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DDR vs RAMBUS (Still Unsure)

T

Terrapin

Member
Greetings:

I am still confused about which ram to get, and am hoping the feedback you can provide will put an end to my misery.

Assume for the purpose of this question, that I will NOT be over clocking.

I will be purchasing the P4-2.0 gig CPU, and want to get 512 to a gig of RAM. MB will be either Asus P4B-266 if DDR, or P4-TE if Rambus.

I'm stumped as to if I should get DDR, or RAMBUS.

Thank you,

Terrapin
 
SIS 645 + DDR333 = Rambus killer!

512 megs of Rambus is a lot of green, but if you can afford it go ahead and get an I850 board. SIS 645 provides very good performance when paired with DDR333 and is cheaper than I850 boards.
 
If you don't have a lot of money, I would go the DDR route. It's cheaper and will perform about the same as the RDRAM. If you have the money, then get the RAMBUS.
 
> SIS 645 + DDR333 = Rambus killer!

Maybe a PC800 RDRAM killer....but those on Hardforum.com have clocked their PC800 RDRAM up as high as 625MHz (PC1250); at that speed, the RDRAM turns in Sandra benches of about 4000Mbps, or roughly 25% faster than DDR400+SIS645.

Terrapin,

What kind of system have you got now? A host of much-improved boards are coming in May based on the 845E and the 850E. Both will clock higher (both will be produced on .18um process vs .25um of current), and both contain various performance optimizations over the current 845G and 850 chipsets. At that time, you'll also be able to buy native PC1066 RDRAM which should have no trouble running at >PC1200 speed...plus a 2.20GHz or 2.26GHz P4 for about $220 online.
 
When I purchased my ASUS P4B266/2.0A combo, DDR RAM was still cheaper. I also don't like the fact that RDRAM must be installed in pairs. So, I went the DDR route. I don't OC and my machine is somewhat faster than the 440BX/PII 450 I upgraded from, so I am happy. Is it the fastest? No, but I don't need the fastest. Is it stable? Yes, it's never crashed.
 
Ken AF:

I have a Asus 2BL, P2-450, 256 Sdram, Geoforce 3 Visiontek, Seagate Cheetah 10krpm scsi HD, Creative Live, etc.

The bottleneck on my current system is the cpu, and my storage is at capacity.

My kids need a faster PC and so do I. I was going to give this one to them, and get a new, but you got me thinking.

Kids PC is a P1-200, 128 Sdram, Don't remember Vid Card, Seagate scsi 7,500rpm, ...
Terrapin
 
Either would work equally well if you're not overclocking. The increased memory performance of RDRAM over DDR may or may not even be noticeable to you. You won't use either type of memory in your next system (there will likely be something much better by then). Pretty much equal. So why not go with what's cheapest and most stable? I do know i845/DDR is very stable, especially with that Asus board.
 
RDRAM..

DDR 333 can't keep up especially if you plan on upgrading the CPU later on. DDR simply does not have enough bandwidth.

And for those saying DDR is cheaper.. the only thing cheaper is the Motherboard. DDR 333 RAM is more money than RDRAM.. even the Samsung. RDRAM goes for around $75 for 256MB.
 
the ONLY reason i went ddr over rdram is cause i salvaged 512 mb or Corsair DDR from my old system. if i only had sdram or was building from scratch i woulda gone rdram w/o question.
 
I picked DDR over RDRAM because I want to keep my future upgrade path open. If you go with RDRAM you're locked into Intel for your next upgrade unless you ditch the RAM.
 
I currently have a SiS645 chipset with DDR, and i'd have to say its smooth and fine. Although benches show its slower than my friends i850 + RDRAM.

I only got the SiS645 cuz I got DDR ram @ 512MB for $62 back in Sept. *sigh* the good ole days of cheap ram.

I'd tell you to go for the Rambus only cuz there isn't much of a price difference, and its faster than DDR. (And I prefer intel chipsets anyway)
 
Personally, I'd vote for DDR.

1. The price difference is negligible.
2. An i845 motherboard should cost less than an i850 one (P4B266 is about $20 less than a P4T-E based on my quick search on pricewatch)
3. RDRAM is hot. The idea that anything in my computer is too hot to comfortably touch bothers me. I realize that it's supposed to be that hot and that it works fine that hot, but the idea that it really is that hot makes me uncomfortable.
4. RDRAM definitely has a less bright future than DDR as far as future chipset support from the majo chipset vendors: SiS, Via, Intel, Ali.
5. RDRAM (on i850) needs to be installed in pairs - this makes it more problematic to upgrade since you often need to shelve/sell what you have to upgrade your RAM.
6. RDRAM is likely to cost more in the future. The current DDR vs. RDRAM price parity is a function of politics and supply/demand. But the fact is that RDRAM is more expensive to manufacture (larger die size), is more expensive to package (requires BGA and a heatsink), has royalties, is manufactured predominantly by one manufacturer (Samsung) and is selling in much smaller volume than DDR. Looking forward one can estimate that DDR is likely to be cheaper for future upgrades.

The best reason to buy i850/RDRAM is the relative higher performance over the i845/DDR. But I don't think that the difference merits that downsides. The downsides aren't that significant, but neither is the incremental performance difference.
 
I agree..

when its time to get a new MObo+Cpu, you're ram will be next to useless.

THe difference between DDR and RDRAM is unoticeable performance, so base your decessions on other aspects.
 
Surprised nobody mentioned that Intel is phasing out RDRAM over time.

Not that it matters for the current decision, but one less reason to choose Rambus.
 
pm, *who* told you RDRAM runs hot? have you ever touched it? I have.. it's roughly the same temperature as my BaracudaATAIV...

In other words.. it's not hot. It's warm.

Unless there's something I missed or my finger nerves have gone dead..
 


<< Surprised nobody mentioned that Intel is phasing out RDRAM over time.

Not that it matters for the current decision, but one less reason to choose Rambus. >>



Myths die hard, don't they? Intel is only shelving RDRAM for servers. One media outlet got a hold of the story, and made it seem like they were phasing out RDRAM for all applications. That's just not true. Intel's roadmap has RDRAM in it for some time to come.
 
Why are people still buying into rambus when intel is no longer going to support it? Are you basically buying the whole system to use at one time then buy a new mobo and ram in less then a year? I really could careless about benchmarks I'm only after real-world performance (who could care about anything else?) and so far I havent found compelling evidence to show rambus beating out DDR 2100, let alone 2700... by a wide enough margin to think DDR is out.

If you go DDR, you will be able to use the ram in just about any system you want. it will be cheaper to buy the mobo (or at least was....) and you'll still have a technology that will be support by major cpu manufactures. I guess if money grows on trees for you you might as well go rambus. but I'm forced to think about the long term with every purchase i make. and I need to know that I'll be able to reuse as much as possible just incase I *need* too. that and it just makes selling stuff easier...
 
SiS 655 chipset will have dual DDR channels and is scheduled for Q2 2002.
Currently RDRAM motherboards have elevated prices compared to SiS and VIA DDR choices. Even if the extra work on the motherboard raises the price for dual channel DDR I don't see it will be more expensive than an RDRAM board. My tip is to buy a cheap SiS645 board with 1x 256mb DDR and buy the new board with another 256mb in the summer.
 
I didnt know that intel was only phasing it out of there servers... But that is usually a sign of going the way of the dodo... generally things come down to the desktops from the servers and workstations... what incentive does intel have to keep rambus around when the price and longevity of DDR is virtually limitless... I'm not saying DDR is netter but I'm saying I dont see how intel could keep making rambus chipsets as a good business move (unless they have too because of there contract..)
 
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