If my CPU is 266 clock, do I really need 333 RAM?

Achilles97

Senior member
May 10, 2000
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I have an Athlon XP 2100/266. Do I really need DDR2700 ram?

I was planning on overclocking my system (I have nForce2), and I was concerned about the quality of the Ram I'll buy. BUT it just dawned on me that if my system will be running with a 266 bus, the 2700 ram will clock down to 266, right? So it'll leave plenty of room for overclocking, even if it's Generic Ram, right?

???

Thanks!

 

numark

Golden Member
Sep 17, 2002
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You would be correct. Getting 333Mhz RAM also gives you an upgrade path if you later decide to move to a chip with a faster FSB. With the price difference pretty much negligible as of today according to Pricewatch, I don't see any reason not to get the 2700.
 

tapir

Senior member
Nov 21, 2001
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Generic PC2700 can sometimes run at 2100 speeds max. - mine does :|
if you get a respectable brand like Kingston, Crucial, Corsair or Mushkin, PC2700 leaves tons of room for overclocking a 266MHz Athlon. If your 2100+ is a t-bred B like many others on this site, you may be able to auto-adjust the multiplier and run it at 333MHz bus at high speeds without problems. The PC2700 will be a great investment.
 

Achilles97

Senior member
May 10, 2000
401
14
81
Yes, my CPU is a Tbred B.

Your 2700 ram only runs at 2100? That's messed up, what if you were running it with a true 333 fsb cpu, would it just plain ol' not work?

The Ram I have in mind is at mwave, it's $38 for 256m 2700 Generic. If it really can run stable at 333 I'll be happy to get it.

Anyone else have Generic ram 2700 running stable at 333?

Thanks!
 

KidChaos

Senior member
Jan 21, 2003
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If ya don't have the funds for the Corsair stuff, get the Samsung Original PC2700 memory.