Different ram??

[Eddie313]

I have crucial ballistix tracer 2gb
and i picked up a set of gskill ddr2 800 4gb for 40 bucks off newegg

Now there the same ddr2 800 the timings are different should i just run them stock?
Will be performance loss? Or should i just run one of the sets only?

crucial
Cas Latency 4
Timing 4-4-4-12
Voltage 2.0V

Gskill
Cas Latency 5
Timing 5-5-5-15
Voltage 1.8V - 1.9V


Thanks

 

[DSF]

All of the modules will have to be run at the same timings and voltage. To start with, this would mean setting them all to 2.1V and 5-5-5-15. If you tinker, you can probably find a middle ground that works for both sets without having to use the highest voltage and loosest timings.

 

[Eddie313]

Thank you when i get them ill give it a shot.

 

[DSF]

By the way, some motherboards tolerate having all four DIMM slots filled better than others. You may need to play around with the voltages for the memory controller to get everything stable even after you feed the RAM all the voltage it wants.

 

[TBSN]

Do you know what the Memory controller is usually called in BIOS? I am in the same situation, I am adding another pair of 2x1GB sticks to my computer...

 

[ch33zw1z]

Originally posted by: TBSN
Do you know what the Memory controller is usually called in BIOS? I am in the same situation, I am adding another pair of 2x1GB sticks to my computer...

Memory controller is part of the Northbridge chipset for most machines currently, what motherboard do you have?

 

[Eddie313]

Yeah i have a P45 and was having some problems with the volts on my 2gb set the companys website said it needed 2.2 volts but got blue screens every once and while.
I set it at 1.8 volts and everything works great. When i get home i'm going to check the timings they might be at 5-5-5-15 right now with only 1.8volts.

 

[TBSN]

I can't get my ram stable at 1.8, but they are rated at 2.1 and they run fine at that (800 MHz, 5-5-5-15). Unfortunately my other ram is 1066 and rated at 2.2-2.4v and keeps failing. This will be the FOURTH time I RMA it. (It's GeIL, I'd stay away from that stuff. GSkill has been great though)

I asked the RMA people to "downgrade" my ram to DDR800, which will hopefully be less prone to failure.

 

[DSF]

Yeah I wouldn't ever buy RAM that's spec'ed for 2.2-2.4V. Ever. Some people may have different experiences, but for me that's just too likely to fail early. It's 33% higher than the standard 1.8V.