What kind of RAM for X2 3800 ?

[JOS]

Hi,
I am in the process of selecting the parts for the upgrade to my home computer. I have decided that I'll go with the AMD X2 3800 and I will get the AsRock Dual Sata2 motherboard. So, now what I need to know is what kind of RAM I need for this CPU/MOBO combo. I intend to run the system at stock and maybe, just maybe, try to fiddle with OCing, but is not my priority. I built my last system 4-5 years ago so I am not familiar with all the new flavors of RAM available. I want basic reliable memory, not necessarily top notch but I don't want garbage either. I would like to start with 1GB but if price is right I could go to 2GB. Would you be so kind to suggest what my options are in terms of RAM selection?
If the MOBO supports PC3200,PC2700 and PC2100 which kind do I have to get in order to have the FSB in sync with the RAM? I don't know the FSB freq. for this processor.
Your help is appreciated.

 

[imported_harlanpepper]

Not an overclocking guru, but I got an X2 3800+ a few months ago along with OCZ 2GB Platinum kit and they are working very nicely together. Not a single hiccup and it's been folding 24/7. They aren't the greatest overclocking sticks, but I wanted cheap & reliable RAM, and they certainly fit the bill. Some folks can get DDR500 out of them, but I've opted for fairly tight timings using a 5/6 divider and getting 231Mhz @ 2.5-3-2-5 1T on 2.7v.

A8N SLI Premium
X2 3800+ @ 282x9 (~2540Mhz)
OCZ 2GB Platinum @ 231Mhz 2.5-3-2-5 1T
Thermalright SI-120
Antec TruePower II 480W

I highly recommend OCZ RAM, whatever the flavor. Great support and a nice mirror finish

(edit - oh, and don't worry too much about running your RAM/CPU in sync - not nearly as important on an A64 system as it was on older athlon/nforce2 systems. But get PC3200 RAM at a minimum. The X2 3800 is 200x10(x2) stock. You can increase the FSB, but can only decrease the multi)

 

[Furen]

Do you need AGP? If not you could wait a couple of week for AM2 to come out. If you decide to go S939 anyway then stick to PC3200 (because the price difference is not that big), if you can afford it then get 2x1GB sticks. There's no conventional FSB (or rather, it runs at CPU clock) so whatever type of ram you run with will run in sync.

 

[dBTelos]

Furen, recent benchmarks show that AM2 won't be all that its cracked up to be. Unless AMD has made major over hauls in the last couple weeks.

 

[robertk2012]

PC3200. Basically get the cheapest name brand stuff you can find. Like Furen said there is no FSB so ram will not limit your overclock and increased bandwith offers very little performance with the A64s hence to poor AM2 performance.

 

[Furen]

Originally posted by: dBTelos
Furen, recent benchmarks show that AM2 won't be all that its cracked up to be. Unless AMD has made major over hauls in the last couple weeks.

No, it wont be better but it also won't be worse, and shouldn't be more than a few bucks more expensive. If the price is similar enough then getting AM2 instead of S939 is the only way to go.

 

[DrMrLordX]

It actually will be worse if DDR2-533 or DDR2-667 with loose timings are used.

 

[Gamer X]

AM2 combined with DDR2-800 should give a little performance boost over S939

 

[Griswold]

Go for simple PC3200, no need to pay a premium if overclocking aint the priority. Any value sticks from the known brands will do a fine job under these conditions.

Edit: There is no such thing as FSB and sync'ing it on A64 systems, that you might know from Intel platforms. If you overclock, you might be required to use a RAM divider to keep the frequency in check but thats it. Nothing you have to worry about considering you wont likely do any hardcore overclocking.