What speed memory should I buy for Athlon 64 3000+?

[MadSkills]

What speed memory should I buy for Athlon 64?
I'm going to overclock an A64 3000+. Should i buy memory with the lowest timings possible like Corsair Twinx1024 3200LL Pro with timings of 2-3-2-6

OR

should I buy memory with the fastest rated speed like PC4000 with slower timings, in order to get the fastest, most stable overclock?

 

[Alyosha]

I wouldn't recomend getting somthing as fast as PC4000. Maybe 3500 or 3700 tops. From what I understand most of the super fast memory out there uses the same moduals on the sticks, they just find the best moduals and run them at relaxed timings so they can hit 250 MHz or whatever. You can probably do that yourself while spending less money.

Just take a little time and find where you hit the best balance between clock speed and RAM timings. Often you can get better performance running your bus at 215 MHz at CAS 2 than you can at 225 MHz at CAS 3 or 4. A little work tweaking and you can save some money and get the best performance,

 

[MadSkills]

thanks for the insightful answer.

It sounds like lower timings gives more performance than a slightly higher clock speed.

I'm thinking that I won't need PC3500 CL2 b/c the Nforce 3 150 can't overclock past 230 maximum, so PC3200 CL2-2-3-6 should be sufficient?

Any more input is appreciated.

 

[leukotriene]

I'd go for tight timings at PC3200 speeds over loose timings at higher clocks. The Athlon 64's integrated memory controller is on-chip to reduce memory latency, which it does incredibly well. Don't make it wait

Some chips (or motherboards, unclear to me) are picky about memory modules, so you may want to stick with Winbond BH-5 modules (Mushkin Level II uses them IIRC) for maximum compatibility and speed.