Would you go down the DDR2 or DDR3 route?

Mr Doovde

Mr Doovde

Mr Doovde

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If you had to build a new system from scratch would you go for:

1) AMD Phenom II X3 Tri Core 720 with a AMD3 motherboard and ddr3 ram?

Or

2) AMD Phenom II X4 Quad Core 940 with an AMD2+ motherboard with ddr2 ram?

Or

AMD Phenom II X3 Tri Core 720 with an AMD2+ motherboard with dd2 ram?

I've heard that ddr3 still isn't giving large performance gains over good ddr2 memory, considering the increased price, but I suppose the AMD3 route could be better future proofing? I'm finding this to be a difficult choice.

Thank you in advance for any recommendations
 
DDR3 for future builds with upcoming processors and motherboards.

DDR2 if the computer wont be upgraded again, but will be used for normal day-to-day tasks
 
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yeah but don't do what I did, get decent stuff!
my DDR3 is just 1200 should have went higher but don't wana fork out any more on RAM the now!!
 
I think I will go down the x3 720, ddr3 and AMD3 motherboard route. As advised, I think I will go with good memory to keep it reasonably futureproof.

By the way, Is there a decent AMD3 board that caters for SLI?

Thanks for all the help.
 
DDR3 memory is still twice the price of DDR2. If you want best performance/money no object then you need to be looking at i7/DDR3. If you want best bang per buck then AM2+/DDR2.
Many reviews have shown no performance increase for PhenomII with DDR3. To get a performance increase the FSBs on CPU/Memory will have to rise a lot. How likely is it that the Mobo/RAM you buy now will allow it?

I'd be doubtful the extra money you are contemplating spending now will be worth it.
 
That's a bit of a coincidence. I was just looking at an article on another site that totally agreed with what you've just said.

I do want it to be futureproof, but as I'm not planning on changing anything for a couple of years, I take your point, that if it's is not going to give me big increases in performance for the extra cost, then there's not much point.
 
As you can get a decent 6Gb kit for about a hundred id go with i7, id do it myself if it want for the fact that the cheapest i7 CPU is well over £200 quid
 
Won't a i7 setup of ram/motherboard and processor be a lot more money than a Phenom II X4 940, good motherboard and ram? Or is it a feasible aternative?
 
Mr Doovde said:
I do want it to be futureproof, but as I'm not planning on changing anything for a couple of years, I take your point, that if it's is not going to give me big increases in performance for the extra cost, then there's not much point.
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I've sort of been bitten by the same thing two & a half years ago. I bought top quality ram (my first 2Gb of Corsair ddr2 6400 cost me £180, the second 2GB a year and a half later £35 :eek:). My motherboard was a socket 775 MB for future proofing, but now I find that although physically a 45nm CPU will fit, the chipset/BIOS/VRM won't support them, so the best I can upgrade to is (admittedly a great CPU) a Q6600.

So I paid for upgradability but it is illusory. I did not get it. My current desktop is still a great machine, but expandable it ain't! In your shoes, I would either bite the bullet & spend the £800+ that an i7/DDR3 system will cost or (more probably) get the best bang for buck and go PhenomII X3 720 & DDR2.

Hope this helps..
 
id get DDR3, but i really cant see there being that much difference in getting fast DDR2 or DDR3, so it depends on e-peen or w.e it is (which everyone has no matter what btw xD) and the price you are willing to pay.
 
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