Fastest Asus P4B533 memory combo?!

Mar 12, 2002
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Heya kidz!

I got an Asus P4B533 mobo plus a 266Mhz 256MB Kingston dimm (CL2.5). The thing is I want a "better" "quicker" module of memory. Now I've been reading about Corsair bringin out the XMS serie (http://www.corsairmemory.com/main/PR_cmx256a-3000.html). Will this baby work on my mobo? Cause I read something about:

Corsair's XMS3000 parts are comprehensively qualified on two leading edge platforms - an AMD Athlon platform based on the Via KT333 chip set, and an Intel Pentium 4 ("P4") platform based on the SiS 645 chip set.

I've also looked on the Asus homepage and they say only PC1600 and PC2100 is supported by the P4B533, but if I'm not mistaking I read somewhere that they used PC2700 on it and it worked fine (and the crosair is PC3200?).

Any ideas?
Tanks ahlot!

 

Athlon4all

Diamond Member
Jun 18, 2001
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You're not going to be able to do much memory ocing with that board. The Memory ratio defaults to 1:1 at 133fsb and up and even at 132fsb, yu will still get at best DDR352. Go get a EPoX 4G4A, Abit BG7 or Asus P4B533-V.:)
 

Athlon4all

Diamond Member
Jun 18, 2001
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Yea but you realistically even with a 1.6A wont get that high cause all P4 cpus are multiplier locked. And you may be confusing the 400MHz with the real speed of the fsb. Just to confirm the fsb is actually 100 (or 133 on the new 2.4B, 2.26 and 2.53 CPU's)MHz but they operate at QDR so their effective transfer rate is quadrupled, thats where you hear terms like 400fsb or 533fsb.

EDIT: Oh PC2700 will work fine in this board, but it wont operate unless oced at DDR333 but rather DDR266. Thats why I would get an 845G board like the 3 I mentioned.
 
Mar 12, 2002
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I still dont get it sorry! lol :)

I overclocked my P4 1.6a to 2400Mhz (FSB 150Mhz, locked multiplier at 16). What you are saying is that the 150Mhz FSB is 150/4=37,5Mhz?

The thing is now, that I tried 160Mhz (thought that is comparable to DDR320 right?) but my the sys didnt boot, so I'm thinking maybe I need memory rated at a higher speed.
 

linster

Senior member
Aug 20, 2000
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No, if your FSB is 150, then effective FSB is 150 x 4 or 600.

What Athlon4all is trying to say is that your P4B533 can't run the FSB and the memory at different speeds (at least above 133 FSB). This means at 150 FSB, you memory is also at 150 or an effective 300 since it's DDR. With some other boards that have a 3:4 or a 4:5 ratio, that means you can run your FSB at 150 and have memory at 200 with a 3:4 ratio or at 187.5 with a 4:5 ratio. This may be important if your chip is stuck at 150 FSB and your memory can do much higher than 150.

To answer your original question, the Corsair XMS will work in the P4B533. You should expect that the reason your system doesn't boot at 160 is because of your chip and not the memory.
 
Mar 12, 2002
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Oke, I think I'm starting to get the point on what my mobo does not support. But what if I say the hell with the ratios? Am I really being an Idiot now :D lol
I was planning in buying "better" memory just in order to try and run the cpu faster? In other words I think that the memory is the problem not the cpu ;) maybe a stupid thought, but dreaming helps right :)
Thanks for the help though, much appreciated. I'll get back to this thread if I have the new memory to tell the rest of my story.
 

THUGSROOK

Elite Member
Feb 3, 2001
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you didnt run all the tests ...and you dont beat me ;)
whats your vid card overclock? mine is rather mild - 295x645.
i gotta try the new drivers :D
 

oldfart

Lifer
Dec 2, 1999
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IntelInsideIdiotOutside what are you trying to do? That new mem will allow better cas timings, which will help but not THAT much. If you want to improve your memory performance, you need a better motherboard. With the P4B533, you are stuck with a 1:1 mem ratio. In your case, that is DDR284. If you had a board with a 4:5 and 3:4 ratio, you could run DDR355 or DDR378 @ the same FSB speed you now run.
 

THUGSROOK

Elite Member
Feb 3, 2001
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oldfart so youd spend that kind of $ on a new moboard with ratios & ram for only 150 3dmarks more then just ram? :Q
 

oldfart

Lifer
Dec 2, 1999
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oldfart so youd spend that kind of $ on a new moboard with ratios & ram for only 150 3dmarks more then just ram? :Q
No, I wouldn't. I wouldn't spend a nickle to do something as silly as improve some benchmark score. Of course, I dont have to either. I also did my reseach when I picked an 845D motherboard. I chose one with working mem ratios and CAS settings right off the bat. I didn't have to go through 3 different boards to get those basic features (and STILL not have 3:4 above 132 FSB). ;)