Easy question about memory speed compatability...

[bignateyk]

I've been out of the computer loop for about 5 years now, and am about to build my first box since then.

I am gonna get the core 2 duo 3.16ghz with 1333 FSB. My question is, what DDR2 memory speed do I need to get to work best with this? I dont plan on overclocking at all. Most of the motherboards I see only accept DDR2 800. I've seen one or two that have DDR3 1333. Do I need to get memory that is 1333 MHz to work best with this processor?

 

[DSF]

DDR2-800 is fine. As long as your memory speed is at least half of the FSB Intel reports, you'll be ok. In other words, don't go any slower than DDR2-667 with that processor, but anything at or above that speed is ok. I wouldn't really consider the E8500 to be a good buy though. The E8400 is very nearly as fast for less money - I strongly doubt you'll miss that 166MHz. What're you using the machine for?

 

[Team42]

1333 MHz rated FSB translates as 333 MHz bus speed (which you multiply by the CPU multiplier to ascertain your core clock speed) quad-pumped. Ergo 333 x 4 = 1333.

Take the bus speed (333 MHz) and multiply by 2 for synchronos DDR2 memory speed and you get 667MHz, which is well within the confines of DDR2 (PC-6400) which is rated at 800 Mhz.

I presume you're talking about the Intel E8400 CPU. PC2-6400 will suffice if you OC to 3.6 GHz (400 x 9). PC2-8500 will give you greater headroom if you OC closer to 4.0 GHz, but in my opinion, that would be overkill (you can always OC the RAM a little too.

I think...

 

[DSF]

Originally posted by: Team42
1333 MHz rated FSB translates as 333 MHz bus speed (which you multiply by the CPU multiplier to ascertain your core clock speed) quad-pumped. Ergo 333 x 4 = 1333.

Take the bus speed (333 MHz) and multiply by 2 for synchronos DDR2 memory speed and you get 667MHz, which is well within the confines of DDR2 (PC-6400) which is rated at 800 Mhz.

I presume you're talking about the Intel E8400 CPU. PC2-6400 will suffice if you OC to 3.6 GHz (400 x 9). PC2-8500 will give you greater headroom if you OC closer to 4.0 GHz, but in my opinion, that would be overkill (you can always OC the RAM a little too.

I think...

He mentioned 3.16 GHz, which would be the E8500 with a 9.5 multiplier.

 

[Team42]

DSF:

He did. Whoops! Er... I blame the keyboard, naturally.

 

[DSF]

Originally posted by: Team42
DSF:

He did. Whoops! Er... I blame the keyboard, naturally.

Sounds more like a problem with the chair-to-keyboard interface to me. 😉

 

[bignateyk]

Thanks guys. What's the popular motherboard these days? I'm not gonna be doing SLI or anything like that... Probably 4 gigs of ram and an 8800 GT

 

[DSF]

Any P35 or P45 board from a reputable manufacturer like Gigabyte, ASUS, MSI or DFI should be fine. A DFI BIOS could be a bit bewildering for someone who's not overclocking though. Actually, if you're not overclocking P43 is probably a great choice. It won't have the overclocking options of the other two, but it will be nice and stable, less expensive, and still give you the fringe benefit of PCI-e 2.0 compliance.

 

[Team42]

Originally posted by: DSF

Originally posted by: Team42
DSF:

He did. Whoops! Er... I blame the keyboard, naturally.

Sounds more like a problem with the chair-to-keyboard interface to me. 😉

That particular component has been shut-down, rebooted and fed. 😀

I've noticed lately it gets a bit cranky after a 17 hour day... 😕


bignateyk:

That's a whole new thread there. And depends on a lot of variables (budget, RAID, WIFI, PCI slot requirements, etc).

T42