Core 2 Duo/DDR2 Memory Guide, Read Me First.

[DrMrLordX]

Originally posted by: Roguestar
For reasons discussed a few pages ago it's not likely that it'll be stickied, and there's no ways the mods haven't seen it yet. So some rascals seem to keep posting in it every day for whatever reason and bump it up the front page.

It's a good post. Can you blame them?

 

[bluesmap]

excellent read

 

[Roguestar]

Originally posted by: Farm
What is this "bump" you speak of?

no idea

Is there perhaps a newsletter I can subscribe to that will explain the phenomenon?

 

[bob4432]

Yoxxy - thanks for taking the time to do what you do for us here. if you, or anybody else with a decent true knowledge address the concerns i have here that would be great . i have another thread regarding this but am posting here to get some true answers:

recommending some parts for a friends c2d build (he has both hdd and optical drives and will be getting a case himself) -

m/b - gigbayte 965p-ds3
cpu - c2d 6300
gpu - evga 7600
psu - fsp 450W
ram - ???

the machine will be used for audo/video encoding along, some gaming and also solidworks for 3d cad design (this is the home computer so it doesn't need to be a 3d cad monster, he has a workstation at work). resolution with be a max of 1280x1024, so i would like to set him up with 2GB of ram, but the problem i am running into is that on newegg, it seems a lot of people have problems with a lot of the ddr2 ram. normally i don't rely on newegg reviews, but here with all of the issues with many different brands it has me a bit concerned recommending anything faster than ddr533. i wanted to get him some ddr667 for a bit of headroom in case he wanted to o/c the 6300 since the prices are pretty close between 667 and 533, but i also want him to be able to build this rig and have it work, not be bothered with rma and that b.s.

he doesn't have any issues building a rig, he is just not up on the technology.

i don't really remember this type of situation with ddr3200 when it first came out years ago. is quality control this bad with ddr2? what is the deal?

thanks in advance for your time memory gurus ;D

 

[The-Noid]

I wouldn't trust Newegg. Most rams are still rated at 266 (ddr2-533 spd) so they can rely on Jedec timings. Most high rams need their timings set. People on newegg just plug stuff in and don't know how to change stuff.

I would get the 667. Either A-DATA or Crucial make some good 667 sticks that are pretty cheap.

 

[bob4432]

Originally posted by: Yoxxy
I wouldn't trust Newegg. Most rams are still rated at 266 (ddr2-533 spd) so they can rely on Jedec timings. Most high rams need their timings set. People on newegg just plug stuff in and don't know how to change stuff.

I would get the 667. Either A-DATA or Crucial make some good 667 sticks that are pretty cheap.

sounds good. normally i don't trust the newegg reviews, but it was a problem on many, many different rams thus the reason i am asking you guys here

 

[Roguestar]

I heard that someone was going to bump this thread because it just solved yet another person's problem and removed the need for yet another reposted identical "what memory" thread.

 

[cmdrdredd]

Originally posted by: bob4432

Originally posted by: Yoxxy
I wouldn't trust Newegg. Most rams are still rated at 266 (ddr2-533 spd) so they can rely on Jedec timings. Most high rams need their timings set. People on newegg just plug stuff in and don't know how to change stuff.

I would get the 667. Either A-DATA or Crucial make some good 667 sticks that are pretty cheap.

sounds good. normally i don't trust the newegg reviews, but it was a problem on many, many different rams thus the reason i am asking you guys here

Sometimes you can boot if you use just 1 stick and change the timings and voltages before plugging in the 2nd stick. I have to do this if I set something in BIOS that causes me not to post or if I CMOS clear.

 

[mooseyfate]

Very useful post. Someone had to point me to it, but it helped a lot.

I think Super Talent has some good DDR2 667 ram that would make for a good budget nomine.

 

[Roguestar]

That's a good price and they use the same D9 chips as the DDR2-800 version too.

 

[cmdrdredd]

Originally posted by: Roguestar
That's a good price and they use the same D9 chips as the DDR2-800 version too.

different binning regardless of the IC used.

 

[cdalgard]

Is there any reason why buying QTY 2 of these wouldn't be the best value pick of the week considering Buffalo Firestix and Adata is out of stock?

 

[Conky]

This post is bunk for ignoring the various Corsair brand offerings besides the TWIN2X2048-8500C5 $364 set of RAM. Many other very capable brands have also been ignored.

There are many reasonably priced options for RAM that have simply been ignored by this well-meaning poster. He hasn't told us anything or linked anything that any of us couldn't have found within a couple of minutes on Newegg or google/froogle.

Bottom line... memory is not super critical to overclocking a C2D so why keep playing the high-end RAM game? Get what works and spend your money elsewhere.

Anybody petitioning this thread to be a sticky would probably appreciate Froogle being stickied as well. :laugh:

 

[mooseyfate]

@cdalgard
Buffalo Stix are supposed to be back in stock Tuesday (12/12)

@Beachboy
I initially thought $100 DDR2 667 ram would be the way to go. But everyone seems to say that 800 is the way. Now I'm sure there are a lot of people who just have to have the best, even if the gain is microscopic. But I haven't used any form of DDR2 ram, so I have only have advice to go by, and I listen to everyones side. Good to hear yours

Basically I want STABLE ram which is the spead that will make a noteable difference over the previous speed when OC-ed to safe levels.

 

[Conky]

Originally posted by: mooseyfate
@cdalgard
Buffalo Stix are supposed to be back in stock Tuesday (12/12)

@Beachboy
I initially thought $100 DDR2 667 ram would be the way to go. But everyone seems to say that 800 is the way. Now I'm sure there are a lot of people who just have to have the best, even if the gain is microscopic. But I haven't used any form of DDR2 ram, so I have only have advice to go by, and I listen to everyones side. Good to hear yours

Basically I want STABLE ram which is the spead that will make a noteable difference over the previous speed when OC-ed to safe levels.

I have purchased half-gig sticks of Corsair DDR2-800 that should run 3.2Ghz with my E6400 when my motherboard shows up and the RAM won't even have to be overclocked and since the sticks are under a gig I should not hit the normal "wall"(around 460FSB) as most DS3 users. I am only hoping for a nice cool stable 400FSB so it's mostly a moot point anyway. I obviously have a thing for Corsair RAM and have had lots of luck with it. Check my sig.

I know my Corsair XMS2 DDR2 is gonna get the job done despite it not making this list and that is sorta my whole point.

 

[Endlessshampoo]

u don`t have cellshock anywhere they are prop the best ram ived ever had.

 

[The-Noid]

Hard to find in the USA. If you see a distributer for the USA please give me the link. I also have a set of cellshock I ordered from .eu. Took about 2 weeks to deliver a very good set indeed though.

 

[The-Noid]

Originally posted by: Beachboy
This post is bunk for ignoring the various Corsair brand offerings besides the TWIN2X2048-8500C5 $364 set of RAM. Many other very capable brands have also been ignored.

There are many reasonably priced options for RAM that have simply been ignored by this well-meaning poster. He hasn't told us anything or linked anything that any of us couldn't have found within a couple of minutes on Newegg or google/froogle.

Bottom line... memory is not super critical to overclocking a C2D so why keep playing the high-end RAM game? Get what works and spend your money elsewhere.

Anybody petitioning this thread to be a sticky would probably appreciate Froogle being stickied as well. :laugh:

 

[Roguestar]

That's gratitude for you.

Lesson is, always read the thread first.

 

[cmdrdredd]

Originally posted by: Beachboy
This post is bunk for ignoring the various Corsair brand offerings besides the TWIN2X2048-8500C5 $364 set of RAM. Many other very capable brands have also been ignored.

There are many reasonably priced options for RAM that have simply been ignored by this well-meaning poster. He hasn't told us anything or linked anything that any of us couldn't have found within a couple of minutes on Newegg or google/froogle.

Bottom line... memory is not super critical to overclocking a C2D so why keep playing the high-end RAM game? Get what works and spend your money elsewhere.

Anybody petitioning this thread to be a sticky would probably appreciate Froogle being stickied as well. :laugh:

First, overclocking on the C2D relies on your memory ALOT. Unless you buy a 680i board you have to have memory capable of really good overclocks to get anything out of it. This thread specifically mentions which sticks use Micron D9 which are without a doubt THE BEST OVERCLOCKING STICKS. That being said...stop thread crapping because you obviously don't have any clue.

 

[cmdrdredd]

Originally posted by: Beachboy

Originally posted by: mooseyfate
@cdalgard
Buffalo Stix are supposed to be back in stock Tuesday (12/12)

@Beachboy
I initially thought $100 DDR2 667 ram would be the way to go. But everyone seems to say that 800 is the way. Now I'm sure there are a lot of people who just have to have the best, even if the gain is microscopic. But I haven't used any form of DDR2 ram, so I have only have advice to go by, and I listen to everyones side. Good to hear yours

Basically I want STABLE ram which is the spead that will make a noteable difference over the previous speed when OC-ed to safe levels.

I have purchased half-gig sticks of Corsair DDR2-800 that should run 3.2Ghz with my E6400 when my motherboard shows up and the RAM won't even have to be overclocked and since the sticks are under a gig I should not hit the normal "wall"(around 460FSB) as most DS3 users. I am only hoping for a nice cool stable 400FSB so it's mostly a moot point anyway. I obviously have a thing for Corsair RAM and have had lots of luck with it. Check my sig.

I know my Corsair XMS2 DDR2 is gonna get the job done despite it not making this list and that is sorta my whole point.

This list was made with overclocking in mind. Plus I guarantee running DDR2-1000 at 5-5-5-15 is faster than running DDR2-800 at 4-4-4-8 with everything but a 680i running 1T. If you want the maximum performance you buy high quality D9 memory that can achieve DDR2-1000 without question.

 

[Conky]

Originally posted by: Yoxxy

Originally posted by: Beachboy
This post is bunk for ignoring the various Corsair brand offerings besides the TWIN2X2048-8500C5 $364 set of RAM. Many other very capable brands have also been ignored.

There are many reasonably priced options for RAM that have simply been ignored by this well-meaning poster. He hasn't told us anything or linked anything that any of us couldn't have found within a couple of minutes on Newegg or google/froogle.

Bottom line... memory is not super critical to overclocking a C2D so why keep playing the high-end RAM game? Get what works and spend your money elsewhere.

Anybody petitioning this thread to be a sticky would probably appreciate Froogle being stickied as well. :laugh:

Your time is better spent elsewhere. If you read page 2-3 you will notice that a Corsair Rep has stated that you should buy the 8500C5 or above and not to mess around with the rest. The point of this post is to show ram that contains D9GMH/D9GKX. If you bought the Corsair DDR2-800 with promos modules you have simply wasted your money. You could have bought cheaper ram yet that still contains D9GMH. Also it is short supply and memory manufacturers are switching frequently to other IC's. That is the purpose of this post.

Wow, you simply know everything there is to know about RAM don't you?

The Corsair XMS2 DDR2-800 don't all have the PROMOS chips as you claim. They've been made with several different chips including a couple different kinds of Infineon, Micron, and the PROMOS chips and probably several others. source So right off the bat you are showing your ignorance.

And to quote Wesley Fink from this Anandtech memory review.

We have said in recent reviews that Core 2 Duo and AM2 are not particularly bandwidth sensitive. As a result we have recommended that value shoppers go for value and midrange DDR2 parts and put the savings in a video card or CPU upgrade.

Your post is perfect if you want to mislead the ignorant towards pissing their money away on RAM for results that will be minor at best while you pretend to be an authority on RAM. I think that was the intended purpose of your post. :roll:

Anybody can recommend the most expensive stuff and pretend to be an authority. Overclocking is about getting something for nothing. Buying $500 RAM to overclock a $200 CPU so that you can reach the speeds of a $300 CPU with $100 RAM is backwards. If you weren't so new to overclocking you would know this.

 

[cmdrdredd]

Originally posted by: Beachboy

Originally posted by: Yoxxy

Originally posted by: Beachboy
This post is bunk for ignoring the various Corsair brand offerings besides the TWIN2X2048-8500C5 $364 set of RAM. Many other very capable brands have also been ignored.

There are many reasonably priced options for RAM that have simply been ignored by this well-meaning poster. He hasn't told us anything or linked anything that any of us couldn't have found within a couple of minutes on Newegg or google/froogle.

Bottom line... memory is not super critical to overclocking a C2D so why keep playing the high-end RAM game? Get what works and spend your money elsewhere.

Anybody petitioning this thread to be a sticky would probably appreciate Froogle being stickied as well. :laugh:

Your time is better spent elsewhere. If you read page 2-3 you will notice that a Corsair Rep has stated that you should buy the 8500C5 or above and not to mess around with the rest. The point of this post is to show ram that contains D9GMH/D9GKX. If you bought the Corsair DDR2-800 with promos modules you have simply wasted your money. You could have bought cheaper ram yet that still contains D9GMH. Also it is short supply and memory manufacturers are switching frequently to other IC's. That is the purpose of this post.

Wow, you simply know everything there is to know about RAM don't you?

The Corsair XMS2 DDR2-800 don't all have the PROMOS chips as you claim. They've been made with several different chips including a couple different kinds of Infineon, Micron, and the PROMOS chips and probably several others. source So right off the bat you are showing your ignorance.

And to quote Wesley Fink from this Anandtech memory review.

We have said in recent reviews that Core 2 Duo and AM2 are not particularly bandwidth sensitive. As a result we have recommended that value shoppers go for value and midrange DDR2 parts and put the savings in a video card or CPU upgrade.

Your post is perfect if you want to mislead the ignorant towards pissing their money away on RAM for results that will be minor at best while you pretend to be an authority on RAM. I think that was the intended purpose of your post. :roll:

Anybody can recommend the most expensive stuff and pretend to be an authority. Overclocking is about getting something for nothing. Buying $500 RAM to overclock a $200 CPU so that you can reach the speeds of a $300 CPU with $100 RAM is backwards. If you weren't so new to overclocking you would know this.

If you weren't so misguided you'd know that every single motherboard except the 680i only allows you to go to 1:1 as the lowest memory ratio for a C2D overclock. That means if you want to go to say 3.5Ghz you need memory that can do it. Especially if you have a lower end C2D with a lower multiplier. Also if you bother to read around you'd see that Corsair's lower end parts do not have Micron at all any more. Revision 1 had it then later revisions never do. Even the Dominator DDR2-800 part uses promos. This thread was created to help people looking for good overclocking memory WITH MICRON D9. Not to tell people to go buy promos because we are looking to overclock the memory too.

As I said, DDR2-1000 5-5-5-15 > DDR2-800 4-4-4-8 on every board except 680i running 1T.

 

[The-Noid]

Beachboy doesn't understand the point of the post, not a big problem. The 5,000 views show that other people do understand it. The similar post over at XS that has 25,000 views show that there is a need for something like this.

 

[The-Noid]

Also just to prove another point. When you get something to review it 90% of the time handpicked and you will get better results then standard. The Corsairs have switched IC's numerous times. The version that was sent to Anand was more then likely D9's. Having used version 2.1 of the 6400C4 they are very good ram. After that the microns started to go to the 6400C3 and 8500C5. There is ram at every price point as well. The $260 you spent on a 2 gig set of C4's could have gone to numerous other sets.

You also quoted the midrange buyer. If you buy a $250 set of ram (Crucial 667, Teamgroup 667) which is a midrange price and it overclocks 50% how is this not getting something for nothing? You are not well informed on this subject. I hate to turn this into a flame war, but please leave.