P4 2.4b or 2.4c?

[Trader05]

Hey guys, I really would like to get a P4 2.4c because of hyperthreading but then i need to upgrade my ram at the same time because i only have pc2700. I know people with 2.4b's that are easily hitting 3.0 and i wouldn't have to upgrade my ram for that. So the main question here is, Is Hyperthreading worth the extra cash and will it be a noticable speed difference?

 

[canadianpsycho]

The 2.4Cs are definitely more "futureproof" and will definitely OC nicely also

Depending on what PC2700 you're running, you might be able to get away with running the CPU:RAM ratio at 1:1 with some added Voltage, and relaxed timings. 200 FSB using the 5:4 ratio will let you run your RAM at 160 MHz, so you could even hold onto the RAM I would think. Somebody correct me if I'm wrong? Only thing I'm not sure of is if PAT is activated if you're not running DDR400. I think it's dependent on merely running the CPU @ 200 FSB or higher.

 

[onza]

HT is obviously a plus, so yes i think the C would be better

 

[Trader05]

that memory option would be awesome, i shouldn't have a problem with my bh7 right?

 

[Zarick]

HT is definetly a nice addition, but you will not see massive gains from the 533 to the 800 overall.

 

[canadianpsycho]

Originally posted by: Trader05
that memory option would be awesome, i shouldn't have a problem with my bh7 right?

You'd have to check to ensure the BH7 has the 5:4 ratio.

 

[vaporize]

I had a quick question.

Do the memory run at their stated speeds, for example does DDR 400 ram always run at 400 MHz or is this the maximun speed it can attain?

 

[CraigRT]

Originally posted by: vaporize
I had a quick question.

Do the memory run at their stated speeds, for example does DDR 400 ram always run at 400 MHz or is this the maximun speed it can attain?

It will run whatever you tell it to run.. (or FSB). it's backwards compatible... I got PC3500 (434MHz) for my P4 system which really only used a 266Mhz memory speed.

I got it strictly to overclock.

 

[jhites]

Better also check for a 3:2 mem ratio if you are going to OC

The 2.4C will do 270fsb on most systems, air cooled cake walk
3:2 = DDR360 so you might get you DDR333 there
5:4 = DDR432 - not likely

If you are going to run the 2.4C at stock then you should not have
any problems, but what a waist.

 

[oldfart]

BH7 does not have a 5:4. That is a 875/865 ratio. I think it has a 4:3. That would put your memory @ DDR300 @ 200 MHz FSB. With a BH7, I'd stick with a 2.4B.

 

[Trader05]

cool guys, thanks for the opinions. With my current board, i think i'm going to go with a 2.4b, then later i'll upgrade my board, ram, cpu all at the same time