Memory Question

TJ- · Apr 12, 2005, 08:37 AM

I want/need another 512 ram in my system. Currently have 512 of pc3200 ddr and i dont know what brand it is.

Should i

a) get another stick of the same kind
b) wait til i can afford 1 gig of really good memory
c) mix that memory with a good stick of 512

will be getting it from this site if anyone can reccomend a good choice

http://www.umart.com.au/newindex2.phtml?bid=4

* overall i want to upgrade my system slowly, after memory im gunna get a good graphics card, and i think my mobo and cpu should be good for a while, am i right or should i look at getting a new mobo to?

amd 3000
asus k8v-se deluxe

bananaman · Apr 12, 2005, 08:44 AM

When i had a mix of two diffeent types of RAM it did not like any overclocking at all, in the end i had to dump my 512 and get a gig.

Depends whether you are overclocking - if you are get some nice TCCD based RAM (G SKill stuff seems to be in vogue) it is nifty stuff

.

nana

TJ- · Apr 12, 2005, 09:01 AM

i dont really plan to overclock much, but it would be nice to have the option.

bananaman · Apr 12, 2005, 09:05 AM

It really does depend on how much cash you have. Depending on how cheap the stuff you have now is I would suggest just getting another 512mb of the same stuff and then work on the other things that you want to upgrade.

Timings on good ram do make a difference, but not enough in real gameplay to worry about too much. So I am going for option A from your first post.

TJ- · Apr 12, 2005, 09:39 AM

this is what i got in my pc now

Quote:

VData ddr400(2.5) 512 mx16

im guessing its alright to switch brands, so here are my choices

512M PC3200 DDR RAM Kingmax $79

GeIL 512M PC3200 400MHz DDR SDRAM $95

512M PC3200 DDR RAM $59 (generic)

or i can wait a month or two and get

1024MB PC4200 DDR2 RAM Corsair twin pack (2X512MB ) $229

*note than when the x800 series cards come down in price i will be getting one of those, so i want good memory to match*

Tipstaff · Apr 13, 2005, 12:19 AM

I would wait, and buy the twin pack (or at least buy a pair of the same sticks at the same time).

If you really want to buy now I would suggest the Geil from the list as it matches closer to what you have now. Without knowing the specs on the generic it's a 50/50.. err... probably 60/40 chance it'll flop. At least the Geil has the same specs.

Still though, nothing beats a tested twin pack. You might even be able to get someone to pickup the old stick off of ya too.. maybe even the guys you buy the Corsair pack from (some computer companies will 'trade' up with you as it benifits them as long as the stick works fine). Can't hurt to ask.

-Tip

TJ- · Apr 13, 2005, 12:39 AM

Im gunna start to buy parts seperatly for my new "ultimate" system...

i already got the case, psu and dvd drive so im gunna buy parts when i get the money and change them over 1 by 1. So what i need to swap over is the mobo, memory HD and my new ATI X8**

Should have everything by the end of the year, im gunna go for the corsair twin sticks in a few weeks, then in a few months after that, the graphics card, then the mobo, then lastly the hard drive...

bananaman · Apr 13, 2005, 02:39 AM

well if you dont *need* to have an extra 512mb right now then i agree that it would be better to wait and get a twin pack - i was going on the assumption that you were keen to do it now.

sounds like you are buidling a pretty sweet system - what are your proposed specs?

nana

TJ- · Apr 13, 2005, 03:20 AM

well right now i got-

amd 3000
Asus k8v-se Deluxe
9600xt
512 crap ram
7200 rpm HD

most likly get the x800pro or the x850xt
the twin sticks of corsair 4200 ddr
a faster and HD
and whatever the latest motherboard is by the end of the year (if i got the cash i go to a amd 3500

)

bananaman · Apr 13, 2005, 03:25 AM

if you are not overclocking you may want to look at the Corsair 3200XL - low timings but overclocks like hell; although as I said before you might want to check out G Skill stuff. The 4200 ddr stuff might be a bit wasted if you are not overclocking much and would probably be bwtter to go tight timings that5 can be loosened if you need to.

DFI seem to be making some greta mobos at the mo - am kicking myself i didnt wait for their nForce 4 board rather than the MSI one i got (although i must admit i havent had any probs, but voltages etc. are not as good)

nana

The_Neon_Cowboy · Apr 13, 2005, 04:10 AM

Sell what you've got get better ram....

you want to end up with a gig of pc3200 low latency

**Asmoday** · Apr 13, 2005, 05:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by [zi0n]aXe

or i can wait a month or two and get

1024MB PC4200 DDR2 RAM Corsair twin pack (2X512MB ) $229

I hope you're not planning to get ddr2 for that mobo of yours, amd currently doesn't support ddr2.....

TJ- · Apr 13, 2005, 05:44 AM

didnt know that....

this is what i decided on getting, that 3200LX is expensive! this is $80 cheeper and has the lower latency

TWINX512-3200C2 XMS3200 512M 2-3-3-6 *2x184 DIMM Black

http://www.corsairmemory.com/corsair...512-3200c2.pdf

Tipstaff · Apr 13, 2005, 01:53 PM

Man was I tired last night.. didn't even catch that it said PC4200.. same opinion though, but, uh.. of PC3200

.

-Tip

TJ- · Apr 13, 2005, 09:34 PM

thanks for the help guys

i got my new memory

i gig installed and ready to go

think its a good idea to put my old vdata in with the corsair and boost it up to 1.5gig, or you think that would slow it down?

bananaman · Apr 14, 2005, 02:57 AM

no, dont put it in it will just slow it down and cause instability.

You liking the jump from 512 -> 1 gig?

nana

TJ- · Apr 14, 2005, 03:43 AM

welllll......

at first yea, was really nice, upped the setting in all the games and everything was running fine for a few hours...

but then...

at first far cry just exited without notice and went to the desktop, i thought nothing... i lowered the settings back to medium and rebooted... (was getting 60fps on high and it was running smooth)

loaded far cry up on medium settings played for about an hour on 70-80fps, then all of a sudden my computer restarted without any notice...

it hasnt happened since, but i suspect it has something to do with the memory...

any ideas?

bananaman · Apr 14, 2005, 04:03 AM

hhmmmm,

well if it keeps happening you might want to give the memory a little more voltage in BIOS.

your board might be undervolting it slightly

worth a try

nana

TJ- · Apr 14, 2005, 04:27 AM

ummm it just happened again

under what settings do i change the voltage, i couldnt find anything

bananaman · Apr 14, 2005, 04:36 AM

ummm, well i must admit I have never used your mobo, but it BIOS have a search around and it should be somewhere maybe under memory configuration; power; voltages etc.

Another thing you may want to check is that you have the 2 sticks on the right slots in the mobo; i know some boards are quite picky - checkyour manula for the two slots you should use to run the RAM at DDR400

I will have a look and see if i can fnd some pics of your BIOS in a review

nana

TJ- · Apr 14, 2005, 04:41 AM

i changed the ddr voltage from auto to the highest which was 2.8 voltage

with the 2 slots in the right spot, i just put them in DIMM 1 and DIMM 2 ? didnt know it mattered, it doesnt say anything about the right slots in the manual.

Gunna fire up far cry and see what happens.

Pray for me

bananaman · Apr 14, 2005, 04:43 AM

keep me updated, i will do some more thinking

nana

bananaman · Apr 14, 2005, 04:54 AM

found this stated in a review:

"Here's an interesting thing with the RAM slots; where you place your RAM will dictate the RAM speed. For example, if I place a stick of double sided RAM in DIMM1, I get DDR 400. If I add another stick of RAM in DIMM2 or 3, I still get 400. But if I place those same two sticks of RAM in only DIMM2 and DIMM3, I would end up with DDR 200 speed. If I filled all three slots up with double sided RAM, I would still only have DDR 200 speed. The max speed that can be achieved with all three slots filled is DDR 333. There is a very extensive chart in the manual that explains how to properly fill the DIMM slots. "

from http://reviews.pimprig.com/motherboa...ard.php?page=2

not sure if it is worth trying the RAM in different slots if the problems persist

nana

TJ- · Apr 14, 2005, 05:36 AM

hmmm... one thing ive learned about this board is that it is very picky on memory. I did do the research and found that this paticular memory i got is compatible. Played far cry for a bit and it was fine. No problems (yet) it uasally happend after a while of playing. As for changing to slots of the ram, if i get more problems ill try DIMM 1 and DIMM 3. For some reason thats what i see in alot of these reviews, the DIMM2 slot is uasally empty Dunno why...

For now i think i will sleep easy, the changing of the voltage might have worked.

Cheers for the tips.

bananaman · Apr 14, 2005, 05:41 AM

no worries mate, I hope that you have solved your problems and you can enjoy your gig

nana