HyperX 3000 vs pc2100 ram question

[KuRnUp]

i will be running an asus A7N8X dlx when it comes, but i have no ram.. hmmm i dont think it will run so good without it. i have 2 choices at the moment, and price is an issue, but i am willing to buy the hyperx if it is REALLY worth it!

i could get kingston pc2100 256mb (x2) for about $40

OR

i could get kingston hyperx 3000 256mb (x2) for about $90

is it really worth the extra $50, seeing as the prices on ram drop like none other. running dual channel ddr for SURE, so i need two sticks of the same, so which really has a good price vs preformance. also, whats so special about the hyperx 3000, it looked like the only diff was a heatsink and a lat of 2. any other differences?

thanks

 

[arcenite]

You are correct in stating your system will not run well without any ram The biggest difference between 2100 (266Mhz effective) and 3000 (366Mhz Effective) Is that the 3000 will be more stable at overclocking. If you do not plan to overclock, and are running a 133Mhz Bus, then the PC2100 is the right choice. Though I am pretty sure the HyperX (is the PC2100 HyperX?) will be able to overclock to 166Mhz (333Mhz) if you need it to. If you want more headroom for overclocking, go for the 3000.

Bill

edit: spelling

 

[KuRnUp]

the 2100 isnt hyperx i believe, just normal pc2100. and i know this is a newbie question, but whats the point of overclocking ram, just to get it running at a higher clock speed, correct? well, i dunno, this is my first rig and im not sure what i want to do with it. i kinda realize that im gonna overclock eventually. (thats why i got a 2100+) only thing missing is the ram. maybe ill stick some sdram in there and see what that will do. or even better, wire my own ram! that could work. maybe ill do that instead, cheaper, dont ya think?

 

[arcenite]

Well overclocking usually starts at the FSB (Front side bus). Usually your RAM runs at the same speed. What kind of 2100+ is it? Tbred A/B or a Palomino? If it's a Palomino I'd go with the PC2100 because they aren't good overclockers anyway. If it's an A i'd say it depends on if you want to save some money now, and if it's a B i'd say go for it. You'll get alot of performance out of it. Let me give you a quick example of the difference between the PC2100 and the PC3000

PC2100 = DDR266 = 2x133Mhz. The FSB for a 2100+ out of the box is 133Mhz (DDR266). If you wanted to run everything normal without any over clockin, this is your way. You should be able to get 166Mhz out of this, maybe a little more. If so, you'd be looking at about a 2.16Ghz processor, without touching the multiplier or voltages.

PC3000 = DDR366 = 2x183Mhz.

The 2100+ = (13x133Mhz) = 1.73Ghz out of the Box. If you got the PC3000 memory, you'd be able to overclock the FSB to 183 Mhz. Before even touching the multiplier, you'd be able to OC the CPU to 2.38Ghz. That should be no problem for a Tbred-B, considering alot of people around here have their XP1700+ B (1.47ghz) @ 2.2Ghz (i have mine at 1.83, don't want to play too much with voltages).

I hope this helps

Bill

 

[plex24]

It also depends on which CPU. If you get a new ones with 166 bus get the pc2700 or even pc3200 for best performance. Don't get the pc2100 then the ram will be a bottle neck.

 

[KuRnUp]

im getting a amd 2100+ 1.73Ghz t-bred b running at 266fsb with an asus a7n8x dlx mobo. isnt the 2100 running at 266, or am i mistaken. i like the idea of being able to overclock the hyperx3000, but i want to know if the $50 is really worth it at this point, with THIS config, is it worth it to get a 3000 over a 2100, cuz i am trying to keep it at least lower than 600 if i CAN. im willing to pop above that, but i would rather not if the improvement isnt apparent on top of the line games such as UT2003 etc etc. (its a gaming machine)

also, thanks everyone for your input, so far its ben a TON of help. keep it comming if you can, im still going back and forth. any other cheap suggestions for the rig would also be appreciate (keep in mind i want cheap and dc ddr)

 

[arcenite]

After reviewing everything you've said, this is what i've concluded. You're looking to get the PC3000 only if it gives you a major performance difference. You will not notice a huge FPS difference in games between PC2100 and PC3000. The ram /will/ be faster with the PC3000, but if you only want to spend 50$ to get 50$ worth of FPS increase, you aren't going to get it

My final recommendation to you is PC2100 Yes it will be a little slower in benchmarks, but you will not see a whole lot (if any) of a visual difference. Tell you what, i'll go do a little benchmarking myself and I'll let you know.

Bill

 

[arcenite]

Ok...

@ 11x166 (1826Mhz) I got 128.2 FPS on the 3dMark 2k1 Low Detail Test, 55.7 FPS on the High Detail Test

@ 10x182 (1820Mhz) I got 126.3 FPS and 54.8 Respectively.

I know alot of people don't respect the 3Dmark line of benchmarks, but for testing one system alone it's good to see what changing a simple thing can do to performance. As you can see, it didn't change a whole lot (actually went down a little, may be due to ram timings)

So again, it's all up to you

Bill

 

[KuRnUp]

thanks a bunch for the benchmarking and your time. i will prob go with the 2100, as my funds are not bottomless. i WAS going to get a single chip of 512mb 2700 crucial from cnetpc.com i ordered it, but THEN i got the heads up on that module not working and no longer reccomended by crucial for my mobo, soooo i had to cancel the order, and now here i am...ramless.

thanks again for all your input and time.

 

[arcenite]

It's no problem

Bill

 

[binek]

Im waiting for my HyperX 433Mhz (2x256) for my new AthlonXP1700+ an ASUS A7N8X (most popular now?)