cas latency?

[skullshivers]

first off imma noob and this is a dumb question... that being said can someone please explain what the cas latency numbers mean

the reason i ask is because im lookin at the corsair XMS and there are 2 types that i have my eye on

http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=20-145-521&depa=0

and

http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=20-145-464&depa=0

the first has- Cas Latency: 2-2-2-5
and the second - Cas Latency: 2-3-3-6

can someone please tell me what these numbers mean... in layman's terms

 

[myocardia]

Okay, in laymen's terms, ram latency is how many clock cycles the processor must wait for information that's been requested from the ram to be delivered back from the ram. The CAS (the first number) is by far the most important number. You wouldn't notice any real difference in 2-2-2-5 ram vs. 2-3-3-6 ram, unless you REALLY like benchmarking.

 

[AristoV300]

Try this Memory Timings Basically the lower the number the better. Now if you are overclocking your machine then that is not always the case.

 

[skullshivers]

thanks guys .. that sheds a light on things

 

[imported_SpitFire]

Remember the difference in performance between cas 2 and 2.5 is going to only be noticed in benchmarks for the most part. Ram speed is becoming a much bigger factor than cas in my opinion. Plus as OCZ is showing, balanced timings can give you nearly the same results as 2-2-2 ram with their eb series. Basicly what im saying is dont spend too much money on ram as you could put it toward something else that would give you more performance such as your processor or video card. I'm sure someone here can link you to an article that shows the difference in performance between speed and timings in ram. (btw spending $180 for that new XMS stuff is a ripp off , pick up some nice mushkin or OCZ instead as XMS is really over priced in my opinion.)