I need help adjusting ram timings.

GRagland

Senior member
Oct 7, 2002
677
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Please try to answer as many of my questions as you can, I have a lot :)

Ok, for the first time ever I tried adjusting my ram timings, I have had my computer for 3 years. I have 384mb Crucial PC2100.
I tried 8852222 and my computer would not post. So then i laxed them a bit and tried a bunch of different settings and it still would not post. So I went and whined about it in the forums. Then I restarted and tried 8854222 and it booted fine. Then I tried 8852222 again and it booted fine! (Wierd.) Then I tried 8052222 and it also booted fine and then i ran Prime95 for 2.5 hours and there was no errors. The I tried 0052222 and it also booted fine! My 1800+ Palimino is at stock (1.533Ghz) and I'm not gonna OC it. What do you think? Why could I not speed up my ram timings at first, but then I could. Should I speed them up more (im at 0052222) or should I leave it at this for a while to see if its stable? I noticed a 450 point increase in 3dmark2001.

I have an epox-8k7a and i was not able to get my fsb above 145 without stability problems in games. I am thinkin this is because i have a epox-8k7a and it does not have a 1/5 divider. So i dont know if its the ram or it could be my pci card or 9700 thats limiting it. At some point I am gonna upgrade my cpu/mobo and oc a lot. If this ram can handle high fsb (it is crucial after all) then i would rather keep it then get expensive ram. Does the fact that I am getting pretty good ram timings mean that my ram will most likely be able to handle a high fsb?

So, should I speed up my timings even more? Are these good ram timings that I am at? An epox-8k7a does not have a 1/5 devider right? Do you think my ram can handle a higher then 145 fsb and it just my cards crapping out? Why the hell could i not speed up my ram timings at all, and then when i tried again i suddenly could speed them up a whole lot? Did they just need to get burned in?

I know these are a lot of questions, but it would be an enormous help if i could get them answered. Thanks!
 

Drewpy

Senior member
Jun 1, 2002
209
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I'd say its probably your ram that's limiting you. Your 3 year old ram was probably close to the manufacturing limit back then, Three years has brought about

My computer is just over a year old and is only stable at 143 FSB at the lowest timings because of my ram. With prices dropping pretty rapidly I'm gonna wait a week, and blow a pay cheque on some PC2700 or maybe PC3200 ram.

And since you stated
My 1800+ Palimino is at stock (1.533Ghz) and I'm not gonna OC it.
then why are you worried about your FSB. Increasing the FSB IS overclocking.

You need to be more clear on what you want to ask, and keep it short and simple...
 

GRagland

Senior member
Oct 7, 2002
677
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0
im not gonna oc my 1800+, but i am gonna oc my 2100 tbred b when i get it. wanna know if i should get new ram (pc2700..) or if my pc2100 will take a high fsb when i oc my 2100+. since it seems to be taking pretty fast timings, i thouhg maybe that meant it would also take a high fsb if i laxed the timings.
 

Ilmater

Diamond Member
Jun 13, 2002
7,516
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First off, let me be clear on something. Crucial makes great sticks of RAM, but they have never been known for their overclocking potential. Second, I have no idea what timings you're talking about with your board. Normally, I've seen 2-2-2-5-2, or 2-2-5-2, but the 8852222 and 0052222 are totally foreign to me. In general, yes you will be able to overclock farther with RAM that is stable at lower timings. However, I wouldn't expect RAM like that to make it to DDR333 speeds. It all depends on how high you're planning on overclocking your 2100+. That should be able to make it to nearly a 400MHz FSB from what I've heard, so you'll be limiting your overclocking potential with the slower RAM.

And just a side note, RAM prices are at ridiculous lows right now, and they can't go much lower (they're spot price = manufacturing costs from what I've heard), so if you do decide to try this out, then I'd wait about a week for those prices to affect street prices (as if they're not low enough already), and then buy buy buy. Also, don't buy more than 512MB; it'd be a waste.