***** Corsair PC3200 vs PC3500 *****

[MarkFahey]

I am building an ASUS P4PE P4 2.4B C1 rig. What are some of the differences in over-clockability will I see with PC3200 XMS vs PC3500 XMS?

Is the PC3500 worth the extra bang for the buck?

 

[chizow]

Probably not for an AMD system, since most existing mobos can't reliably hit even DDR400 synchronously (200MHz FSB), much less DDR434 (217MHz).

P4 is a different animal though, and doesn't suffer the performance penalties that can be seen on an Athlon system. A P4 can also benefit from the asynchronous memory bandwidth. Thugsrook or one of those other P4/Corsair OC'ing gurus would probably be able to give you a more definitive answer, or you could do a search over in CPU/OC'ing for one of his XMS shootouts.

Chiz

 

[human2k]

Exactly what chiz said, the P4 can benefit from asynch memory but the athlon cant. Kingston PC3000 Hyper-X which is rated for 185MHZ more than enough for most Athlon overclocking. $45 per 256mb stick at excaliber.pc.com.

 

[MarkFahey]

I am having a hard time finding Thugs Shootout on the PC3200, PC3500 etc... DOes any1 have a thread linky handy to it?

 

[Mavrick007]

I have been considering new fast PC3200 XMS ram lately as well with a new Athlon system. It's hard to justify buying a stick of the fast XMS Low latency ram for almost $100 for a 256meg stick when you can buy decent PC2700 LL ram or PC3000 ram and still get the same performance out of it on an athlon system.

I'd like other people's opinions on this matter as well. What are the experiences on the forum?

 

[chizow]

XMS Shootout 1

XMS Shootout II

I'm running 1024MB TwinX XMS PC3200LL and I'm completely satisfied. I haven't been able to fully push it b/c of my mobo/vid card, but I've hit beyond the rated speeds and timings w/out issues (non-3D stresses don't have any problems, 3D craps out in seconds though). The non-Corsair XMS stuff out there is a mixed bag, some have good results, some can't run even at the rated speeds. Again, check out the shootouts for a P4 system, for an AMD owner looking to hit 200MHz without sacrificing timings, I'd recommend sticking with XMS PC3200 if you hope to hit 200MHz sync'd w/out sacrificing timings and CL settings.

Chiz

 

[human2k]

Cheapest price for XMS3000 256mb is $80 from googlegear, a stick PC3000 Hyper-X 3000 256mb runs $45, and a PC3500 Hyper-X goes for $75 stick.

 

[chizow]

Originally posted by: human2k
Cheapest price for XMS3000 256mb is $80 from googlegear, a stick PC3000 Hyper-X 3000 256mb runs $45, and a PC3500 Hyper-X goes for $75 stick.

human2k, I see you pimping that stuff all the time, yet I never see you offering any support for it when the returns come in and people can't even run the rated speeds with it. Run a search on HyperX here and in CPU/OC'ing and see what turns up. Run a search on Corsair or XMS and see what turns up. The difference is Corsair owners don't end up with product that doesn't perform to spec.

Chiz

 

[human2k]

When things dont run to spec thats why we RMA. Simple enuf?

 

[JSSheridan]

For what it's worth, my XMS PC2700 has passed memtest86 11 test, 10 loops at 200MHz, 2-2-2-5 @ 2.7 Vdimm. Peace.

 

[chizow]

Originally posted by: human2k
When things dont run to spec thats why we RMA. Simple enuf?

Yah, thats simple enough. But have you gone through the process? Does Kingston even have a smooth RMA process? Will they cross-ship you new RAM while you return the defective stuff, or are you expected to wait around while your replacement arrives? RMA'ing isn't the first thing I'd want to deal with after purchasing new RAM I expected to work at a rated speed out of the box.

Or maybe I should ask if you've even tried Kingston HyperX PC3000? If so, you surely need to update both your signature and your latest ORB results, b/c neither are accurate. How 'bout this, don't recommend product you don't have experience with or you don't support in threads that don't ask for the product you're pimping. That's simple enuf.

Chiz

 

[MarkFahey]

Chiz,

Thanks for da links mi amigo!

 

[jaeger66]

The 3500 and 3200LL have 5ns chips, which I'd feel better about than the regular 3200's overclocked 6ns ones.