Memory speed

jubei

jubei

jubei

Soldato
Joined
3 Apr 2003
Posts
2,928
Hey guys,

Cant get an answer in laptop forum and figure that talking about a laptop shouldnt alter the facts.

If i am going for a 2gig 800fsb centrino duo in my laptop. Do i want 800Mhz ram or is 667 gonna offer the same speed? Speccing up a custom laptop and not sure which to go for. All the prebuilt ones have the 667 but i will pay 20 extra if its gonna offer a significant increase.

Thanks.
 
Depends how many RAM modules they fit. 2x667Mhz will do dual-channel (ie 1333) so is more than enough. If it comes with a single module then cough up the extra for the 800Mhz RAM.
 
Are you going to be overclocking your laptop? More to the point, can the laptop be overclocked? If the answer is no (which I suspect it is) then the speed difference shouldn't matter a jot simply because a Core2Duo CPU uses a quad-pumped FSB so for 800mhz you technically only need Ram capable of 200mhz (e.g. PC3200 speeds) but I wouldn't advise picking Ram that slow even if you can. However since PC5300 is capable of 333mhz then you ought to be fine with it.

If laptops do it differently feel free to ignore the above but I'd be rather surprised. :)
 
semi-pro waster said:
Are you going to be overclocking your laptop? More to the point, can the laptop be overclocked? If the answer is no (which I suspect it is) then the speed difference shouldn't matter a jot simply because a Core2Duo CPU uses a quad-pumped FSB so for 800mhz you technically only need Ram capable of 200mhz (e.g. PC3200 speeds) but I wouldn't advise picking Ram that slow even if you can. However since PC5300 is capable of 333mhz then you ought to be fine with it.

If laptops do it differently feel free to ignore the above but I'd be rather surprised. :)
Click to expand...

That was the general idea i had myself from reading these forums which is why i wanted to check thanks :)
 
The quad-pumped FSB has nothing to do with it. (Incidentally DDR/DDR2 RAM is dual-pumped to use the same vernacular.)

My advice above stands.

Laptops's can't be overclocked to my knowledge and with the restricted space in there it's a really bad idea if it were possible.
 
MagicBoy said:
The quad-pumped FSB has nothing to do with it. (Incidentally DDR/DDR2 RAM is dual-pumped to use the same vernacular.)
Click to expand...

I think semi-pro's point was that the memory bandwidth is largly irrelevant if the system cannot supply it with data quick enough. If the CPU and the rest of the system cannot use all of the memory bandwidth, then some will be wasted.

MagicBoy said:
My advice above stands.

Laptops's can't be overclocked to my knowledge and with the restricted space in there it's a really bad idea if it were possible.
Click to expand...

They can, but it's a bad idea due to the limited cooling, and the fact that you are increasing the heat of something that could be sitting on your lap :eek:
 
MagicBoy said:
So we're seriously telling people to stick 333Mhz RAM (if it were available) in a Santa Rosa laptop?
:eek:
Click to expand...

I fear you misunderstand me here, PC5300 has an actual speed of 333mhz but a nominal speed of 667mhz so yes, I'm saying you might as well save the cash and not bother with PC6400 since you are paying for extra bandwidth that will not be utilised unless you overclock.

This is just my understanding based on desktops and could be wrong but I think it is right. :)
 
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