enhancing features, such as Native Command Queuing. It's not just the speed of the bus. This will make your computer run faster in situations where there's a lot of disk activity. It won't help streaming, really. It's handy if you run a BBS or web server.

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Re: Ram bus speed and Processer bus speed: what's the deal? (other questions inside re: performance [Re: Booger]
    #4656437 -

Dual channel memory sticks should be two of the same brand and model because ALL of the timing figures must be identical. This means not just the size and speed, but the CAS numbers as well. These are the numbers like 2-2-2-6 or 3-3-3-7 that you see in the specs. The default values of the CAS timings are not really standardized--they vary from brand to brand, so the easiest way to make sure you've got them matched is to buy them together in a kit from the same manufacturer.

SATA is a worthwhile upgrade, I think. The performance increase isn't anything revolutionary, but it's noticeable. Game levels might load faster, the machine might boot faster, etc. SATA drives take a different power connector than the traditional IDE one, however. So you either need a fairly new power supply that was designed for it, or an adapter for your old PSU.

And regarding your processor, yeah, a better cooler is a good idea if you're maxing it out with F@H all the time.

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Re: Ram bus speed and Processer bus speed: what's the deal? (other questions inside re: performance [Re: MarioNett]
    #4664771 -

Yes, copper copper copper! Aluminum = shit.

Also artic silver helps mega.

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General Interest > Science and Technology
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