Need help chosing ram 2X2

S

Syzygy

n00b
Joined
Jan 13, 2008
Messages
18
I am making my first build and need help chosing Ram and a mother board.

I wanted 4gb of ram in 2x2. Most people seem to recommend DDR2 800.
Corsair seems like a good brand and has a lifetime warantee so i was leaning towards this.
http://tinyurl.com/2eyd8h
CORSAIR XMS2 DHX 4GB(2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail

Any thoughts or suggestions?
Can anyone explain 1:1?

Here is the rest of my build so far
Case: CM690
PSU: Corsair TX750W
GPU: Evga 8800 GTX
Sound: SB Fatal1ty X-Fi
CPU: Leaning towards the 199.99 q6600 from microcenter
MB: ?
Ram: ?
HDD: ?
Optical: ?
 
The G. Skills 2 x 2gigs for $90 on NewEgg is a good one for the price. Many recommend these. Also, on your PSU, that TX750w is alot of power, unless you will loading that PS with alot of components, a VX550 or HX620 is ideal. But, you can get that TX750 at $115 at Buy.com. Good deal for that power and quality. http://www.buy.com/prod/corsair-tx-750w-atx-12v-power-supply/q/loc/101/206178325.html

Mobo - P35 based mobo using Intels P35 chipset such as the GA-P35DS3L for $90
Video - 8800GTS 512MB BFG for $240 on NewEgg after rebate
Ram - G. Skills DDR 2 x 2gig $90
HDD - 500gb SATA 300 WD OEM for $100 on NewEgg
Optical - 20X dvd burner from Samsung or Lite On $24
 
Thanks for the suggestions HardwareGuru.
I should of stated that the parts that have an item listed have already been purchased the ones with question marks either i have no idea about or have not even looked into yet.
 
The DDR2 800 ram speed allows you to overclock if you want to. The 1:1 ratio stands for your Processors Front Side Bus to your Rams speed. If your are looking to overclock then you can set your Processors FSB and Ram to a 1:1 ratio to move them up together for a faster speed. Also most motherboards have other ratios for you to keep your Ram running at the 800 speed while your FSB is at it's normal speed if you are not looking to overclock.
If you are looking to overclock make sure you get a good board with either a P35 or X38 chipset with the Q6600. It will make life easier with those chipsets for the overclocking. Also overclocking a quad-core processor is tougher than a dual-core one. If this does not make since just ask me, and I will give a deeper explanation of FSB to Ram ratios.
 
+1 on those G.Skills, I've been wanting to pick up a pair because I've heard good things!
 
Oops, sorry about the PS and Video card I missed that part that you already have these.


Syzygy said:
Thanks for the suggestions HardwareGuru.
I should of stated that the parts that have an item listed have already been purchased the ones with question marks either i have no idea about or have not even looked into yet.
Click to expand...
 
for the CPU, depend what ur doing, you could buy a Xeon E3110 or an e8400
 
I'm building a new rig also....so far I have
Q6600
Gigabyte EP35-DS3P
400 WD Sata HDD
75 WD Raptor
EVGA 9600GT

but I'm stuck on the PSU and RAM.
 
Thanks to everyone that has offered some insight or suggestions.
I am new to [H] and it seems to be a very knowledgeable and helpful community.

for the CPU, depend what ur doing, you could buy a Xeon E3110 or an e8400
Click to expand...

I've never heard of the Xeon E3110.
As far as the E8400 VS Q6600 goes, I have tried to follow the threads that cover this topic and opinions seem pretty split. The pro E8400 people say that it can overclock faster and that most programs don’t take advantage of 4 cores so the q6600 is currently overkill. The pro Q6600 people point to future proofing, and that the G0 q6600 overclocks quite well.

Initially I wanted to wait for the 45nm quad cores but my computer seems to run slower and slower each day. It is 7-8 years old (I don’t upgrade very often), so as you can guess the future proofing argument kind of swayed me, well that and the microcenter sale.

As to what I do on my computer that would help determine which CPU is right for me. I browse the internet, do homework and play games. Realistically the most stress I envision putting on my computer at one time would involve;

1. 5-9 web pages open (in tabs)
2. Excel or Access open (for item “loot” tables)
3. WMP playing music
4. IM
5. Ventrillo
6. Game (Guild Wars, or Hellgate London<-- I don&#8217;t own that one yet but it seems like something I might like that has higher system requirements then GW)
7. Having my antivirus scanner kick in.
8. Having some auto update program kick in.

Ok so while that list isn&#8217;t going to be my everyday usage, it is not unrealistic that I might have all those programs running at once, and ideally my game play won&#8217;t suffer.
 
@Nasty_LOS

Any Corsair PSU will be good enough for you. Just don't get them from newegg since Newegg overcharges for those PSUs. Check out zipzoomfly.com, clubit.com and buy.com for Corsair PSUs.

As for RAM, I recommend this G.Skill set that HardwareGuru has already recommended:
G.SKILL F2-6400CL5D-4GBPQ 2 x 2GB DDR2 800 RAM - $90

@ Syzygy
Definitely go for the Q6600 then. Also, same RAM recommendation as above.

As for motherboard, here are a few recommendations:
Abit IP35-E Intel P35 Motherboard - $90
Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3L Intel P35 Motherboard - $90
MSI P35 Neo2-FR Intel P35 ATX Motherboard - $117
Gigabyte GA-EP35-DS3R Intel P35 Motherboard - $125
Gigabyte GA-EP35-DS3P Intel P35 Motherboard - $151
Abit IP35 Pro Intel P35 Motherboard - $170
Gigabyte GA-EP35-DS4 Intel P35 Motherboard - $180
Gigabyte GA-X38-DS4 LGA 775 Intel X38 Motherboard - $200

Just to help you out: If you don't need RAID, more than 4 SATA ports or legacy ports, then the DS3L is a good choice. If you need 5 SATA ports, 2 eSATA ports, and a second PCI-E x16 port, then get the Neo2-Fr. If you want 8 SATA ports, RAID, and legacy ports and high overclocks, than the DS3R is a good choice. If you want the DS3R but need Firewire and a second PCI-E x16 port, then go for the DS3P. If you want something that can overclock pretty damn high along with eSATA ports and firewire connections, than the IP35 Pro. Note that the IP35-Pro seems to have problems with the Wolfdales CPUs
 
Syzygy said:
Thanks to everyone that has offered some insight or suggestions.
I am new to [H] and it seems to be a very knowledgeable and helpful community.




I've never heard of the Xeon E3110.
As far as the E8400 VS Q6600 goes, I have tried to follow the threads that cover this topic and opinions seem pretty split. The pro E8400 people say that it can overclock faster and that most programs don&#8217;t take advantage of 4 cores so the q6600 is currently overkill. The pro Q6600 people point to future proofing, and that the G0 q6600 overclocks quite well.

Initially I wanted to wait for the 45nm quad cores but my computer seems to run slower and slower each day. It is 7-8 years old (I don&#8217;t upgrade very often), so as you can guess the future proofing argument kind of swayed me, well that and the microcenter sale.

As to what I do on my computer that would help determine which CPU is right for me. I browse the internet, do homework and play games. Realistically the most stress I envision putting on my computer at one time would involve;

1. 5-9 web pages open (in tabs) (You can do that with a single core CPU :p )
2. Excel or Access open (for item &#8220;loot&#8221; tables)
3. WMP playing music
4. IM
5. Ventrillo
6. Game (Guild Wars, or Hellgate London<-- I don&#8217;t own that one yet but it seems like something I might like that has higher system requirements then GW) http://www23.tomshardware.com/cpu_2007.html?modelx=33&model1=946&model2=882&chart=421
7. Having my antivirus scanner kick in. http://www23.tomshardware.com/cpu_2007.html?modelx=33&model1=946&model2=882&chart=433 e8400 Faster or Xeon

8. Having some auto update program kick in.

Ok so while that list isn&#8217;t going to be my everyday usage, it is not unrealistic that I might have all those programs running at once, and ideally my game play won&#8217;t suffer.
Click to expand...


Xeon LGA 775 45Nm n Core2Duo 45Nm are = http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1276003
 
I am still a bit confused so I think I should backtrack some. Other than Frequency, Latency, and Voltage what should I be looking at when comparing ram. It seems like the big names Corsair, OCZ, Mushkin, G. Skill all offer lifetime warranties so that doesn&#8217;t seem to be a factor.

For example how does this mushkin stack up to the recommended G Skill. The frequency is the same, the voltages are too, the prices are comparable and the spec list shows the mushkin to have a better latency.
Mushkin-- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820146693
G.Skill -- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231122
 
When I put my new q6600 rig together I tried these sticks first:

Patriot Extreme Performance 4GB(2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400)
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.aspx?item=N82E16820220269

But, I quickly found out that I could not run them at DDR2-800 speeds with timings at 4-4-4-12.

I returned them and got these instead, which were actually cheaper and run 4-4-4-12 @ DDR2-800 just fine. I LOVE THEM!

G.SKILL 4GB(2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1000 (PC2 8000)
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.aspx?item=N82E16820231145
 
Syzygy said:
I am still a bit confused so I think I should backtrack some. Other than Frequency, Latency, and Voltage what should I be looking at when comparing ram. It seems like the big names Corsair, OCZ, Mushkin, G. Skill all offer lifetime warranties so that doesn’t seem to be a factor.

For example how does this mushkin stack up to the recommended G Skill. The frequency is the same, the voltages are too, the prices are comparable and the spec list shows the mushkin to have a better latency.
Mushkin-- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820146693
G.Skill -- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231122
Click to expand...

That's pretty much the only difference. And a very minuscule difference at that. Since that G.Skill RAM is $3 cheaper and come with some nice looking heatspreaders, just spring for the G.Skill RAM.

Don't forget to look at price and how high of an OC you're planning to reach for with your CPU. With the Q6600, all you need is DDR2 800 RAM for a 1:1 ratio for an OC:

Stated FSB/4 = Actual FSB
Multiplier x Actual FSB = CPU Speed
2 x Actual FSB = RAM Speed

Q6600:
Multi x Actual FSB, Stated FSB, RAM Speed = Clock Speed
9 x 266Mhz, 1066Mhz, DDR2 533 RAM = 2.4Ghz <== Stock Speeds
9 x 333Mhz, 1333Mhz, DDR2 667 RAM = 3.0Ghz <== Good OC
9 x 400Mhz, 1600Mhz, DDR2 800 RAM = 3.6Ghz <== Excellent OC, About the Max
 
Thanks Danny Bui that is a nice list of motherboards you put together there.

I think that the motherboard might be the one piece of hardware that has me the most intimidated. One reason maybe that I&#8217;ve swapped out or added almost everything on a computer before expect the motherboard. Also in most components the name give some indication of how good it is i.e. E8500 > E8400 or ddr2 1000 > ddr2 800, but in motherboards the number and letter designations seem Greek to me.

I think that helped clear up a few things. So with a q6600 oced to 3.6 you will have 1:1 with ddr2 800mhz ram.
 
The G.Skill DDR2 1000 RAM has gone up $50 since yesterday I believe. So that's out of the running.

As for which RAM is the better choice, the G.Skill RAM is the better choice. It's $30 cheaper yet is clocked the same and has slightly lower latency.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top