Core 2 Duo/DDR2 Memory Guide, Read Me First.

[crossrode]

Is G. Skill a high performance division of Samsung?

 

[cmdrdredd]

Originally posted by: crossrode
Is G. Skill a high performance division of Samsung?

no

 

[cmdrdredd]

Originally posted by: crossrode
I have 2 x 1GB and 2 x 512 MB sets of these. They perform great. Question: G. Skill does not refer to these as 'D9's'? Is there any other method other than to call G. Skill tech support to know if these are D9's? Can you explain what makes D9's perform so well compared to other chips? Thanks.

http://www.gskill.com/en/f2-6400phu2-hz.html

D9 based memory performs better because they are manufactured better and accept higher voltages. More voltages allow more clock speeds and lower timings. Micron is more strict than other manufacturers at this time.

 

[Hajpoj]

If I'm going to be running a high multiplier cpu (e6600) and never plan on overclocking past 400 FSB to hit 3.6 GHZ.

Then any pc-6400 ram with low timings is fine for me right? Since if I'm never going past 400fsb, overclocking the ram is pointless.

 

[n7]

Originally posted by: Hajpoj
... Since if I'm never going past 400fsb, overclocking the ram is pointless.

Incorrect assumption

You can always run the RAM at a higher frequency via the 4:5 or 2:3 dividers, or etc.

However, if you don't care about the tiny extra performance boost running RAM faster will give you, then you don't need anything better than cheaper DDR2-800

 

[Hajpoj]

It's a choice really; do I get the e6400 and go for high quality ram, or do I get the E6600 which allows me to get the el Cheapo ram.

Or would I be better off getting the E6600 and D9 DDR2 667 ram as I've heard it can hit 1000 easily.

p.s. I'm a fiscal conservative that doesn't like to pay above the maximum price/performance curve.

I have moolah to spend, but I'm smart with my money and I don't like throwing it away.

So I really want advice on hitting that "bang for ya buck" sweet spot.

 

[adun79]

Originally posted by: cmdrdredd

Originally posted by: adun79
Ok, just received the Corsair 6400c4 from the egg. It's 6404v.2.1, which i guess it's not micron :thumbsdown:
I have an e6600 and an asus p5b-dlx. Should i return the memory and get this Crucial Ballistix 2GB or try it out and see what can i get from it?
Btw since i was dumb enough to get the e6600 instead of e6300 do i really need the p5b-dlx, or the Gigabyte ds-3 would do just fine? (don't really need the extra features, rather the solid capacitors). Or should i splurge and get an nF 680i?
Thanks.

return and get crucial

Thanks,quick and concise.
Well i'm kind of in the same boat with Hajpoj. With the e6600 and Asus P5B-Dlx I don't know if I can hit more than 400 FSB and running the RAM at 4:5 (1000Mhz) doesn't seem too much of a gain in performance from 1:1 (800 Mhz), or maybe I'm wrong (how much is that gain, anyway?). But if I can go like 425 to 450 FSB (daydreaming ?) then I would definitely need better RAM than these Promos (corsair) that i'm thinking to return before I open the box.

 

[Roguestar]

Hajpoj I'm the same, so I settled on an E6300 and Crucial 10th Anniversary DDR2-667 (which uses handpicked D9 chips) so I'd suggest to get the most for the lowest amount of money, get an E6400 and some decent Micron D9-based RAM, like the Buffalo Firestix or the Crucial Ballistix. The suggestions in the first post in this thread are where to go .

 

[SUNSfan]

great guide, but what if I don't want to overclock? Which DDR2 800 RAM would best suit me at stock speeds? I will be buying an E6600 and most likely a 650i mobo. Thanks in advance.

 

[Yreka]

Originally posted by: cmdrdredd

well **** happens, don't say the product sucks because it was DOA. You haven't even had the chance to test it.

When did I say they sucked ? I just said I was dissapointed, especially after so many others have been having such good luck with them. I knew they were probably just DOA (See reason A or even B). I just wanted to get my experience down, in case the same thing happens with these, as happened with other sticks switching modules as D9 becomes more and more coveted*and expensive*.

You know, the whole sharing information thing that forums are so great for? If it turns out they are just DOA, which they likely are, the post drops off into oblivion and everyone is happy, but if they aren't, and other reports start rolling in, well then its just another piece to the puzzle isnt it? See how neat that works ?

Just reporting results, no editorializing what so ever.

Since you are so free and loose with the advice, allow me to offer you some

1. Work on your reading comprehension
2. Try not to get so emotionally attached to computer hardware.

 

[Roguestar]

You won't need DDR2-800 then. If you're not going to overclock at all ever you may as well get some value brand DDR2-533 (PC-5300).

 

[SUNSfan]

Well maybe someday down the road I will need to overclock a bit, but nothing excessive. If i was set on having a set of ddr2-800 ram, would a cheap model such as these 2 be sufficient?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820231098
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820231087

Also, when I'm looking through memory prices, I notice that a lot of the OCZ and Corsair memory, which time at 5-5-5-15 or around there, are priced with the lower latency memory that different brands offer. Is this an example of paying higher for the name, or is there more to it than that?

I'm not the most familiar with RAM, so lets say overclocking the RAM was not a part of my mentality at this point. If I base the memory's value by the CAS latency, would that be a fair judgment? I mean, I feel I will be fine with a set of value RAM...the OCZ prices are just too high for me considering the stock latency they provide.

 

[Roguestar]

Paying higher for the name is the name of the game with some brands, all too often. Corsair are known for it. Go for the Buffalo Firestix or Patriot memory recommended on the first page of this thread if you want good ram with nice timings, that has headroom to overclock should you so desire in the future.

 

[cmdrdredd]

Originally posted by: Yreka

Originally posted by: cmdrdredd

well **** happens, don't say the product sucks because it was DOA. You haven't even had the chance to test it.

When did I say they sucked ? I just said I was dissapointed, especially after so many others have been having such good luck with them. I knew they were probably just DOA (See reason A or even B). I just wanted to get my experience down, in case the same thing happens with these, as happened with other sticks switching modules as D9 becomes more and more coveted*and expensive*.

You know, the whole sharing information thing that forums are so great for? If it turns out they are just DOA, which they likely are, the post drops off into oblivion and everyone is happy, but if they aren't, and other reports start rolling in, well then its just another piece to the puzzle isnt it? See how neat that works ?

Just reporting results, no editorializing what so ever.

Since you are so free and loose with the advice, allow me to offer you some

1. Work on your reading comprehension
2. Try not to get so emotionally attached to computer hardware.

Your post read like a little kid crying about his new toy not working like the TV commercial.

 

[cmdrdredd]

Originally posted by: adun79

Originally posted by: cmdrdredd

Originally posted by: adun79
Ok, just received the Corsair 6400c4 from the egg. It's 6404v.2.1, which i guess it's not micron :thumbsdown:
I have an e6600 and an asus p5b-dlx. Should i return the memory and get this Crucial Ballistix 2GB or try it out and see what can i get from it?
Btw since i was dumb enough to get the e6600 instead of e6300 do i really need the p5b-dlx, or the Gigabyte ds-3 would do just fine? (don't really need the extra features, rather the solid capacitors). Or should i splurge and get an nF 680i?
Thanks.

return and get crucial

Thanks,quick and concise.
Well i'm kind of in the same boat with Hajpoj. With the e6600 and Asus P5B-Dlx I don't know if I can hit more than 400 FSB and running the RAM at 4:5 (1000Mhz) doesn't seem too much of a gain in performance from 1:1 (800 Mhz), or maybe I'm wrong (how much is that gain, anyway?). But if I can go like 425 to 450 FSB (daydreaming ?) then I would definitely need better RAM than these Promos (corsair) that i'm thinking to return before I open the box.

http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview...atid=28&threadid=1971132&enterthread=y

detailed scores and benchmarks of 1:1 vs 4:5 on P965

 

[cmdrdredd]

Originally posted by: Hajpoj
It's a choice really; do I get the e6400 and go for high quality ram, or do I get the E6600 which allows me to get the el Cheapo ram.

Or would I be better off getting the E6600 and D9 DDR2 667 ram as I've heard it can hit 1000 easily.

p.s. I'm a fiscal conservative that doesn't like to pay above the maximum price/performance curve.

I have moolah to spend, but I'm smart with my money and I don't like throwing it away.

So I really want advice on hitting that "bang for ya buck" sweet spot.

Get D9 anyway...there is a significant performance increase by doing higher Mhz.

http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview...atid=28&threadid=1971132&enterthread=y

 

[Yreka]

Originally posted by: cmdrdredd
Your post read like a little kid crying about his new toy not working like the TV commercial.

You know champ, considering how much of this is going right over your head.. I'm not surprised you think that way.

And I mean that in the nicest possible way

 

[xtknight]

It is said that for P965 Express chipsets, RAM with 1.8V and 5-5-5/6-6-6 timings is needed. Can someone explain to me what this really means? Can 2.2V RAM downscale to 1.8V without issue, and can I change the timings if I need to? Will it mean SPD will not function correctly if I get 2.2V/4-4-4 RAM?

I'm looking at getting this Patriot eXtreme RAM and I'm trying to find out whether or not it'll work with a Gigabyte GA-965P-S3, out of the box, or with tweaks to SPD timings.

 

[mooseyfate]

Yoxxy, why would you remove Super Tallent from the 6400 Midrange for not being D9 when you left Patriot there (which has been confirmed to no longer regularly be D9)?

Cmdrdredd and Yreka, I think you both know what your talking about (and cmdrdredd has personally been a ton of help, thanks man!), but one of you read something incorrect into anothers post and it blown out of proportion. But that's always the case on forums I suppose. I think you'll be interested to know I contacted Buffalo, and they said (for the FSX800 series) that they mostly use Micron D9. However, for one of their manufacturing runs a few months ago, they used an Elpida chip. This chip reportedly had the same overclocking characteristics, and was only used for one run. So Yreka may or may not have D9. I also contacted SuperTalent about using D9 in their T800UX2GC4. They said their modules are source from multiple manufactures, and that they guarantee their memory modules will - at minimum - run at specified rates. In regards to Crucial, they said they were using D9 in all their Ballistix 800.

Moral, if you require D9, contact the manufacturer and don't take chances with anyone who switches chips for the same model number. It should be noted that all three companies were very helpful, and their customer service was excelent in addressing my question. Super Tallent replied exceedingly quick, with Buffalo just baraley behind them. Buffalo had an actual engineer reply to me, which is practically unheard of. Very impressive!

I myself am convinced of the statistical advantage of D9. But I am far from convinced about the noticeable performance gain. Especially $100-200 worth. Best bang for the buck seems to be quality DDR2-800 for around $210-230. And I am a best-bang-for-you-buck person. That being said, I got $290 Ballistix 800. Please note that I've never overclocked, so I don't know what I'm talking about, this is all just opinion. I went with the Ballistix only slightly because it's D9. Mostly I went with them because I highly value:
(1) that their website is one of the most informative on memory specifics;
(2) because since they use only D9, I imagine I'll be getting a more consistent product;
(3) because I've spent entirely too much time researching... well over the $60 difference the ram will cost;
(4) since this will be my first time overclocking, I got what the experienced people on this thread say to go with, for the peace of mind.

 

[Roguestar]

Crucial are Micron's retail wing, they're practically guaranteed to get you D9. And they have a lifetime warranty too.

 

[cmdrdredd]

I have problems with my C2D setup so I'm stuck using my X2 3800+ @ 2.6Ghz with 2GB Mushkin DDR-500 on a DFI Lanparty UT SLI-D mobo.

I have a feeling my memory is dead and I have to rma. It is unlikely to be the cpu because I can post, get into windows and do stuff normally but I get tons of CRC errors and other anomolies that point to stuff not loading into memory correctly. My mobo is 100% ok as it posts, recognises everything I plug in etc etc,

So I'm going to begin an RMA of my Crucial 10th Anniversary memory after the holiday. This AMD system I have as backup is every bit as capable as my C2D except obviously there is some difference in CPU speeds. I swapped over my video card so that I can still game. Anyway just wanted people to be aware that I don't have access to my system to get hands on info about settings etc. After the holiday I will do the RMA process and see how it goes.

 

[Roguestar]

Good luck with that, cmdrdredd

 

[cmdrdredd]

Originally posted by: Roguestar
Good luck with that, cmdrdredd

yeah, I know what they'll do...they'll send me 2GB of the Ballistix DDR2-667 stuff *shrug* as long as it works I'll be happy I guess. I'm probably going to be stuck at DDR2-800 speeds and lower voltages, but that's what I'll have to do.

I really can't afford to buy new memory...if I could I would just do that.

 

[n7]

I'm not so sure Micron D9s are such a deal anymore...

It's becoming a lottery on getting D9 ICs unless one buys very selected types of RAM, which for the last while now keep getting pricier & pricier.

As much as i hate to say it, right now it almost seems getting an E6600 + cheapo RAM is a better deal than an E6300/E6400 + good D9s...

I'm just glad i got my D9GMH back when it was semi decently priced...

 

[Shimmishim]

Originally posted by: n7
I'm not so sure Micron D9s are such a deal anymore...

It's becoming a lottery on getting D9 ICs unless one buys very selected types of RAM, which for the last while now keep getting pricier & pricier.

As much as i hate to say it, right now it almost seems getting an E6600 + cheapo RAM is a better deal than an E6300/E6400 + good D9s...

I'm just glad i got my D9GMH back when it was semi decently priced...

yeah i know what you mean.

i got in all those crucial ballistix pc6400 that were $180 after $100 MIR from newegg.

I just sold these recently and got more than what I paid for!