Looking for "Memory guide for DUMMIES!"

[mitchelt]

OK,

After a bunch of research I think the best thing for me to do is get a new motherboard and either a high mhz P3 or P4, depends on price.

Anyway, I was reading a bunch of posts and the issue of MEMORY came up, some people said that RDRAM is aging and to stay away from it, but one of the motherboards people like, the ASUS P4T-E 9 (if I go P4) uses "Dual Channel RDRAM Support: Max. 2GB PC800/PC600 ECC/non-ECC RDRAM Memory".

So, my question is what makes one memory better the other, it seems like SDRAM is slow.

Also, what does PC800/PC600 mean as in the specs for the above ASUS board? On PRICEWATCH.com they mention:

PC2700 DDR
PC2400 DDR
PC2100 DDR
PC1600 DDR
PC150
PC133
PC100

What the heck does that mean?

So:

For a P3, what motherboard would you recommend, taking the cost and speed of memory into account?

For a P4, what motherboard would you recommend, taking the cost and speed of memory into account?


Thanks everyone for your continuing support! I've built my last 2 pc's with everyones help!

Mitch (Denver, CO)

 

[IgoByte]

Mitch,

Get an Athlon XP and and some DDR SDRAM.

I'm not a fan of the P4, so I cannot recommend anything. The PIII, even the completely overpriced new 1.2Ghz CPU is waaay far behind the Athlon XP and still only uses the PC133 SDRAM platform, except for some very recent boards. The Athlon is your best bet.

 

[mitchelt]

I am NOT against getting an ATHLON system, just be aware that this system will be for GAMES...if it matters.

IgoByte, what do you recommend:

- motherboard?
- memory, in easy to understand terms


Thanks!

Mitch

 

[GTaudiophile]

For that ASUS board, you need RAMBUS RDRAM, which can usually be found in speeds of PC800 and PC600. Go for the faster PC800. I think the speed/effectiveness of RAM depends on two things: the frequency and the multiplier. (Could be wrong.) Some RAM, like DDR SDRAM has a lower clock speed but higher multiplier as compared to RDRAM that has a higher clock speed and lower multiplier.

PC600/PC800 RDRAM: For Pentium 4 boards using the i850 chipset only
PC1600, PC2100, PC2700 DDR SDRAM: For Most high-end AMD boards KT266A, AMD760, nForce, SiS735/745, etc (soon for Intel's i845-B/SiS635)
PC66, PC100, PC133, PC150 SDRAM: For lower-end boards like Intel's i845

If you are not a big overclocker, consider getting one of Intel's motherboards, so you don't have to pay the ASUS premium. Make sure the board supports Socket 478 CPUs and not Socket 423.

Newegg.com offers the MSI 850 Pro5 for $135 and the MSI SIS 645 Ultra333 for $124. Also consider the Epox 4T2A3 for $130.

 

[IgoByte]

Mitch,

The Athlon XP1900 is better than the P4 2Ghz in pretty much every aspect. I have nothing against Intel, but I just don't like the P4.

So, here is my recommendation:

Motherboard: SOYO K7V DRAGON+ Plus or ABIT KR7A-RAID (the ABIT isn't available in stores yet)
CPU: Athlon XP1900 $245+ according to PriceWatch
RAM: 2 x 256MB PC2100 DDR SDRAM from Crucial should be more than sufficient.

OS: Windows XP Pro or Home

 

[IgoByte]

And a P4 recommendation for you, after all:

Motherboard: Asus P4Te becuase it will support the upcoming Northwood P4 and is a highly regarded board among P4 users.
CPU: P4 1.9Ghz (I say this because it's $140 cheaper than the 2Ghz model)
RAM: 2 x 256MB PC800 RDRAM (don't go with PC600 or PC700...I don't even know why they made that stuff). You don't need ECC memory...just plain will do in any case.

 

[GTaudiophile]

The ASUS P4TE is overrated and costs some $40 more than the ones I mentioned from Epox and MSI. If you would prefer to pay for cheaper DDR SDRAM, go with the SiS635 chipset.

I guess what I would do:

Motherboard: Epox 4T2A3* i850 for $130
CPU: Retail Intel Pentium 4 1.7Ghz Socket-478 for $208
RAM: 2x Samung 256MB PC800 RDRAM for $168 (RDRAM must be bought in pairs.)
Total: $506
*May require a special, "P4-ready" power supply.

Or

Motherboard: MSI SiS635 Ultra333 for $124
CPU: Retail Intel Pentium 4 1.7Ghz Socket-478 for $208
RAM: 2x Crucial 256MB PC2100 DDR SDRAM for $110
Total: $442


For perspective, here's what a similar AMD-based system would cost:

Motherboard: Epox EP-8KHA+ for $105
CPU: Retail AMD Athlon XP 1700+ (1.47Ghz) for $170
RAM: 2x Crucial 256MB PC2100 DDR SDRAM for $110
Total: $385

 

[Leokor]

<< I am NOT against getting an ATHLON system, just be aware that this system will be for GAMES...if it matters. >>



Athlon XP performs better in games than Pentium 4. Check out Anand's review.

Leo