Ram upgrade question

M

Mayro

n00b
Joined
Jun 29, 2008
Messages
4
I am currently operating

Ram (2 (1 gig) sticks) 5-5-5-15 1.8V - 2.0V Unbuffered DDR26400
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231098

Motherboard GIGABYTE GA-P35-DS3L LGA 775 Intel P35
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128059

CPU Core 2 Duo 45nm 3.0ghz
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115046

And I was looking to add ram / speed up the computer for running in 64bit windows 7. From what I understand there is no point in switching from DDR2 6400 (which runs at 800mhz) to anything faster than that because getting faster ram is only for more overclocking?

I noticed that newegg has on sale
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820220293
which is Patriot Viper 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400)
at 4-4-4-12 at 2.1v

Would this ram work good for my system? Should I chuck the 2 1 gig sticks that I have and go for faster ram? What are my options?

•The main reason I wanted to get more ram is because it seems like WOW has issues when my character goes to northerend (especially while flying) and I noticed that in azeroth the peak mem useage is around 600 megs... just loading dalaran takes me up to 1200megs... so I figure it needs more ram.

Thanks
 
I'm not real familiar with LGA775 systems. You can often run different ratios with your FSB and RAM speeds, to reach higher memory speeds (even without actually overclocking your CPU). But yes, if you're not running the RAM any faster than 800MHz, then there's no point in getting >800 RAM.

I was happy with my Corsair XMS2. I've seen the 2x2GB kits as cheap as $15 after rebate, though they're not very cheap at the moment.

The Patriot RAM you linked is only a tiny bit faster than what you have. If you can take advantage of the full 6GB, you'll probably notice more improvement by running all 6GB at the slightly slower timings of the old RAM, compared to running only 4GB at new RAM's timings. I think Win7 should be pretty good at efficiently using your RAM for caching and stuff when you're not actively using it for other things, so the 6GB may be the way to go.
 
I see 6 GB mentioned, but I would pull the 1GB and replace with a pair of 2GB. It should be plenty and will be more stable. The mismatched load on the memory controller may be more trouble than it is worth.
 
In short, you'll get a small increase in going from DDR800 to DDR1066, anywhere from 2% - 5% depending on the application. But, you will get more of an increase if you also increase the CPU.

If you are buying memory, and your system can run DDR1066, compare the price difference between 2 equal density DDR800 and DDR1066 kits. If you can run the faster speed, and the cost is neglible, you have nothing to lose.
 
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