new system mem query

quantumisation · 24 Feb 2007 at 20:35

its been a while since ive done much with pc hardware, but i remember you used to match the memory speed to the processor fsb so 133 sdram with a 133fsb etc. Obviously things have got a bit faster since then with quad pumping and ddr etc but im wondering, ive been reading a lot of people have things like the e6600 conroe with pc6400 which in my mind reads as fsb 266x4 (1066) and ddr2 800. Maybe im wrong (well im sure i am) but doesnt this mean you are wasting money on higher speed memory? im thinking about getting the e6600 since it seems to get a lot of good reviews and high benchmarks but not so sure about the memory, its looking like 533mhz memory would be the correct type when used in dual channel?

steve258 · 24 Feb 2007 at 21:56

Yes at stock it will run DDR2 533 speed but there are options in BIOS in which you can determine the RAM speed, so you can choose to run your RAM at native DDR2 800 which is asynchronised with FSB.

quantumisation · 24 Feb 2007 at 22:08

i see..can i assume the main reason most people buy pc6400 with this processor is for overclocking purposes? or is that theres just a big enough gain running the memory at a native speed with a slower fsb?

steve258 · 25 Feb 2007 at 08:50

I think the main reason why people buy PC6400 is the price - a decent 2Gb DDR2 800 kit now costs little over 100 quid which is not much more than a 2Gb DDR2 667 kit. Of course PC6400 helps overclocking too since it allows you to raise the fsb to 400Mhz without stressing the RAM.

Running RAM faster than FSB will help in some applications but generally you won't notice the difference, from my past experience anyway. Not sure if this is true with DDR2 though.