someone help me decide

[badaphooko]

I have 3 questions .. I recently bought a Biostar M7NCD-Pro and am plannig to use it with a barton 2500. which is a very good overclocker i've heard. this mb offers dual channel ddr. at this point i can only afford 512 3200 ddr later i will add more. but im fixing to get either an corsiar xms series 512 3200 c2 or kingstons hyper x model wit the same specs. ok then what brand should i go with and will i see a big diffence between 1 stick of 512 or 2x256 in dual channel mode? also i do plan to overclock this cpu and mb to the max, so i need a good heat sink fan in the 20 dollar range any suggestions would be nice. also i know all the 2500's come locked. and thiers a speed strip on the market to unlock it
strip has anybody used it and does it really work. it dont cost much but if i dont need it then i wont buy it.. thanx for all your input.

 

[ForsakenMaster]

2x256 is by far faster then a single stick of 512.
Secondly i prefer Corsair xms it has treated me rather well.
A $20.00 heat sink for OCing ! HAHAHAHAHAHA not !
The speed strip is a total new one on me.

 

[Mikewarrior2]

Dual channel DDR doesn't benefit an AMD (even Nforce2) more than a few percent unless you are running onboard video with an NF2 IGP. Otherwise, it is a 1-3% performance difference. I'd go 512mb stick, so you can add another 512mb stick in the future and then run dual channel... if you go with 2 256mb sticks, you are a bit more limited (only having one more dimm slot to fill)

Mike

 

[myocardia]

Originally posted by: Mikewarrior2
Dual channel DDR doesn't benefit an AMD (even Nforce2) more than a few percent unless you are running onboard video with an NF2 IGP. Otherwise, it is a 1-3% performance difference. I'd go 512mb stick, so you can add another 512mb stick in the future and then run dual channel... if you go with 2 256mb sticks, you are a bit more limited (only having one more dimm slot to fill)

Mike

Although I have a problem with Mike's 1-3% estimate, (I got a noticable difference, maybe as much as 10%, but definitely not less than 5%, and I don't have onboard video), I agree with him. If you plan on buying 1Gig, you will want to do it with 2 dimms, not 3. Plus, a 512 MB stick of the exact same ram is cheaper than 2x256's. So, you're going to have to make the choice yourself whether you want maximum performance now, or maximum performance once you have 1 gig of ram.

And the processor that these Speed Strip people are using to "prove" that their POS works is a totally unlocked chip! That's what I have, and I can select anywhere between 5.0x and 24x in my bios. If this to unlock a Barton, why didn't they use a 2500 in their "test"? Because it won't unlock a Barton, that's why!!

 

[badaphooko]

well i want the performance now since i am a gamer.. my mb offers 3 slots and i dont think i will need more than a gig to play my games. but the thing is if i buy the 512 stick now and another 512 later they wont be twins. therefore it wont run in dual channel mode.. am i right ?so i might jus buy the 1 stick now and mabey in a month i will buy the 2x256. damn what a hard decision.. also any suggestions on heatsink fans in the 20 dollar range if i have to i will spend more.. thnx for the input fellas

 

[Mikewarrior2]

myocardia,

Published Anandtech benchmarks had it around 1-3%. perhaps you ahd other factors in your performance increasing when runnign dual channel, perhaps faster ram, or you set your ram timings tighter, etc?


Mike

PS. You don't need identical sticks to run dual channel... I've seen it work without matched sticks of ram.

 

[badaphooko]

any comments on the volcano 11 for my 2500? i know its loud but i dont care i wear a head set .. i jus want extreme cooling without having to go watercooled. oh and at an affordable price..

 

[myocardia]

Originally posted by: Mikewarrior2
myocardia,

Published Anandtech benchmarks had it around 1-3%. perhaps you ahd other factors in your performance increasing when runnign dual channel, perhaps faster ram, or you set your ram timings tighter, etc?


Mike

PS. You don't need identical sticks to run dual channel... I've seen it work without matched sticks of ram.

Well, I'll argue with anyone except Anandtech! It sure did seem to make more difference than that. Of course, doubling my ram from 256x1 to 256x2 obviously could have added to the performance gain, now that I think about it.

And you do need identical sticks of ram (same brand, same speed is best, but they at least have to be same speed, and same timings), but, they do not have to be a Dual Channel kit. Of course, the kits are slightly cheaper, but still more expensive to start with! I'd still go with 1x512MB stick, since you're planning on having 1GB. Of course, as long as you bought the same speed and same brand, you could have dual channel now, and once you get another 512MB. Here's how: if you buy 2x256MB, put them into the memory slots for dual-channel, then buy a 512MB stick, and move the 256's where they "share" one channel, and put the 512 in the other channel.

 

[Mikewarrior2]

no, they don't need to be identical. Even in a P4 setup, the system will default to the lower stick SPD settings.

And yeah, going from 256mb ram to 512mb of ram will yield very noticeable speed improvements .

For example, I ran dual channel on my nforce 2 temporarily with two hyperx pc3000 sticks, and one pc3200 stick. It ran just fine.


Mike