DDR400 at 3 latency, or DDR333 at 2 latency

[SagaLore]

I can get 2x256mb of RAM, DDR333, with all latencies of 2. Or at the same price I can get 2x256mb of RAM, DDR400, with all latencies at 3. Will be used for dual channel.

Which is going to be the better performer? I'm reading that DDR400 had a rough start, I don't know if it was fixed, and overclocking enthusiasts seem to stress latency at times.

 

[ts3433]

Latencies in general don't make a difference. Other planned specs?

 

[SagaLore]

MSI "K7N2 Delta2-LSR" NVIDIA nForce2 Ultra 400 MB for Socket A
SAPPHIRE ATI RADEON 9600PRO Video Card, 256MB DDR, 128-Bit
SilverStone Tech. 400W Super Silent Power Supply w/ Active Power Factor Correction

I already have an Athlon XP, 1700 I think. Thermalright SK7 copper heatsink. I'm getting Arctic Silver 5.

Took me all night to decide on the video card. I was going to get an nforce2 board with IGP and use the MX4 equivilent onboard video, but I was talked out of it (especially after I compared all of the benchmarks). The nforce2 Ultra 400 board cost the same, and I am going to spend the extra $100 on the 9600PRO that looks like it should allow me to play some decent games.

The memory I am deciding on are:

Kingston HyperX Series Dual Kits 184 Pin 512MB(256MBx2) DDR PC-2700
Cas Latency: 2-2-2-5-1
for $107

mushkin Dual Channel Kit 184-Pin 512MB(256MBx2) DDR PC-3200
Cas Latency: 2.5-3-3
for $92

Kingston ValueRAM Dual Kits 184 Pin 512MB(256MBx2) DDR PC-3200
Cas latency: 3
for $76

 

[SagaLore]

I just found this article Does Latency Matter?.

There is a small increase, mostly when playing games. But now I have to figure out if that small increase is more or less than the performance increase of the higher frequency.

 

[ts3433]

The higher frequency will really only help if you overclock, but you can transfer it to a future rig more easily. The DDR400 will probably run at low timings anyway. Since dual channel doesn't make a difference on the AXP unless you use NF2 onboard video, just get 1 512MB DIMM.

 

[SagaLore]

I found this article:

dual channel versus single channel

The difference is tiny but there is a slight performance gain. I wonder how all this adds up...