Another overclocking a barton and memory question.

[Caminetto]

There is a gap in my understanding of type of memory to buy for overclocking a Barton. I want to overclock a Barton 2500 to 3200 but have reached a sticking point in deciding on system memory (would like a gig). How lucky would I have to be in just getting basic 3200 Buffalo or Crucial memory and then reach 3200 with a fsb oc? Can I assume that if I open the wallet to the tune of another 100 bucks or so and get Corsair XMS LL or Muskin Level II, that it would help insure 3200, or that I can tweak further until I get there (and perhaps beyond)? Any advice would be appreciated.

 

[myocardia]

No, buying more expensive memory doesn't guarantee you getting to 11x200. Whether you make it up to 200 with a Barton depends on the processor you get, and the rest of your system, mostly the motherboard. But, buying the more expensive memory will get you a faster 11x200, because it will have lower latencies. Many people have used Buffalo or the cheaper Corsair or Kingston memories, and have successfully hit 200 or a little higher. But, the people who are reaching 220+ fsb's are the ones with the more expensive memory, such as Corsair XMS, Kingston HyperX, or at least Buffalo PC3700, etc.

 

[Soulkeeper]

my mushkin never got me there but it worked for others
i'm sure there's atleast two people who have done what you want with each of those two kinds of memory on these forums

i think my mushkin mem didn't hit 220 was because i had two 512mb sticks and that complicates power needs in one way or another

the crucial or corsair pc3200 prob won't make it
unless yur pumping a grip of voltage through it with real loose timings

heh

 

[Shinei]

I have a gig of Mushkin 3500 L-1 at 2-3-3-11; I'm running it at 200 for now, because the processor is running too hot to push it to that 220x10 mark, but I imagine it should go that high (only a 4MHz clock over rated speed). If you're looking for the tightest timings you can find (2-2-2-5), then you're probably going to want Corsair's LL or the Mushkin Level-II, but if you ask around here most AMD users say 2-3-3-11 produces the best results. /me recommends Mushkin highly
Anyway, the RAM just needs to be rated to do 200MHz, otherwise your bus might not reach 200 (if you like running your memory in sync, which you should). Higher frequency RAM doesn't mean you'll be able to get your bus that high without some creative manipulation (lower multipliers, higher VCore/VDIMM, etc.)... In other words, the RAM isn't as important as how well of an overclocker your CPU is; some CPUs just won't overclock very much, no matter what you do to them.

 

[Caminetto]

So would it be fair to say that I will be as likely to hit 3200 from 2 sticks of buffalo 512mb ddr pc-3200 and a simple fsb overclock, on an abit nf7-s, as I would with any other available ram (but probably no more), and further that I should not worry about complications in power needs with 2 sticks even though they are not sold as matched pairs? Can I also assume that the speed difference in the higher quality ram is only a concern of those seeking to squeeze out every last bit of performance from their system?

 

[Shinei]

I'm not sure I understand what you're asking; if you're only going to buy one stick of 512mb, make sure you buy a second stick of 512mb from the same manufacturer when you want the full gig of RAM.
For Athlon systems, timing is everything, though; the faster RAM speeds offer greater bandwidth that the Athlon XP simply can't take advantage of. Even with the tremendous overclocks people have gotten (where's that LED guy with his 263 FSB Athlon when you need him??? ), it just doesn't take full advantage of bandwidth offered by PC3700 and up. So the more expensive RAM usually has lower latencies that you should definitely try to take advantage of, considering your Athlon system; I don't have any experience with Buffalo RAM, since I didn't want to skimp out on the second most important component of my entire system, but I imagine it should get the job done at PC3200. Just remember to tighten the timings in the BIOS, 3-4-4-8 is a nightmare for Athlon systems.
Lastly, I'm still not sure what "power concerns" means, aside from possibly the need to bump the VDIMM .1 or .2V... Since my board naturally runs 2.7V through the DIMM, I've never experienced a problem with my Mushkin needing extra power to run dual-channel 512mb sticks.

Edit: I should make that statement about price clearer: When RAM of a given speed is more expensive, it usually has lower latency (OCZ excepted, since they seem to run CAS-2.5 out of the box compared to Mushkin or Corsair's CAS-2). The cheaper it is, the looser the timings.

 

[Caminetto]

I guess my question should have been what would I gain in performance for the extra $100 to $150 of low latency ram, since I assume that simply overclocking via fsb will probably get me to 3200 of processing power with the Buffalo. Extra $100 to $150 is alot of money for marginal performance gains.
Soulkeeper mentioned that he had 2 sticks of 512 and thinks it complicated his power needs and he "never got there".

 

[myocardia]

Originally posted by: Caminetto
So would it be fair to say that I will be as likely to hit 3200 from 2 sticks of buffalo 512mb ddr pc-3200 and a simple fsb overclock, on an abit nf7-s, as I would with any other available ram (but probably no more), and further that I should not worry about complications in power needs with 2 sticks even though they are not sold as matched pairs? Can I also assume that the speed difference in the higher quality ram is only a concern of those seeking to squeeze out every last bit of performance from their system?

Yes, if all you are wanting is 200mhz fsb, then any PC3200 ram will do that. But, like Shinei said, more expensive, lower latency ram will give you better performance than cheaper, higher latency ram will.

 

[HardWarrior]

Originally posted by: Caminetto
There is a gap in my understanding of type of memory to buy for overclocking a Barton. I want to overclock a Barton 2500 to 3200 but have reached a sticking point in deciding on system memory (would like a gig). How lucky would I have to be in just getting basic 3200 Buffalo or Crucial memory and then reach 3200 with a fsb oc? Can I assume that if I open the wallet to the tune of another 100 bucks or so and get Corsair XMS LL or Muskin Level II, that it would help insure 3200, or that I can tweak further until I get there (and perhaps beyond)? Any advice would be appreciated.

I can only speak for Mushkin, but for the extra money you get a OEM-sanctioned "ceiling." Meaning the RAM is rated to OC and vdimm a certain amount higher than listed specs. Don't let anyone tell you that buying high-quality RAM is a waste, and don't forget to review your choices heavely before buying.