256mb DDR @ 400mhz or 512mb @333mhz

[Kaiser__Sose]

which would give better all round performance in windows ????

 

[BigJimbo]

512 would be better in windows....if your OCing go with the faster ram

edit: also on the ram you can always OC it and get it to 400FSB or atleast close to it

 

[Kaiser__Sose]

i have two sticks of 256mb... one only goes to 166mhz and one at 200mhz... so what do i do ??? run them both at 166 or only use 256mb at 200mhz...

 

[xcript]

You'd probably be better off with 512@166.

 

[Kaiser__Sose]

thanks

 

[eLiu]

look at your ram useage...if windows hardly ever goes past 256, then you dont really need that extra headroom. Though if you're regularly in the 300s/400s, then 512 is definitely the way to go.

 

[Boonesmi]

what speed do you run your fsb?

if its 166mhz or slower then there is really no reason not to use the 512mb (since you dont get much performance gain when you dont run the ram at the same speed as the fsb)

but if you have a 200mhz fsb then it would depend on the application as to which was faster

 

[Kaiser__Sose]

my fsb is at 200mhz... in order to run the full 512mb i would have to run the memory at 85% of clock speed so the ram is not in sync with the cpu.

 

[Boonesmi]

since you have a 200mhz fsb i would really suggest running 200mhz ddr (a big perfomance hit if you dont)
personally i would sell your stick that only runs 166mhz and buy a new one, so you can have 512mb at 200mhz

 

[Kaiser__Sose]

yea i think i'll try to sell the 166mhz stick

 

[deathwalker]

You are asking for nothing but trouble trying to run so poorly matched memory in a dual channel memory configuration...unless you get good quality well matched memory your are going to have heart aches running in dual channel memory mode.