Duel DDR400?

[StaTik]

Can someone point me to an article on duel DDR or give me the low down?

1) Do you need 2 sticks of DDR for this to work? eg. 2, 256, DDR400?

2)What if any are the advantages of duel DDR on a AMD system?

I ask because I'm buying a Abit Nforce2 and it lists duel DDR as one of its functions and I have read a lot of reviews that mention duel DDR. I need to know if it's worth buying 2, 256, 400mhz corsair sticks or going with a single 512 instead.
I will be getting a XP2600 for it and I use the machine for mostly games.

 

[Ilmater]

Yes, in order for DCDDR to work, you need two (preferably identical) sticks of RAM for it to work. However, if it's a cost decision, I wouldn't worry too much about it. It doesn't give you much performance over a Single-Channel DDR setup. Usually, it's not much more for two sticks, though, so you might as well get the extra 5% or so boost in performance.

Also, Corsair is bundling two sticks together for a slightly better price than they would cost separately, so you might want to look into those. They're called TwinX. But, before you ask, contrary to what Corsair advertises, they're not any better or worse than two separate sticks.

Oh, and Geil offers a similar bundle as well. I buy Geil because they overclock/perform well and they cost less than Corsair.

 

[StaTik]

I was under the impression that you needed 2 sticks to make it work thanks for the conformation.

5%? I'll take it!

I assume that they will tell you what slots to place the ram in in the manual but what else is involved? Will there be a bios setting I will need to tinker with or will the board just pick it up and do it?

 

[human2k]

Corsair has been known to use Samsung chips, samsung ram has been known to be good oveclockers. Newegg has 256MB PC2700 samsung original for $55 a stick. Get two sticks and your set. $110, not bad.

 

[vetteguy]

Can I take this opportunity to show some ignorance about DDR memory? I have to admit that in the past year or so I haven't paid much attention to what's been going on with stuff like that, and when I upgrade I kind of "borrow" ideas from others. However, I want to know exactly what I'm doing now, so here goes:

1. From what I've read, DDR needs to have 2 sticks to utilize the dual channel feature. Do all DDR motherboards support this? Or is this something new that only a few support?
a. If it's new, is this what the granite bay boards are for?
2. What is the significance of the speeds? For instance, there is PC2100-PC3700, but then each one has a different number for its bus speed (like 333MHz or 400MHz). Does that correspond to the fsb that your processor supports?
a. If so, what about 533MHz Pentium 4's? Is there no DDR RAM that will fully utilize that bandwidth?
3. I kind of understand CAS timings, but recently when people have been posting about DDR they have a string of timings, like 2-2-2-6. What does all of that mean?
4. I am planning on building a Shuttle portable rig using the SB51G barebones system. It supports P4's up to 3.06GHz (533 bus). Would the best memory for me to use be PC3200? Or should it go higher to utilize more of the P4's bus?

If there is an FAQ about all of this I will gladly read that over. I'm not too big to admit that I'm stupid about all of this, but I want to learn so I can make some informed decisions over the coming months. Thanks much!

 

[KidChaos]

Originally posted by: StaTik
Can someone point me to an article on duel DDR or give me the low down?

1) Do you need 2 sticks of DDR for this to work? eg. 2, 256, DDR400?

Yes.

2)What if any are the advantages of duel DDR on a AMD system?

~5 percent.

I ask because I'm buying a Abit Nforce2 and it lists duel DDR as one of its functions and I have read a lot of reviews that mention duel DDR.

If getting Abit NF7-S, make sure ya get Revision 1.2. It's sold at ExcaliberPC

I need to know if it's worth buying 2, 256, 400mhz corsair sticks or going with a single 512 instead.

I would go with two sticks. May want to save some money buy getting two TwinMos 256MB PC3200 memories. It's great stuff and unbelievably cheap.

I will be getting a XP2600 for it and I use the machine for mostly games.

Make sure ya get the 333MHz DDR FSB version. Because, there is a 266MHz DDR FSB version out there as well.

 

[AtomicDude512]

Originally posted by: Ilmater
Yes, in order for DCDDR to work, you need two (preferably identical) sticks of RAM for it to work. However, if it's a cost decision, I wouldn't worry too much about it. It doesn't give you much performance over a Single-Channel DDR setup. Usually, it's not much more for two sticks, though, so you might as well get the extra 5% or so boost in performance.

Also, Corsair is bundling two sticks together for a slightly better price than they would cost separately, so you might want to look into those. They're called TwinX. But, before you ask, contrary to what Corsair advertises, they're not any better or worse than two separate sticks.

Oh, and Geil offers a similar bundle as well. I buy Geil because they overclock/perform well and they cost less than Corsair.

Gell is usually overclocked before you even get it I heard...

 

[MarkFahey]

I myself am waiting for "3D TELEVISION!" - Ralph Kramden

As well as 800Mhz FSB!!!

 

[KidChaos]

Originally posted by: StaTik
I assume that they will tell you what slots to place the ram in in the manual but what else is involved?

They tell ya in the manual. Nothing else is required, dualDDR automatically enabled from that point.

 

[Mavrick007]

Originally posted by: Ilmater
Yes, in order for DCDDR to work, you need two (preferably identical) sticks of RAM for it to work. However, if it's a cost decision, I wouldn't worry too much about it. It doesn't give you much performance over a Single-Channel DDR setup. Usually, it's not much more for two sticks, though, so you might as well get the extra 5% or so boost in performance.

Also, Corsair is bundling two sticks together for a slightly better price than they would cost separately, so you might want to look into those. They're called TwinX. But, before you ask, contrary to what Corsair advertises, they're not any better or worse than two separate sticks.

Oh, and Geil offers a similar bundle as well. I buy Geil because they overclock/perform well and they cost less than Corsair.

I wonder if it's really going to cost less for buying two in the TwinX config, or if it's just a marketing ploy to make more money off of the consumer since they have "tested" them in the DCDDR config. I see that the prices on newegg show that TwinX is selling for a premium of about ~$20 or so for the same two sticks sold separately.

 

[vetteguy]

Originally posted by: vetteguy
Can I take this opportunity to show some ignorance about DDR memory? I have to admit that in the past year or so I haven't paid much attention to what's been going on with stuff like that, and when I upgrade I kind of "borrow" ideas from others. However, I want to know exactly what I'm doing now, so here goes:

1. From what I've read, DDR needs to have 2 sticks to utilize the dual channel feature. Do all DDR motherboards support this? Or is this something new that only a few support?
a. If it's new, is this what the granite bay boards are for?
2. What is the significance of the speeds? For instance, there is PC2100-PC3700, but then each one has a different number for its bus speed (like 333MHz or 400MHz). Does that correspond to the fsb that your processor supports?
a. If so, what about 533MHz Pentium 4's? Is there no DDR RAM that will fully utilize that bandwidth?
3. I kind of understand CAS timings, but recently when people have been posting about DDR they have a string of timings, like 2-2-2-6. What does all of that mean?
4. I am planning on building a Shuttle portable rig using the SB51G barebones system. It supports P4's up to 3.06GHz (533 bus). Would the best memory for me to use be PC3200? Or should it go higher to utilize more of the P4's bus?

If there is an FAQ about all of this I will gladly read that over. I'm not too big to admit that I'm stupid about all of this, but I want to learn so I can make some informed decisions over the coming months. Thanks much!

Ok, let me just ask this then: If I have a 533MHz P4 and am not planning on overclocking, does it make sense to buy anything higher than PC2700? Thanks.