DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) memory 2GB sets

[imported_darin]

Hi,

all I am looking for a good 2 gig kit for AMD system, that can be over Overclocked well.

Question tought how much of an issue is Cas Latency in memory speed or Overclocking for systems ?

Because alot of the kits seem to be Cas Latency 4 or 5 vs 2 or 3 Latency.
Will you see much of a performance gain by getting lower Latency or better over Overclocking?


Latency is how fast memory will react right lower # faster right?

looking for a good 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400)
type kit.

Are there any brands I sould stay away from?


know a few brands are normaily good like OCZ,mushkin, G.SKILL.

Any input would be good, or great. last time I was getting memory was for DDR 400 939 sytem now looking for AM2 system memory.



Thanks,
Darin

 

[gramboh]

It depends, I think lowering your timings from 5 to 4 and 4 to 3 is generally a 1-5% (5% at most, only in certain situations, usually it's considered much less of a boost) change in performance. Anandtech has an article about it for DDR2 I think.

Personally, I think the sweet spot is CAS4 PC2-6400 for a 2GB kit in terms of price/performance. The cost increase for CAS3 is way too much. Faster than PC2-6400 isn't necessary for normal overclocks.

I went with OCZ Platinum EL Rev2 PC2-6400 which is 4-4-4-15 timings (CAS4) at DDR2-800MHz. I just built my system so I'm still in the testing phase, currently at DDR2-850MHz CAS5 (going to try CAS4 at this speed later, I think it will be fine).

I guess the bottom line is first you have to decide how fast you want to run your memory.

 

[TriBeCa]

cas 4 is fine. sure it's better to have it lower, but like gramboh said the cost increase at 6400 is crazy. besides, on chips with lower timings you often end up having to loosen them to achieve the OC you want anyway. you can also try lowering the timings manually once you get a stable OC you're happy with.

the thing i'd really keep in mind when picking your chips is compatability with your motherboard. boards are starting to get touchy about ram. i had an OCZ platinum rev2 kit that killed two of the dimm slots on my p5n-e, and I've seen at least two other people with major stability problems with that chip/mobo combo. so i'd really recommend either using a memory configurator (check manufacturer websites) to find something that's been tested in your board, or look around this and other forums for someone who's got that particuler board/memory pairing (not just manufacturer, but actual product).

and don't forget about corsair, i love my dominator's