A Question about 2:3 and 4:5 MEMORY DIVIDERS!!

[DissidentAggressor]

hi folks, if i overclock my p4 2.4 chip to 3.4 (280 FSB), i could run my RAM either @224Mhz (4:5) or 186Mhz (2:3), right? so now my question is, would there be a noticeable difference at all in games between RAM @224Mhz @CL2 & RAM @186Mhz @CL3??.. what kind of a framerate increase would we be looking at here should i go for 224Mhz @CL2 (ram setup: two 512mb sticks in dual channel mode)? 5% at most or so? kingston pc3500 CL2 modules are expensive as hell over here in canada, especially if ya shooting for two 512mb modules, that would cost ya an arm and a leg for sure, so i m currently looking into going the pc3200 CL3 route instead, if its worth it that is..

opinions anyone? any and all input would be most appreciated

 

[DissidentAggressor]

would anyone have any FPS % difference stats?? is pc3500 CL2 ultimately worth going for or not? i wouldnt want to shell out an extra 100 bucks on something that would only give me 5 or 6 extra fps @1024*768

would appreciate more input here folks..

 

[Slammy1]

I run 280FSB w/ PC3500 HyperX 2X256 2-3-3-7 on a 4:5, but I've noticed a number of people are having probs with the newer generation (CH-5 chips) with overclocking. There is a performance hit changing ratios, but usually that's made up for with the extra o/c. But if the question is which is faster, 2:3 w/ low latency or 4:5 with higher, always take speed over timings (unless the speed increase is minimal.

 

[oldfart]

The performance hit using a ratio vs 1:1 is almost nothing. It can usually be made up with running the better timings a lower DDR speed will allow. DO NOT give up CPU speed to run 1:1. CPU speed is what really matters and will by far make the largest performance difference.

 

[DissidentAggressor]

Originally posted by: oldfart
The performance hit using a ratio vs 1:1 is almost nothing. It can usually be made up with running the better timings a lower DDR speed will allow. DO NOT give up CPU speed to run 1:1. CPU speed is what really matters and will by far make the largest performance difference.

no thats not what the question was nothing to do w/giving up speed to run @1:1. the question is whether it is really worth getting pc3500 CL2 modules to run @4:5 (p4 2.4@3.4 @280 SFB, memory @224 @CL2) OVER pc3200 CL3 ones to run @2:3 (memory @186 @CL3). i have not purchased RAM yet and the difference is about $100-120 CAN for 1 gig of RAM. as pc3500 is quite expensive over here, needless to say going for 1 gig of pc3500 would be pointless if there is little to no outcome as far as extra FPS are concerned. what kind of fps difference are we looking at here should i choose to go with pc3500 though? 5-6 fps at most @say 1024*768 on rad9600 pro?

 

[oldfart]

It sounds like you already know what you want to do. The 3200 CL3 will cost you a little performance, but its not all that much, a couple of % here and there. The system will still be very fast. Have you thought about a 2.6C instead? Try the FSB/ratio/$$ math and see if it works for you.

 

[DissidentAggressor]

if someone w/s radeon 9500/9600/9700/9800 pro could gimme 2 sets of RtCW or UT2003 fps figures (1024*786 or 1280*1024 would be fine) i would most definately appreciate it! that is, say one set done @180@CL3 & another one done @220@CL2... thanks in advance!

 

[DissidentAggressor]

Originally posted by: oldfart
It sounds like you already know what you want to do. The 3200 CL3 will cost you a little performance, but its not all that much, a couple of % here and there. The system will still be very fast. Have you thought about a 2.6C instead? Try the FSB/ratio/$$ math and see if it works for you.

2.6c goes for 60 bucks more over here plus to get the chip to 3.4gig i would have to run FSB @around 260. i doubt many CL3 RAM modules would overclock to 210 safely (ones they got over here anyway) & nobody carries corsair or the like.. just kingston & i ve no idea if CL3 kingston modules can be overclocked by 10Mhz & run rock stable. what i often hear is kingston doesnt o/c nearly as well as corsair.. so dont think its a very good choice, $$ wise or otherwise thanks for ur input anyway

 

[Bad Dude]

First of all, can you run the chip with any memory stable at 2:3 or 4:5? It seems that the IS7 has a problem when it comes to the ratio with FSB above 250Mhz. I have the same board with Kingston HyperX PC3000. I can run these RAMs at 434Mhz.
So at:
-3Ghz, FSB 250, timing 2/6/3/2, 2.6V, ratio 4:5=200FSB, no problem with AGP@1.55V.
-3.2Ghz, FSB 267, timing 2/6/3/2, 2.6V, ratio 2:3=356FSB, no problem only if AGP@1.6V.
-3.3Ghz, FSB 275, timing 2/6/3/3, 2.6V, ratio 2:3=365FSB, no problem only if AGP@1.6V.

The processor I got is a good one at least up to 3.3Ghz with default voltage. The BIOS is used is the latest Version 1.6.
As you can see, the memory is not a problem b/c it can go 200FSB, but at higher processor FSB and lower memory FSB, it requires more relax timing, and higher AGP voltage. So I came to the following conclusion:
1) This board has problems at processor FSB higher than 250. The problem lies in the memory settings. What the problems are no one knows. Perhaps only Abit knows and we are not going to get any clear answers from them. It has to do with sales I guess.

2) The AGP voltage ties in with the O/C stability and RAM settings.

My chip can go 3.6Ghz easy with 1.575V but it cannot run stable with any RAM timings. I have tried it on the Asus P4P800 with more relaxed timing and it O/C well at 3.6Ghz. I think the Asus boards are more stable than Abit for sure. I bought the IS7 b/c it's a lower price. Lower by $30.

So there you go, if you can get it stable at 280FSB with inexpensive memory then you are lucky. The limitation is probably not the chip or RAM b/c you can run the RAM more relaxed and lower FSB with ratio, but the board might not cooperate.

 

[DissidentAggressor]

Originally posted by: Bad_Dude
First of all, can you run the chip with any memory stable at 2:3 or 4:5? It seems that the IS7 has a problem when it comes to the ratio with FSB above 250Mhz. I have the same board with Kingston HyperX PC3000. I can run these RAMs at 434Mhz.
So at:
-3Ghz, FSB 250, timing 2/6/3/2, 2.6V, ratio 4:5=200FSB, no problem with AGP@1.55V.
-3.2Ghz, FSB 267, timing 2/6/3/2, 2.6V, ratio 2:3=356FSB, no problem only if AGP@1.6V.
-3.3Ghz, FSB 275, timing 2/6/3/3, 2.6V, ratio 2:3=365FSB, no problem only if AGP@1.6V.

The processor I got is a good one at least up to 3.3Ghz with default voltage. The BIOS is used is the latest Version 1.6.
As you can see, the memory is not a problem b/c it can go 200FSB, but at higher processor FSB and lower memory FSB, it requires more relax timing, and higher AGP voltage. So I came to the following conclusion:
1) This board has problems at processor FSB higher than 250. The problem lies in the memory settings. What the problems are no one knows. Perhaps only Abit knows and we are not going to get any clear answers from them. It has to do with sales I guess.

2) The AGP voltage ties in with the O/C stability and RAM settings.

My chip can go 3.6Ghz easy with 1.575V but it cannot run stable with any RAM timings. I have tried it on the Asus P4P800 with more relaxed timing and it O/C well at 3.6Ghz. I think the Asus boards are more stable than Abit for sure. I bought the IS7 b/c it's a lower price. Lower by $30.

So there you go, if you can get it stable at 280FSB with inexpensive memory then you are lucky. The limitation is probably not the chip or RAM b/c you can run the RAM more relaxed and lower FSB with ratio, but the board might not cooperate.

i wouldnt suggest getting an is7 if ya into overclocking.. ic7 should be an obvious choice its only like $20 more nowadays.. i ve yet to hear of any memory issues on that one. thanks for input though

ya mind running 2 sets of benchmarks @1024*768 as per above msg? either RtCW or UT2003 would do just fine.. would appreciate it, thanks in advance dude