Memory Timings

[zeitgeistz]

How much do memory timings matter? I have no clue on how they work and what they are used for. Do they make the ram faster?

How do I find the proper ratings for my ram? or a non-default, enhanced timing?

Here is my ram below:
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=20-145-420&depa=1

 

[PrayForDeath]

That's a pretty decent memory. All you have to do is check if your timings are as shown in that link, go to the BIOS and see if you got:
2-3-3-6 1T
I think that's the lowest your RAM can handle. And yes, lower latencies and timings means faster RAM. And the RAM you bought is especially good at this thing.

 

[MrCodeDude]

Google: Memory Timings Explained

 

[loafbred]

>>How much do memory timings matter?<<

It depends on the motherboard and its chipset. Some of the older boards would gain an easy 10% over 2.5-3-3. Newer chipsets with dual-channel memory support are more apt to gain ~3 to 5%. You're only likely to care if you try 2-2-2 and then try to go back to 2.5-3-3. Every little bit helps, but it generally boils down to weighing your disposable income against your needs. I think 2-3-3 is a good compromise.

 

[dunkster]

This is an old article, but the memory timing/latency diagram is excellent for visualizing the relationships of the timing parameters: http://www6.tomshardware.com/howto/20030701/memory_tuning-08.html#memory_timings

Hope this helps!