Corsair Dominator 2GB PC2 8500 -- still recommended?

In the "Newegg [H]oliday 2006 System Build Guide," [H] recommends the Corsair Dominator 2GB PC2 8500 (TWIN2X2048-8500C5D) as the choice for the $2800 system build.

Where I am at: I am planning to oder components for a new PC build very soon -- I'm thinking somewhere around mid May. I'm still on the fence about whether to go with the 8800GTX video card or get ATI's flagship when it (hopefully) comes out in May. Also, I am planning to get the e6600 CPU from the same build guide (and possibly the same EVGA 680i motherboard, but not totally sure yet).

What I need help with: the build guide is around 5 months old now, and I am wondering if the same ram is still the "recommended" ram for the enthusiast for such a build, or if there is a new top dog now -- or, for that matter, is this ram overkill? The price for this ram just dropped on a few sites and there's a hefty $40 rebate that expires the end of this month (4/30). So, as much as I would like to oder all the components at the same time, now is the time to get this ram if I am gonna get it.

So, is this still the ram to get? Any info, advice, etc. would be greatly appreciated (any input on the rest of the components I listed is also welcome!).

Thanks in advance for the help!

P.S. It would rock if [H] could/would put out a new/updated system build guide soon!!!!!

Zork said:

is this ram overkill?

Click to expand...

Yes. Are you planning on overclocking your CPU beyond 3.6Ghz? If not, then PC2-6400 RAM will do fine since it will allow you to run your CPU's FSB frequency at 400Mhz; and that's not even overclocking the RAM yet!

If you get a descent pair of PC2-6400 with D9GMH modules, or better, you'd be set.

Since you're getting the EVGA 680i (excellent choice), you can run the memory unlinked. So don't worry about how high you'll be overclocking your CPU since you can oc your memory individually.

Now, will you be overclocking much? Are you interested in high overclocking gear or not that much?

I 'do' plan to overclock. How much? I'm not sure yet. I'm guessing I won't be as hardcore about it as some people here -- at least not initially; maybe later down the road. BTW, does overclocking void the warranty?

If this ram is over kill, can someone please make some recommendations that would be better suited for me? It would have to really be worth it price-wise, though. If I oder this ram by tomorrow, I can get it, after the $40 rebate, for around $230 -- that's cheaper than a lot of "lesser" ram out there. So, if there is 2gb of quality ram that would be better suited for my new build based on "money saved" while still having the same quality/performance, I would very much appreciate some insight here!!!

Also, can someone clear up a few things for me:

What is the difference between "DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500)" and "DDR2 800 (PC2 6400)" [or any other DDR2 # (PC2 #) for that matter] -- what do these numbers mean? Speed? What does this have to do with overclocking? Also, about timings -- the Corsair DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) has a timing of 5-5-5-15. Corsair's DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) version has 4-4-4-12. What's the difference; what do these numbers mean?

Sorry for the newbish questions guys. This is my first hardcore/enthusiast build, and I'm in hurry to figure out what to do about ram because I don't want to miss out on this rebate! And, I want to make sure I do this build right!!!

Thanks everyone in advance for your help!!!!