RAM Speeds?
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- Irish
RAM Speeds?
by Irish » Tue Oct 21, 2003 5:44 pm
Looking to pick up some 512 sticks. this post has been done before. I have some questions though. What does the timings 6.3.3 mean? Is that good or bad. I also see CAS 3 and 2.5 and 2. I assume volts. Which is better. Lower or higher the number.
The mobo is dual channel. Do I need Dual channel or will 4 sticks of 512 Samsung work the same?
The mobo is dual channel. Do I need Dual channel or will 4 sticks of 512 Samsung work the same?
- Bullhead
by Bullhead » Tue Oct 21, 2003 9:48 pm
1. Lower CAS number = higher performance. period.
2. the other numbers (6-3-3 for example) refer to how the memory operates (sorry, I'm too tired to get into the technical right now), and generally lower is better, although I've discovered having the first number higher helps my performance (mine are at 11-3-3-3.0).
3. You don't need dual channel mem (really no such thing), but matched sticks of mem are better. However, be forewarned that ALOT of motherboards have stability issues running all 4 banks of mem, unless using ECC mem (which is more expensive, rarer, and slower).
Volts really only factor in if you start overclocking, otherwise the default for DDR is 2.5v.
2. the other numbers (6-3-3 for example) refer to how the memory operates (sorry, I'm too tired to get into the technical right now), and generally lower is better, although I've discovered having the first number higher helps my performance (mine are at 11-3-3-3.0).
3. You don't need dual channel mem (really no such thing), but matched sticks of mem are better. However, be forewarned that ALOT of motherboards have stability issues running all 4 banks of mem, unless using ECC mem (which is more expensive, rarer, and slower).
Volts really only factor in if you start overclocking, otherwise the default for DDR is 2.5v.
- Edogg
by Edogg » Tue Oct 21, 2003 9:48 pm
ram timings tell you what latency ratings your memory has. The lower the numbers the better the memory is. The fastest you will see is 2-5-2-2 timings. Average is about 2.5-7-4-4. The slowest possible are 3-8-4-4. The cas rating is usually the first number and has nothing to do with volts.
Its good that your mother board supports dual channel memory. The only thing you need to run memory in dual channel mode is two sticks of the same memory. Usually the mother board will require that you put 1 stick in ram slot 1 and 1 stick in ram slot 3 for dual channel mode. Or you can put 1 stick in ram slot 2 and 1 stick in ram slot 4. I think you can use 4 sticks of memory and still be in dual channel mode, but Im not entirely sure about that. Just make sure that all sticks are the same.
Its good that your mother board supports dual channel memory. The only thing you need to run memory in dual channel mode is two sticks of the same memory. Usually the mother board will require that you put 1 stick in ram slot 1 and 1 stick in ram slot 3 for dual channel mode. Or you can put 1 stick in ram slot 2 and 1 stick in ram slot 4. I think you can use 4 sticks of memory and still be in dual channel mode, but Im not entirely sure about that. Just make sure that all sticks are the same.
- Irish
by Irish » Tue Oct 21, 2003 10:10 pm
Thanks. Here is the RAM--Buffalo using Samsung chips DDR 512 sticks @ 3200 (400mhz) The tests are 3-3-3-8 for the RAM.Overclocking with Buffalo Technology (USA), Inc. 512MB DDR400 modules
With the release of the Intel 875 chipset and Pentium IVs sporting an 800MHz FSB (Front Side Bus), computer enthusiasts are able to enjoy truly robust matching bandwidth between the FSB and the memory bus. The 875 chipset theoretically allows bandwidth of 6.4GBs on the FSB (the bus between the processor and the 875), and bandwidth of 6.4GBs between the 875 and the memory.
I wanted to see what actual bandwidth figures I could get at default speeds, as well as how much I could push the bandwidth using this chipset, with stock PC3200 memory.
The equipment used:
*DFI LAN Party 875 Pro motherboard, rev. A
*Intel Pentium IV 2.4CGHz processor, stock heatsink and fan
*Buffalo DD4333-512/SD modules (with Samsung K4H560838D-TCCC, 32x8, rev. D chips)
*Outboard fan blowing over the entire bare motherboard, simulating an internal fan in a chassis
*StarTech 300W Power Supply, Model AP-350X, PN ATX POWER300
The OS/applications used:
*Win XP Pro
*CPU-Z – to verify CPU and memory speed, and RAM timings
*Sandra – to check bandwidth
*Memtest – to verify stability of memory
Test One: Four 512MB Buffalo modules in Dual DDR mode
Test Two: Two 256MB Buffalo modules in Dual DDR mode
On each test, I started with default settings (reading from the module’s SPD data) to get a baseline for further testing. As I ramped up the speed of the clock, I kept voltages at default settings, until I encountered instability. At that point, I increased voltages, as noted in the OverClocking Results chart.
For PCI and AGP speeds, I locked them down to their respective bus speeds at the beginning of each test, so they would not introduce instability of their own. In addition, I turned off RAID and Ethernet functions, as I didn’t use them in these tests.
The modules have a default SPD setting of 3-3-3-8 and are set for a 200MHz memory bus (DDR400). The multiplier is set to 12 by the BIOS and cannot be altered. I used a 1:1 ratio for the buses during these tests.
Screenshots were taken for Test Two, as it had the best bandwidth results.
With the release of the Intel 875 chipset and Pentium IVs sporting an 800MHz FSB (Front Side Bus), computer enthusiasts are able to enjoy truly robust matching bandwidth between the FSB and the memory bus. The 875 chipset theoretically allows bandwidth of 6.4GBs on the FSB (the bus between the processor and the 875), and bandwidth of 6.4GBs between the 875 and the memory.
I wanted to see what actual bandwidth figures I could get at default speeds, as well as how much I could push the bandwidth using this chipset, with stock PC3200 memory.
The equipment used:
*DFI LAN Party 875 Pro motherboard, rev. A
*Intel Pentium IV 2.4CGHz processor, stock heatsink and fan
*Buffalo DD4333-512/SD modules (with Samsung K4H560838D-TCCC, 32x8, rev. D chips)
*Outboard fan blowing over the entire bare motherboard, simulating an internal fan in a chassis
*StarTech 300W Power Supply, Model AP-350X, PN ATX POWER300
The OS/applications used:
*Win XP Pro
*CPU-Z – to verify CPU and memory speed, and RAM timings
*Sandra – to check bandwidth
*Memtest – to verify stability of memory
Test One: Four 512MB Buffalo modules in Dual DDR mode
Test Two: Two 256MB Buffalo modules in Dual DDR mode
On each test, I started with default settings (reading from the module’s SPD data) to get a baseline for further testing. As I ramped up the speed of the clock, I kept voltages at default settings, until I encountered instability. At that point, I increased voltages, as noted in the OverClocking Results chart.
For PCI and AGP speeds, I locked them down to their respective bus speeds at the beginning of each test, so they would not introduce instability of their own. In addition, I turned off RAID and Ethernet functions, as I didn’t use them in these tests.
The modules have a default SPD setting of 3-3-3-8 and are set for a 200MHz memory bus (DDR400). The multiplier is set to 12 by the BIOS and cannot be altered. I used a 1:1 ratio for the buses during these tests.
Screenshots were taken for Test Two, as it had the best bandwidth results.
- Irish
by Irish » Tue Oct 21, 2003 10:13 pm
Sandra showed the Integer Buffer (IB) to be 4500MB/s and the Floating Buffer (FB) to be 4497MB/s with 1GB of memory (Test Two). Test One, with 2GBs of memory, displayed 4386 and 4408 respectively. Clearly, not close to the 6.4GBs advertised by Intel for the 875 chipset, which could be due to overhead by other systems onboard.
I conducted several intermediate tests before arriving at the fastest, stable speeds. Instead of showing the screenshots for all of the tests, let’s fast forward to The Beef. The highest stable speed used a bus of 240MHz. CPU-Z displayed 239.8MHz (DDR480). The results with this speed gave some exciting benchmarks with Sandra.The IB was a whopping 5513MB/s and FB was 5456MB/s (120% faster than default bus speed). No surprise, since 240MHz is 120% faster than 200MHz.
In comparison, using 2GB of memory, bus speed of 240MHz wasn’t an option. 235MHz was the fastest the RAM could go without crashing (more overhead with more memory).
More detailed results:
OverClocking Results
DFI LANParty 875 Pro w/ P4 2.4CGHz
4 DD4333-512/SD modules, Dual Mode, RAM 2.6V
Sandra RAM IB RAM FB
By SPD 3-3-3-8 4386MB/s 4408MB/s
bus200MHz
bus230 3-3-3-8 5073 5097
FSB920
bus235 3-3-3-8 too unstable to boot to Windows
FSB940
bus235 3-3-3-8 CPU +100mV 5226 5173
FSB940 RAM 2.7V Pass Memtest
DFI LANParty 875 Pro w/ P4 2.4CGHz
2 DD4333-S256/SD modules, Dual mode, RAM 2.6V
By SPD 3-3-3-8 4500 4497
bus200MHz
bus230 3-3-3-8 5169 5185
FSB920
bus235 3-3-3-8 CPU +150mV 5336 5249
FSB940 RAM 2.7V Pass Memtest
bus240 3-3-3-8 CPU +200mV 5513 5456
FSB960 RAM 2.7V Pass Memtest
Conclusion:
The results show a slight increase in CPU and RAM voltage was required to achieve the highest speeds and bandwidth. However, just below these speeds, a voltage increase wasn’t required, and the system achieved admirable speeds. While different brands of RAM (and even different RAM chips within a brand) will give varying results, the Buffalo DD4333-512/SD proved capable of sustained high bandwidth, even though the modules are rated as DDR400 only.
I conducted several intermediate tests before arriving at the fastest, stable speeds. Instead of showing the screenshots for all of the tests, let’s fast forward to The Beef. The highest stable speed used a bus of 240MHz. CPU-Z displayed 239.8MHz (DDR480). The results with this speed gave some exciting benchmarks with Sandra.The IB was a whopping 5513MB/s and FB was 5456MB/s (120% faster than default bus speed). No surprise, since 240MHz is 120% faster than 200MHz.
In comparison, using 2GB of memory, bus speed of 240MHz wasn’t an option. 235MHz was the fastest the RAM could go without crashing (more overhead with more memory).
More detailed results:
OverClocking Results
DFI LANParty 875 Pro w/ P4 2.4CGHz
4 DD4333-512/SD modules, Dual Mode, RAM 2.6V
Sandra RAM IB RAM FB
By SPD 3-3-3-8 4386MB/s 4408MB/s
bus200MHz
bus230 3-3-3-8 5073 5097
FSB920
bus235 3-3-3-8 too unstable to boot to Windows
FSB940
bus235 3-3-3-8 CPU +100mV 5226 5173
FSB940 RAM 2.7V Pass Memtest
DFI LANParty 875 Pro w/ P4 2.4CGHz
2 DD4333-S256/SD modules, Dual mode, RAM 2.6V
By SPD 3-3-3-8 4500 4497
bus200MHz
bus230 3-3-3-8 5169 5185
FSB920
bus235 3-3-3-8 CPU +150mV 5336 5249
FSB940 RAM 2.7V Pass Memtest
bus240 3-3-3-8 CPU +200mV 5513 5456
FSB960 RAM 2.7V Pass Memtest
Conclusion:
The results show a slight increase in CPU and RAM voltage was required to achieve the highest speeds and bandwidth. However, just below these speeds, a voltage increase wasn’t required, and the system achieved admirable speeds. While different brands of RAM (and even different RAM chips within a brand) will give varying results, the Buffalo DD4333-512/SD proved capable of sustained high bandwidth, even though the modules are rated as DDR400 only.
- Bullhead
by Bullhead » Tue Oct 21, 2003 11:29 pm
Keep in mind your HP won't overclock much, so don't push your luck there.....pc3200 is really more than you need, spend the money on phat pc2700, cas2 type stuff. (I'd personally recommend corsair, but anything using winbond chips are great, samsung good.... $87 a stick sounds about right for mid-rnage memory....
.- WDPsellout
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by WDPsellout » Wed Oct 22, 2003 5:43 pm
Originally posted by Evan
I'm still on my 1337 RAMBUS
Same Here!!
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