Memory Sugestions

[Badjokesben]

My next system is going to consist of:

Mobile Athlon XP 2400+ or 2500+ (not sure which, available funds will determine)
NF7 or NF7-S (not sure which, but same as above)
ATI Radeon 9800 Pro AIW (already got that)
SLK 947u with Vantec Tornado 92mm

Now I need a memory sugestion. Consider that I am going to overclock this thing.

I'm down to OCZ PC3500 Platinum or Mushkin Level II PC3500.

At this point I can't find either of these, but still:
Which one in your opinion is better?
Which gives the best bang for the buck?
Is the performance of 1024MB over 512MB enough to warrant me spending an extra $80 on 1024MB?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Jeff7181]

I'm happy with my Mushkin Level 1 PC3500... true it's not a HUGE overclocker, but I got it for $215, and it runs 2-3-3 @ 218 Mhz on 2.6 volts... and with an Athlon XP system, you won't be going much higher than that on the FSB anyway. It's a much better buy than getting some PC4000 where the SPEED is guaranteed, but low timings are not. PC4000 may run 3-4-4-8 @ 250 mhz, but still may only run 2.5-4-4-8 at 200 Mhz. You might even consider getting some nice low latency (2-2-2) PC3200 since a 200 Mhz FSB even on the crappiest of nForce2 motherboards should allow you 2.5 Ghz (200x12.5).

 

[Badjokesben]

I was thinking of the PC3500 because the two I mentioned can get timings of 2-2-2-6 or even 2-2-2-5 at DDR 400, plus you get some head room for FSB overclocking. Then again I'm new to OC'ing so any experiences are more that welcome.

Originally posted by: Jeff7181
I'm happy with my Mushkin Level 1 PC3500... true it's not a HUGE overclocker, but I got it for $215, and it runs 2-3-3 @ 218 Mhz on 2.6 volts... and with an Athlon XP system, you won't be going much higher than that on the FSB anyway. It's a much better buy than getting some PC4000 where the SPEED is guaranteed, but low timings are not. PC4000 may run 3-4-4-8 @ 250 mhz, but still may only run 2.5-4-4-8 at 200 Mhz. You might even consider getting some nice low latency (2-2-2) PC3200 since a 200 Mhz FSB even on the crappiest of nForce2 motherboards should allow you 2.5 Ghz (200x12.5).

 

[Dulanic]

As I posted in another thread... Newegg has Mushkin PC3200 Special edition which is rated at 2-2-2... 1GB kit... 2x512 for $243.... awsome deal. Def awsome ram for the price as a 512MB stick alone from Mushkin is $181.

 

[MegaWorks]

get OCZ PC-3700 Gold rev.2 these rams are amazing they can do 2-2-3-5 @ DDR400

------------------------------------------------------
AMD Athlon XP T-Bred B DLT3C 1700+ @ 2.3GHZ (1.775v) 400FSB = 3200+
Abit NF7-S V.2 (nForce2-U400)
Corsair TwinX XMS 3200LL 512MB @ 2-3-2-6 (2.6v)
Sapphire Radeon 9500 Pro 128MB
Antec TrueBlue 480W
Thermalright SLK-947U with 92mm Vantec Tornado @2800RPM
Maxtor 91531U3 15GB
2x Western Digital WD400BB 40GB serials
Antec PlusView 1000AMG
Cambridge SoundWorks MegaWorks THX 550 5.1

 

[edplayer]

since you are not sure if you have the funds for a 2500+ vs a 2400+ and you want the "best bang for the buck". Just get some decent (good company/warranty, not timings) PC3200 1GB. You can probably get a gig for around $160

 

[magratton]

An item of note regrading the NF7-S and the SLK947U: The Heatsink does not fit on the NF7-S V2.0 mobo without slightly modifying it. There is a little nub that sticks out about 1mm on the screwdown plate attached to the heatsink. You need to shave this off in order to make it fit past a bank of four capacitors next to the cpu. I used my dremel and a grinding bit to take this off.

 

[myocardia]

Originally posted by: Badjokesben
I was thinking of the PC3500 because the two I mentioned can get timings of 2-2-2-6 or even 2-2-2-5 at DDR 400, plus you get some head room for FSB overclocking. Then again I'm new to OC'ing so any experiences are more that welcome.

Originally posted by: Jeff7181
I'm happy with my Mushkin Level 1 PC3500... true it's not a HUGE overclocker, but I got it for $215, and it runs 2-3-3 @ 218 Mhz on 2.6 volts... and with an Athlon XP system, you won't be going much higher than that on the FSB anyway. It's a much better buy than getting some PC4000 where the SPEED is guaranteed, but low timings are not. PC4000 may run 3-4-4-8 @ 250 mhz, but still may only run 2.5-4-4-8 at 200 Mhz. You might even consider getting some nice low latency (2-2-2) PC3200 since a 200 Mhz FSB even on the crappiest of nForce2 motherboards should allow you 2.5 Ghz (200x12.5).

Mushkin Level II is the most awesome ram ever made. Too bad that it hasn't been for sale anywhere for 6 months. And I agree with edplayer, buy a mobile 2600, and get slightly cheaper, but good ram. Corsair XMS or Kingston HyperX PC3200 almost always run up to ~215-220 at their rated timings. Now, if you can afford the Mushkin PC3200 Special edition, you won't be disappointed, but it's not necessary to have 2-2-2-x ram to have an awesome performing overclock. The first number, called CAS is more important than all the rest combined, and both the XMS and the HyperX are 2-3-3-6 timings, which is fast. Oh, you also didn't mentio a power supply. What psu do you have now?

 

[Badjokesben]

Antec True Power 430W.

I'm glad to find out that the Mushkin Level II can't be found anywhere. I thought I was going crazy while I was looking for it.

My goal is to achieve 2.4 GHZ with my processor. I understand that overclocking is not guaranteed, but It gives me something to shoot for. My idea is to get a 200 MHZ FSB with a 12 multiplier. At 200 Mhz PC3200 would do just fine. My concern is what happens when upgrade time comes about a year from now. Chances are, I'm still going to be running AMD and I'm not going to be running DDR2. That's really the reason why I was looking at PC3500. However the tight budget may keep my ambition grounded.

This is the reason why I was looking for PC3500 that performs well at PC3200 levels. According to this very website OCZ and Mushkin are the best. Anyway, anybody have any Case sugestions? I saw that Kingwin that Anandtech suggested, but I would like a second opinion.