Will PC3700 memory benefits on PC3200 Mobo??

CP

Senior member
Oct 12, 1999
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Hi all, most mobo these day can only support PC3200 DDR memory. What are the advantages I will get if going for PC3500 or above (PC3700, PC4000... Hyperam... etc etc)?

I want to buy Shuttle SB65G2 XPC, P4 2.8GHz 800FSB, 1GB DDR memory, Black DVD/CDRW drive and nVidia 5600 128MB. What can I do with PC3700 or higher?

Anyway, I have $1000-$1200 budget. Is there any better system suggestion with this budget?

Thanks
 

JCase

Member
Dec 2, 2002
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Memory rated higher than DDR400 (PC3200) will simply allow you to overclock your FSB and keep your ram at a 1:1 ratio. Motherboards only say they support up to 3200 because the highest non overclocked fsb is 800mhz. If you're planning on overclocking, memory rated higher than pc3200 will be a good investment, though not necessary as you can also keep your ram running at a fraction of the FSB (5:4 or 3:2). If you're not planning on overclocking, the best investment would be GOOD, low latency(cas2) PC3200 ram. I went with OCZ platinum PC3200, thinking I wasn't going to overclock my 2.6C, but ended up running the ram at a 5:4 with the FSB @240mhz, and keepign the ram timings tight @2-2-3-5...