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FireGryphon
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Picking the fastest DDR

Fri Jun 18, 2004 10:27 pm

So, my new system is slowly taking shape. I'm almost 100% certain that I'm going to get an AthlonXP-based system with a mobo running the nForce2 Ultra 400 chipset. Now I need to pick RAM to go with it. I'm looking for two sticks of 512 MB each.

I do not want to spend a lot on RAM, though I do want quality parts, and I want them to be as fast as possible. Is there any memory you guys can recommend that's as fast as Corsair's $320 matched pairs of CL2 PC3200, but more in the price range of Crucial's $125 sticks of CL3 PC3200? If you think Crucial's PC2700 CL2.5 sticks would work, too, that's cool.

I don't plan to overclock this system, but I'd like to keep the possibility opened, if that's possible.
 
JustAnEngineer
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Fri Jun 18, 2004 11:11 pm

Good quality PC3200 memory should be satisfactory. It doesn't have to be super-expensive. Corsair, Crucial, Mushkin, and even Kingston are good name-brands. PC3200 with CAS 2½ is priced reasonably.

Overclocking an AthlonXP (particularly a Mobile AthlonXP) on a high quality motherboard with the NForce2 chipset is almost TOO easy.

Buy a CPU with the Barton core (512KB of Level 2 cache). The $80 AthlonXP 2500+ is supposed to run at 11x 166 MHz = 1.83 GHz. Changing the FSB to 200 and crossing your fingers might get you an AthlonXP 3200+ at 11x 200 MHz = 2.2 GHz.

The Mobile processors still have unlocked multipliers, so you could try 10.5x 200 MHz or 11.5x 200 MHz as well, regardless of what the original multiplier was on the Mobile CPU.
 
the_silver_bullet24
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Sat Jun 19, 2004 12:17 am

I'd be looking at the Value RAM from Kingston and Corsair. Nice speeds. Nice timings. Nice price.
 
FireGryphon
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Sat Jun 19, 2004 8:44 am

JustAnEngineer wrote:
The Mobile processors still have unlocked multipliers...


I rememeber when AMD started locking AXP2500+ chips, but are all AXP Barton cores locked now? Is a mobile chip my only choice for OC'ing? Also, which is better, Thoroughbred core, or Barton core?

But back to RAM... is there any advantage to getting a factory-matched set of RAM, or is it just as good to buy two separate DIMMs and put them on a dual channel mobo?
 
Starfalcon
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Sat Jun 19, 2004 2:34 pm

Yes, all XP cores are locked now unless you get an older core that came out before they started locking them. The barton cores are better mainly because of the extra cache and FSB increase. The mobiles are better mainly due to the ability to manipulate the multiplier, which will let you get better speed without a sky high FSB.

For dual channel ram, the matched sets are just another way to make some money, my roomate and a few other friends have used mismatched sticks without a problem. As long as the densities and timings are close, you should be fine.
 
JustAnEngineer
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Sat Jun 19, 2004 5:41 pm

Yes, the desktop AthlonXP processors have locked multipliers. Some AthlonXP 2500+ chips will handle the bump from 11x 166 MHz = 1.83 GHz to 11x 200 MHz = 2.2 GHz. If you get one that won't run stably at 2.2 GHz, you might have to run your FSB at something like 183 MHz. The better NForce2 motherboards will let you run any FSB speed in 1 MHz increments without changing the AGP or PCI bus speeds.

The 200MHz bus speed is nice because that's the speed used by the fastest AthlonXPs (3200+) and PC3200 memory, so you know that the motherboard and memory are running within their design. Only the CPU is overclocked.

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