2700 v 3200 (DDR ram)

[blackrain]

Last week, I bought PNY 2700 DDR ram. This week, the same store has Kingston 3200 DDR ram for the same price. Is it worth it for me to return the 2700 for the 3200? Is there a big difference between these?

 

[Wentelteefje]

If you can return the RAM, I'd do so... PC3200 has a higher bandwidth, of course, and is better if you want to pair it up with AMD64's etc...

 

[Blain]

Are you just buying memory because it's cheap, or are you actually using it?
If you need 200MHz FSB speed then get the PC3200. If not then don't worry about it.

 

[blackrain]

I am using it.

Maybe I should post my specs:

Abit VT7
Pentium 4 2.6ghz
512MB 2700 (PNY) ram
Geforce 3 (soon to be upgraded to 6600GT for gaming)
160GB Seagate Barracuda
16x DVDrom

I intend on using it as a media center/gaming platform with my television

also, I am assuming that there is no difference between PNY and Kingston ram. PNY usually has a lifetime warranty....looks like Kingston has the same thing.

Also, I have seen a lot of ram being referred to as "value" ram or the like. I don't see that phrase used with either of the products here. I believe that the PNY memory is the optima series. Does anyone know anything about the Kingston memory at Best buy this week?

Kingston 512MB PC3200 DDR DIMM Memory
Model: KVR400/512

 

[Wentelteefje]

What Pentium 4 is it? Does it have a 800MHz FSB and HT, or is it the 533MHz FSB version...?

EDIT: Your motherboard supports dual channel DDR400, so I'd get it...

 

[Wentelteefje]

Originally posted by: blackrain
I am using it.

Maybe I should post my specs:

Abit VT7
Pentium 4 2.6ghz
512MB 2700 (PNY) ram
Geforce 3 (soon to be upgraded to 6600GT for gaming)
160GB Seagate Barracuda
16x DVDrom

I intend on using it as a media center/gaming platform with my television

also, I am assuming that there is no difference between PNY and Kingston ram. PNY usually has a lifetime warranty....looks like Kingston has the same thing.

Also, I have seen a lot of ram being referred to as "value" ram or the like. I don't see that phrase used with either of the products here. I believe that the PNY memory is the optima series. Does anyone know anything about the Kingston memory at Best buy this week?

Kingston 512MB PC3200 DDR DIMM Memory
Model: KVR400/512

Prolly Kingston Value RAM, don't you think...? Not to say it's bad! Kingston is a respectable and reputable memory manufacturer...

 

[cubby1223]

I wouldn't hesitate to exchange it.

It's not just for your current machine - but the next cpu upgrade you'll do quite possibly will require pc3200, don't want to have to spend money yet again down the road.

 

[blackrain]

so what is this whole value ram thing about? On PNY's website, they only seem to carry the Optima series...does anyone know how that compares to value ram?

by the way, this is a 533 cpu, not an 800

 

[Wentelteefje]

Look at the timings... If it are ones with a cas latency of 2.5 to 3, then it'll probably be value RAM... They just don't like admitting it...

cubby1223 is right...

 

[blackrain]

I found what I think is the same PNY optima series ram on the newegg website and it says 2.5 for cas latency. So I guess its basically value ram as well. Looks like i'll be off to the store tonight to exchange it.

 

[Blain]

Don't trust CAS ratings for Optima! :roll:
I bought some from Newegg several months back they had rated @ CAS 2.5.
After having the memory installed for a while I swapped it off for some XMS. I ran a memory test on it just to be sure everything was in order. The specs on the Optima turned up that it was CAS 3 and not 2.5.
It had been so long and was a minor issue at that point that I didn't bother to complain.

* When I bought the Optima, Newegg had it rated at CAS 2.5
* When I went back to check the specs months later, it was changed to CAS 3

 

[BriGy86]

here is a question that would go along with this

lets say you have PC 3200 ram, but the FSB is only 333 MHz (uses PC2700 ram)

if you are able to put in PC3200 and clock it down to PC2700, does the latency also go down or stay the same?

 

[blackrain]

Originally posted by: Blain
Don't trust CAS ratings for Optima! :roll:
I bought some from Newegg several months back they had rated @ CAS 2.5.
After having the memory installed for a while I swapped it off for some XMS. I ran a memory test on it just to be sure everything was in order. The specs on the Optima turned up that it was CAS 3 and not 2.5.
It had been so long and was a minor issue at that point that I didn't bother to complain.

* When I bought the Optima, Newegg had it rated at CAS 2.5
* When I went back to check the specs months later, it was changed to CAS 3

I'm not familiar with the CAS ratings....what is better? 2.5 or 3

 

[BriGy86]

Originally posted by: blackrain

Originally posted by: Blain
Don't trust CAS ratings for Optima! :roll:
I bought some from Newegg several months back they had rated @ CAS 2.5.
After having the memory installed for a while I swapped it off for some XMS. I ran a memory test on it just to be sure everything was in order. The specs on the Optima turned up that it was CAS 3 and not 2.5.
It had been so long and was a minor issue at that point that I didn't bother to complain.

* When I bought the Optima, Newegg had it rated at CAS 2.5
* When I went back to check the specs months later, it was changed to CAS 3

I'm not familiar with the CAS ratings....what is better? 2.5 or 3

2.5, the lower the better

 

[Blain]

2.5 is faster than 3

Memory speed ratings are like tire speed ratings...
If you have a set of ultra-high speed rated tires on your AMC Pacer, your Pacer will not run a bit faster than if you had some Walmart cheapies on it.

PC3200 in a system with a 533 FSB limit will not make the PC run any faster.

 

[t3h l337 n3wb]

If you bought RAM from Best Buy, return it and get your money back. They overprice a $hitload on RAM, and you can get it for about half the price online. Go to Newegg or ZipZoomFly, where you can get 1GB of PC3200 RAM for about $75. That's about how much a 512MB stick of PC2700 RAM costs at Best Buy.

 

[blackrain]

Originally posted by: Blain
2.5 is faster than 3

Memory speed ratings are like tire speed ratings...
If you have a set of ultra-high speed rated tires on your AMC Pacer, your Pacer will not run a bit faster than if you had some Walmart cheapies on it.

PC3200 in a system with a 533 FSB limit will not make the PC run any faster.

I understand...but since I am eventually going to upgrade, I might as well get the 3200. I might not be able to take advantage of it now, but I won't have to upgrade later if I upgrade my cpu. (per cubby1223)

 

[blackrain]

Originally posted by: t3h l337 n3wb
If you bought RAM from Best Buy, return it and get your money back. They overprice a $hitload on RAM, and you can get it for about half the price online. Go to Newegg or ZipZoomFly, where you can get 1GB of PC3200 RAM for about $75. That's about how much a 512MB stick of PC2700 RAM costs at Best Buy.

I would never buy anything at Best Buy at retail prices. It's 39.99 for 512mb (no rebates), which is only a couple dollars more than the cheapest ram on pricewatch (and those don't look as reputable as Kingston or PNY)

 

[BriGy86]

corsair or crucial, OCZ, mushkin, geil, kingston are all good brands as far as i know

more so corsair and crucial

 

[Wentelteefje]

Originally posted by: BriGy86
here is a question that would go along with this

lets say you have PC 3200 ram, but the FSB is only 333 MHz (uses PC2700 ram)

if you are able to put in PC3200 and clock it down to PC2700, does the latency also go down or stay the same?

If you lower the speed, you can of course tighten the timings...

 

[shoRunner]

Originally posted by: t3h l337 n3wb
If you bought RAM from Best Buy, return it and get your money back. They overprice a $hitload on RAM, and you can get it for about half the price online. Go to Newegg or ZipZoomFly, where you can get 1GB of PC3200 RAM for about $75. That's about how much a 512MB stick of PC2700 RAM costs at Best Buy.

best buy currently has 512 pc3200 kingston ram for $40, cheaper than any ram on newegg after shipping....pwnd?

 

[BriGy86]

Originally posted by: Wentelteefje

Originally posted by: BriGy86
here is a question that would go along with this

lets say you have PC 3200 ram, but the FSB is only 333 MHz (uses PC2700 ram)

if you are able to put in PC3200 and clock it down to PC2700, does the latency also go down or stay the same?

If you lower the speed, you can of course tighten the timings...

but i thought the latency had to do physically with the chip

so if you lower the PC rating speed it will lower the latency?

 

[Blain]

Usually you CAN'T lower the CAS even if you run the memory at a slower FSB.

 

[Wentelteefje]

Originally posted by: Blain
Usually you CAN'T lower the CAS even if you run the memory at a slower FSB.

Yes you can... Some people even managed to lower their cas latencies at the nominal speed, but therefore you already need some decent voltages most of the time...

 

[cubby1223]

timings are not that big of a deal, especially not to take pc2700 ram over pc3200 ram, in my opinion.

some reading material:
http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview...atid=28&threadid=1475190&enterthread=y