Conroe memory options

[raptor4216]

Hello all, i have been a keen reader of these forums for a while but now cannot find what im looking for. I am just about to build a new system based around a conroe e6600 but am unsure what RAM to get (i have always bought AMD in the past so it was easy). I wanted 2gb of corsair XMS memory and thought DDR2 800mhz RAM would be the best way to go, but this costs about £150 for c5 and £200 for c4. Now i thought c5 was extremely slow but on the other hand i do not really want to spend £200 on memory! However i have read elsewhere that large latencies do not matter that much for conroe systems, unlike AMD, is this right?

Also, after seeing the graphs in this thread, am i right in thinking that at stock speeds i would only need 667mhz memory and despite sounding faster 800mhz gives no extra benefits other than overclockability? (i am not going to overclock straight away but may in a year or 2 when i need a speed boost). Therefore could i get away with XMS 667mhz cl4 memory for £125 or even some of the corsair value cl3 RAM and not restrict the conroe?

Which of these do u guys think would be the best option?

 

[killer_uk]

What you have said there has basically hits the nail on the head. Larger CAS does not matter on a conroe based system as you have said. DDR800 would perform the same as DDR667 at stock, the only thing that changes in that DDR800 would give you greater headroom for overclocking - again, as you have said.

I have some G.skill PC5400 myself but I would wait till other people give you some advice on what RAM to get.

EDIT: Forgot to say welcome to the forums!

 

[Cyber-Mav]

go for the cheaper ram option. if you are able to spend the extra on the ram then you should have just gone for the faster cpu if you get what i mean.

 

[raptor4216]

ok excellent, just wanted to check i had it right in my head. thanks a lot

 

[crazyswede]

But can't you run the the 6400(800Mhz) ram at 800Mhz without overclocking, which would perform better than 5400 (667Mhz) ram?