ddr2 v ddr3

widdyst · 19 Jun 2009 at 12:36

Is A DDR3 System considered to be a big improvment over a DDR2 system ?
I am thinking of getting rid of my mobo and memory

Currentl setup
MSI p7N diamond 780i
OCZ RaptorX 1000mhz 4GB

Potential new setup
Evga 790i F.T.W
Corsair XMS3 DHX 1600mhz 4GB

What do you guys think ?

jas72 · 19 Jun 2009 at 13:43

Aren't you supposed to run DDR3 in triple channel thus 6GB min?

reflux · 19 Jun 2009 at 13:47

widdyst said:
Is A DDR3 System considered to be a big improvment over a DDR2 system ?
I am thinking of getting rid of my mobo and memory

Currentl setup
MSI p7N diamond 780i
OCZ RaptorX 1000mhz 4GB

Potential new setup
Evga 790i F.T.W
Corsair XMS3 DHX 1600mhz 4GB

What do you guys think ?

Total waste of time; DDR3 offers a very small performance increase over DDR2, so the only reason you should use it is if you have to (ie with Core i7 or an AMD DDR3 mobo.) The amount you'd be spending on a 790i board and 4GB of RAM would be better used elsewhere.

jas72 said:
Aren't you supposed to run DDR3 in triple channel thus 6GB min?

DDR3 is available in dual channel or triple channel kits. Triple channel kits come in multiples of three, so you can run 3, 6, 9, 12gb etc.

widdyst · 19 Jun 2009 at 13:57

ok thanks for that
Would the 790i chipset make any difference to the 780i do you think ?

TheRedZealot · 19 Jun 2009 at 14:11

It would make next to no difference i would say, save your money for i7 or intels new chips i would say.

reflux · 19 Jun 2009 at 14:14

The 790i chipset is better, but I don't think it's worth it in your situation.

Ghost-Reaper · 19 Jun 2009 at 16:52

I wouldn't bother tbh, the difference in day to day tasks is minimal to nothing between the two. Imo any motherboard upgrade should be to x58 so people can stop using the pos nvidia chipsets.

Reality|Bites · 19 Jun 2009 at 18:00

How much would you be spending on the new motherboard and ram?

How much more would it be just to go i7?

Reality|Bites · 19 Jun 2009 at 18:05

jas72 said:
Aren't you supposed to run DDR3 in triple channel thus 6GB min?

You don't have to, It's the memory controller on the CPU/North bridge that determine if the memory runs 64bit-128bit-192bit.

widdyst · 19 Jun 2009 at 23:40

Reality|Bites said:
How much would you be spending on the new motherboard and ram?

How much more would it be just to go i7?

Well after selling my own board and memory (around £100) I would only be spending £50 so it would be a LOT more for i7

kona786 · 30 Jun 2009 at 06:26

i agree - next to no difference with that setup - i7 needed

danielcraig · 2 Jul 2009 at 05:46

What's your usage?

Do you game?

Without knowing what it's for, I'd say the XFX one, as it's a better brand, the 512MB v 1GB wont matter unless you do anything specific really.

I don't game myself, so I'm not sure, but I don't think it really makes much difference even for gaming.

However you might want to consider a different card altogether, have you read Carbon's parts thread?
Because the 9500 gets a 0/10 from him, for price vs performance.

How about the 4670? There's one here and the 4670 is around the same price mark as the 9500, but Carbon gives it a 5/10 rather than 0!

The one I linked is from Asus, theres also one from Gigabyte, but it's a bit more expensive. Avoid the other ones though, they're from tackier brands.

wupwup · 2 Jul 2009 at 07:49

the only thing is it looks like ddr2 ram is around the same price as the cheapest ddr3 so it cant hurt to try