swimtech

System Specs

Now a year later, I've had a set of the GSkill DDR2 800 HZ modules waiting on me to build out a system.

Is that ram still showing its legs, and reliable, for overclocking?

Should they work ok in a Gigabyte EX38-DS4 motherboard, or some other board? I realize the speed rating of the chips is behind the best out there now, but that speed rating is, as we know, um, negotiable...

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Just Learnin'

System Specs

From what I have heard they are real duds and you must give them to me!

Actually I am unsure of which boards they perform best on but an overclocker I know has managed amazing things with them. One board he used was the P5E.

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Mentally confused and prone to wandering.....

swimtech

System Specs

Coming from the owner of the DH Intel Pro Stock avatar, I almost boxed them up - almost...

Thanks!

I'm figuring they can act like 1066 modules if I relax the timings, and with the right board - the EX38-DS4 is looking good from user feedback across the web so far, and it's getting time those modules, along with a certain Ruby-red video card, started seeing some "quality time"!

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It's not so much getting your way that matters or not - what matters is how you go about getting it.

Pyongmu

System Specs

See if your modules are listed on this site DDR2 RAM List. If you have Micron D9xxx chips on them, the overclocking potentials will be excellent. If you have modules with something other than the Microns, not as good.

PangingJr

swimtech,

G.Skill "HZ" DDR2-800 = "HK" DDR2-1066, i can buy them at same price.


but the "HK" DDR2-1066, in my experience, will overclock better, can be used CAS4-4-4 DDR2-1000 2.2V (while the HZ may use 2.3V), will use lower volt at high clock, will handle and hold up in high volt uses better, and at the same high volt uses it's still cooler. however, since each IC module and each board will be different, so all of these cannot be true 100% of the time.

anyways, i don't know what to say, if you have not buy the RAM yet, i strongly suggest you get DRR2-1200 (for only 2x1GB uses, of course).
Gigabyte have been making quite a good BIOS to specially optimize DDR2-1200 these days (of course there are some bad BIOS times)
you don't have to use your RAM at speed of 1200 at all time, but when you do, at FSB 400 (for moderate overclock. and also good for the 1600MHz FSB CPU. memory multi 3.0x) and 500, you will like the system's smoothness and a low volt uses on your RAM (my board's BIOS gives me a 2.15V for DDR2-1200 at CPU FSB 500MHz 5:6), and the Gigabyte EX38-DS4 is something, i believe i may get one myself.

also, if you plan to use 4GB system but also plan to add another 2x1GB later, i suggest you don't do that, i would buy 2x2GB now, there are many good ones right now.

ha, i didn't read well on your posts, you have the HZ DDR2-800 already, may be you have a D9 IC that made in '06 they are overclock very well anyway.
as far as i have experienced with, '07 D9 IC may clock higher, hotter, but stronger and won't die too easy. but again each user experience can different.

swimtech

System Specs

Yeah, I've got the ram already - had it since February last year - and the chips should be D9 (not taken off the heatspreaders though), so from my purchase date I would have to guess that they late 2006/early 2007 chips - your experience OC during the last year is a great resource! Heh, in the US they are the most expensive 2Gig set on the market right now - I bought them for less a year ago - they're the only set that has increased in price this past year! The Crucial Ballistix DDR2 800 set looks to be very similar though.

Guess we'll have to see how they handle lower timings at moderate overclock though - want to keep my volts low too for longevity and safety - balance is key...

I've already tested that they work too - in an Intel board we use in a jig at work, 1.8v booting ok, but no overclocking on them yet. I don't think I want to push them beyond 2.1v - the manufacturer's rating.

And yes, that EX38-DS4 Gigabyte board looks just perfect for me - just the right balance of features, quality, and price - been looking at them hard for a year now. Before that came out I was looking at the Asus Maximus Formula and the Gigabyte X38-DS4, but both were ever so slight compromises in features or price, but the better regulation on the EX38 Gigabyte board corrected the slight compromise I felt and hit the nail on the head for me. I wanted an X38 board (primarily...) for the two full bandwidth PCIe 16x slots for down the road. I thought ATI would be doing good things with Crossfire, and the latest Catalyst 8.3 release was proof.

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It's not so much getting your way that matters or not - what matters is how you go about getting it.

PangingJr

good luck with all the computer parts you will buy, have fun building and enjoy using your new computer system, swimtech.

swimtech

System Specs

Ordered the EX38-DS4 mainboard above last evening - yes, we're having fun now.

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It's not so much getting your way that matters or not - what matters is how you go about getting it.

[hobo]eclipse

System Specs

what gpu u gonna go with swimtech? 3870? got the same board on the way to go with a Xeon 3110 and a 4gig DDR2 1066 G.Skill Kit.

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swimtech

System Specs

The one I won, of course! You can see the card on This page.

Still have PSU (PC Power 610), hard drive (640G WD), optical drive (?), monitor (?), and CPU (Intel 8400) left to get...

I should be able to get the 800Mhz DDR2 HZ GSkill to work at up to 1066 speeds, but I actually probably won't need to push it that hard regularly...

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It's not so much getting your way that matters or not - what matters is how you go about getting it.

PangingJr

you don't want to know how people abuse the G.Skill HZ, it will or it won't die easy, has a lot to do with user.
i don't think you will be able to get a replacement so fast and as so often, as you want to.
this sounds BS to you, 20 Kits replacement in a short period of times, again i don't mean it dies easy, and the user knows so much (and perhaps too much) about overclocking the RAM kit, but he abuse it, hard.
some of the kit just dead if it has to die, even it's at only 2.0V at running at its defualt clock.

[hobo]eclipse

System Specs

O YA! DUH! forgot about your beast!

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