DDR3 versus DDR2. How much real world difference is there?

[inf1nity]

I am planning to replace my motherboard with a new one that supports both DDR2 and DDR3 RAM. I currently have 1 GB of DDR2 RAM on my computer. I also want to upgrade to 2 GB of RAM.

Now i have two options-
1. Buy another GB of DDR2 RAM and add it.
2. Buy 2 GB of DDR3 RAM and throw/sell my current RAM.

Option 2 is more expensive, especially since i do not know whether i'll find any buyers for my DDR2 RAM and how much they'll be willing to pay for. The cheapest DDR3 RAM will cost me 1339 INR. A slightly better option will cost me 1575 INR.


My question is- is there any actual real world noticeable difference between similar capacity DDR2 and DDR3 RAM. I use my computer for web browsing and word processing and light multimedia(music/movies), will i see any actual difference between DDR2 and DDR3. Please don't refer to bench marks etc. Tell me from your own experiences.

 

[VirtualLarry]

I am planning to replace my motherboard with a new one that supports both DDR2 and DDR3 RAM. I currently have 1 GB of DDR2 RAM on my computer. I also want to upgrade to 2 GB of RAM.

Now i have two options-
1. Buy another GB of DDR2 RAM and add it.
2. Buy 2 GB of DDR3 RAM and throw/sell my current RAM.

My question is- is there any actual real world noticeable difference between similar capacity DDR2 and DDR3 RAM. I use my computer for web browsing and word processing and light multimedia(music/movies), will i see any actual difference between DDR2 and DDR3. Please don't refer to bench marks etc. Tell me from your own experiences.

Not a bit.

Edit: I should clarify. My comment was in the context of a S775 system, which is limited by it's FSB architecture. CPUs with integrated memory controllers, such as AMD's AM2+/AM3 CPUs will show a slight advantage for DDR3, primarily due to faster frequencies.

 

[Cerb]

My question is- is there any actual real world noticeable difference between similar capacity DDR2 and DDR3 RAM. I use my computer for web browsing and word processing and light multimedia(music/movies), will i see any actual difference between DDR2 and DDR3. Please don't refer to bench marks etc. Tell me from your own experiences.

On AM2+/AM3, with an AM3 CPU, there can be a little boost from going to faster DDR3 (DDR2-800 to DDR3-800 will gain nothing, obviously), especially with an L3-less CPU (L3 as well, but you can feel a difference w/ no-L3 models, while L3 ones need to be benchmarked ). It won't be worth the upgrade cost, however, since the difference will only make itself known if the CPU is under stress for awhile, like, for example, playing video games, and still tends to be only a minor improvement.

LGA775 gets limited too much by its FSB for there to be any gains at all. As of about, say, DDR2-667 CAS 5, the speed differences started becoming academic. Support for DDR3-1600 in 4-series chipset boards was more because DDR3 was mainstream/cheap, not because it improved performance.

The main benefit DDR3 would give you is the ability to increase your RAM amount easily to 8GB or 16GB.

 

[inf1nity]

I just called up a local dealer and he said that he'll buy my old DDR2 RAM for 200 rupees. I asked him the price of a new 1GB DDR2 stick, he said they aren't sold anymore. I also checked DDR3 prices and he's giving 2GB A-Data stick for 1550 rupees.

I checked on flipkart for 1GB DDR2 RAM and the cheapest one is for 669 rupees. However it is a different brand than what i have with me and there might be compatibility problems.

So now i have two options-
669 rupees for 2GB DDR2 RAM + possible compatibility issues.
1350 rupees for 2GB DDR3 RAM.

I plan to use my current RAM for now, i will go around the city asking in other shops and see if i can get a lower price for the DDR3 RAM and a higher one for my used DDR2

 

[inf1nity]

On AM2+/AM3, with an AM3 CPU, there can be a little boost from going to faster DDR3 (DDR2-800 to DDR3-800 will gain nothing, obviously), especially with an L3-less CPU (L3 as well, but you can feel a difference w/ no-L3 models, while L3 ones need to be benchmarked ). It won't be worth the upgrade cost, however, since the difference will only make itself known if the CPU is under stress for awhile, like, for example, playing video games, and still tends to be only a minor improvement.

LGA775 gets limited too much by its FSB for there to be any gains at all. As of about, say, DDR2-667 CAS 5, the speed differences started becoming academic. Support for DDR3-1600 in 4-series chipset boards was more because DDR3 was mainstream/cheap, not because it improved performance.

The main benefit DDR3 would give you is the ability to increase your RAM amount easily to 8GB or 16GB.

Thanks for the info. I will be upgrading from a 945G to a G41 platform. The main reason i am doing this because current mobo is giving me lot of troubles(check my thread in the Computer Help section if your interested)

I don't do anything intensive with my computer, and what i currently have is okay for my uses(apart from the 1GB RAM, but that also isn't that big of a pain)

The biggest annoyance is that i have to wait for 5 minutes for the video to appear on cold booting and wake up.

And i don't need 8GB of RAM at all. 4 GB is the max i'll need, any more will be a waste.

Not a bit.

Thanks for your input.

 

[sm625]

The RAM itself isnt much faster. The memory controller enhancements that came along with DDR3 make it seem faster. But microprocessor IPC is still a far more important factor. I would take a haswell with a single memory channel rather than a hypothetical Core 2 duo with dual DDR4 or even GDDR5.

 

[Cerb]

The RAM itself isnt much faster. The memory controller enhancements that came along with DDR3 make it seem faster.

Actually, the RAM itself is that much faster. But, the CPU needs to be able to make use of that. Newer memory controllers never made DDR3-800 worth using, FI. In the case of AM2+/AM3, they could be compared, and the memory controller shared DDR2 and DDR3, much like the 4-series from Intel. Performance was basically the same at the same speeds.

Newer CPUs, optimized for faster RAM, will tend to use more RAM bandwidth, since it's there, and be slowed down by slower RAM. But, just the same, they are still designed for a limited amount of RAM IO available, and to balance their ability to hungrily prefetch with using cache to limit RAM performance needs. Faster DDR3, and memory controller improvements for it, are part of why we can get better performance today with 4-6MB cache in lower-end CPUs than we would years ago with 8-12MB.

5-7 years from now, DDR3-2800 still won't be of any use to an LGA1150 CPU, but we might just need far faster RAM for tomorrow's CPUs to shine.