Help on memory

[VegasATO]

Ok I found the motherboard that I'm going to buy (Abit AI7) and I just have a question on the memory. Don't laugh at me, but I'm actually upgrading from a system that takes pc133 memory and haven't really kept up on all this fancy new technology Anyway, this mobo supports "4 DIMM Dual Channel DDR 400" memory. I want to get a p4 that has an 800mhz fsb, and obvioulsy I want ram that runs at 800mhz (right?). From what I've been reading I need to buy 2 pc3200 @ 400mhz to get the 800mhz, since there is currently no memory that runs at that speed (800mhz). Is this correct or am I not quite grasping how this stuff works? Also..anyone have any experiences with that mobo? Most of the reviews I've read give it a pretty decent rating...just wanted to see how it works in the "rel" world hehe. Thanks.

-Vegas

 

[MichaelD]

Hello and welcome to the AT Forums.

The P4 has a "Quad Front Side Bus." So, it runs PC3200, which runs at 200MHz at 800MHz (200 x 4)

That motherboard also is capable of dual channel operation, which will increase performance by around 10-20% or so. Do use dual channel, you need two identical sticks of PC3200 memory.

You're best off buying them in a kit, ALA one of Corsairs' 1GB (2x 512MB) kits. Don't buy cheap memory; you'll regret it.

 

[VegasATO]

If I use that setup (probably in 512mb though) will I technically be utilizing the 800mhz fsb?

-Vegas

 

[mechBgon]

The 800MHz FSB is from the processor to the motherboard's northbridge, so the memory doesn't enter into the FSB question directly. To skip to what counts, though, it's as MichaelD said: use two or four DDR400 memory modules if you want the processor to work at its potential.

If you're after high gaming performance, the Athlon64's might be worth looking at before you commit to the Pentium4. If you do want a Pentium4 then may I suggest getting the Northwood core, which is the model that has 512kb of L2 cache. The Prescott core with 1MB of L2 cache also has a longer 31-stage pipeline (bad) and is generally shunned by informed P4 buyers around here. The Prescotts are distinguished by the 1MB of L2 cache, by the 90nm process used to build them, and by the letter "E" on their GHz rating (eg Pentium4 3.2E), except for the 2.4GHz Prescott which is called the 2.4A for no obvious reason

Hope that helps If you're interested in an A64, the 2800+ and 3000+ are good values and Newegg has some enticing combo deals on them