PC related science fair ideas

[Pollock]

I wasn't sure whether to post this in GW or in OT, but I figured I'd get ridiculed in OT.

Anyway, for several months I've been planning on doing my science fair experiment on ram timings (latencies) vs. frequency (bandwidth) for Athlon 64s, mainly it being an excuse to get new parts. I've only got a budget of about $900-$1000, so I basically convinced myself a 6600GT would be enough for my own personal uses (AGP as soon as they're out, since that will happen sooner than NF4 boards), not to mention that my monitor's max resolutin is 1280x1024. Then I realized that maybe my results would be skewed for not being able to accurately represent higher resolutions (or at all). So, any other ideas I could test without it getting rather expensive? Or maybe reassurance that it's ok like it is?

Was my plan:
S754 2800+
LANparty UT
6600GT AGP
Maybe 2x512 OCZ Plat. Rev. 2, but Newegg's price jumped $40 since I last looked at it. That or 1x512 of Ballistix, since Plat. Rev. 2 isn't available in single packs.

That or:
S939 3000+
K8N Neo2 Platinum
6600GT or 6800GT, not sure if I can even afford a 6800GT.
And then definitely 2x512 of something, again likely Plat. Rev. 2.

None of the other parts will really make much of difference, rather, they're just personal preference. Those all take up another $200, leaving $700-$800 for whatever I decide on for the experiment. So, I'm open to suggestions.

 

[Pollock]

Bump.

 

[Macro2]

Find a bunch of dead HDs and do the freezer trick. I'd like to see the success rate on a large sample.

 

[Pollock]

Bleh, no thanks. Any other suggestions for good ram? How about that Kingston TCCD deal?

 

[Kishan]

i just said what the effects of overclocking were. bs experiment all the way. 2nd place for doing the same project 2 years in a row The most amazing thing is my monitor can't display anything, but i still post.

 

[Hajime]

An A64 platform is not the best idea for this sort of experiment...

The effect of timings on it are minimal, at best. As for good ram, Crucial Ballistix rocks.

 

[Pollock]

I'm aware that having the memory controller on-die makes a big difference compared to having it located on the northbridge, but honestly, who cares about the effects of latencies on the AXP and P4 anymore? Well, maybe the P4, but IMO the A64 is the only way to go for the next several months.

I originally thought about Ballistix because AT showed it to perform the best on the A64 platform, or at least until later reviews that included the OCZ Plat. Rev. 2. It'd probably be fine anyway, but it mainly depends on what's cheaper.

 

[Pollock]

Bump.

 

[Mik3y]

Originally posted by: Macro2
Find a bunch of dead HDs and do the freezer trick. I'd like to see the success rate on a large sample.

that's a good idea!

 

[Macro2]

RE:"Originally posted by: Macro2
Find a bunch of dead HDs and do the freezer trick. I'd like to see the success rate on a large sample.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
that's a good idea!"

Yes it is...and worthy of publication and a good read in something like PC magazine.


The RAM timing thing is just too boring and esoteric for most people.