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nF4 Memory Advice (updated 14/11/06)

Sharp

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Sharp

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2x1GB DDR kit shortage

-------------------------------

I am sure everyone is aware that most decent 2x1GB DDR kits are becoming hard to find/out of stock. This is due to the fact that both INTEL and AMD have DDR2 platforms.

 

Plus DDR is quite old
:(
.

 

US users take a look here

 

UK users take a look here

 

If you plan to move to DDR2 take a look at the Intel Core 2 DUO CPUs.

 

Angry's Core 2 DUO review

 

AM2 vs 939

 

Before you buy/upgrade to DDR/DDR2, think carefully about the advantages/prices.

 

Also AMD socket 939 CPUs are disappearing especially the X2 range, again think carefully before you buy one.

 

 

 

What memory modules should I get?

----------------------------------------------

Buying the right memory is very important. It will affect your computers performance when gaming and if you are going to overclock.

 

Low latency
512MB
modules are the best modules to buy, they are all equipped with good low latency chips and with the
2-2-2-X
timings they offer the best possible performance @200Mhz. Also the build quality will be very high and heat spreaders will come as standard.

 

Cheap
512MB
modules will use chips that have high timings such as
2.5-3-3-6
/
2.5-3-3-8
/
3-3-3-8
. These modules may not work well in the DFI board.

 

Also please avoid using modules with HYNIX chips in the DFI nf4 boards
.

 

The DFI board has been optimised for performance, the memory timings used by default may be set to low for the cheap modules therefore your board may seem unstable.

 

Sometimes manually changing the BIOS memory timings can help solve the problem but that may take you a while or it may still be very unstable.

 

Also the risk of a cheap module being faulty is higher as they do not have heat spreaders, heat spreaders will help shield the chips from ESD (Electro-Static discharge).

 

Heat spreaders also help to cool the memory modules. (increases the surface area and conducts the heat away from the chips)

 

Some say that heat spreaders will not help a lot with cooling but no matter how small the effect it is an improvement over not having any heats spreaders at all.

 

- Module with heat spreader

attachment.php?attachmentid=2462&stc=1

 

- Module without heat spreader

attachment.php?attachmentid=2461&stc=1

 

 

Playing the latest games

-------------------------------

Modern games are graphically getting better and more advanced so the need for more storage/memory is starting to grow beyond 1GB therefore 2x1GB kits are becoming the minimum requirement. 2GB kits will not be able to beat 1GB kits in benchmarks/overclocking but for gaming it is another story. If you don't want choppy game play/stuttering there is only one cure, more memory.

 

You can still Overclock with a 2GB kit but dont expect the benchmarks/memory timing results to be the same as a 1GB kit, also not all PC3200 2GB kits can Overclock well so a PC4000 2x1GB kit might be a better buy for Overclocking Gamers.

 

 

Memory usage/upgrading rules

----------------------------------------

- You should never mix memory modules if they are different

- Always match the MAKE/MODEL/REVISION

 

If you purchased a module and later decided to purchase the same module a few months apart it may not be from the same BATCH, which means you may get a different REVISION module.

 

 

What does a different REVISION mean?

--------------------------------------------------

The memory manufacturer may have changed something in their module, instead of renaming the MODEL name/number they simply change the REVISION.

 

A new REVISION may suggest that the manufacturer has changed the colour of the heat spreaders or the chips used/PCB. Changing the chips is what can cause problems. If this new chip is slower/has a slightly different specification than the old one it can cause a lot of memory errors if you run it with the old module.

 

Your PC may not work and you will experience the both sticks work on their own but not together phenomenon.

 

So if you are going to buy 2 modules always buy them at the same time. Alternatively you can purchase a DUAL CHANNEL KIT.

 

The modules inside a DUAL CHANNEL KIT are exactly the same as single modules but the manufacturer has made sure that they are identical and will work in dual channel mode/single channel mode.

 

Because of this there will be no easy way to upgrade your memory modules. You must buy all new to replace the old modules unless you know that they are going to be the same MAKE/MODEL/REVISION.

 

 

Why PC3200 400Mhz DDR = 200Mhz

----------------------------------------------

1Hz = 1 cycle per second.

1Mhz = 1 million cycles per second.

 

Computers send/receive data (bits) on every cycle.

So the faster the frequency the more data you can send/receive every second.

 

The frequency is a wave that looks like a castle top,

attachment.php?attachmentid=2616&stc=1

 

So in the above diagram (4 cycles bit), if T was 1 second what would the frequency be?

Answer = 4Hz as there are 4 cycles in 1 second.

 

Notice that DATA is only sent/received on the high peaks of the wave.

Along came an IDEA, why not send/receive data on the high and low peaks of the wave?

 

Like this,

attachment.php?attachmentid=2617&stc=1

 

This has doubled the DATA rate without doubling the frequency.

# A DDR frequency sends/receives data twice on every cycle compared to a non DDR frequency.

 

So you could say that A 4Hz frequency with DDR is the same as an 8Hz frequency without DDR.

 

Do you see why?

Because DDR technology doubles the DATA rate.

 

All memory modules are based on DDR technology and memory manufacturers always state the NON-DDR equivalent value.

 

Instead of saying this is 4Hz with DDR technology they say this is 8Hz DDR.

e.g. GEIL Ultra-X PC3200 400MHz DDR

 

What they really mean is GEIL Ultra-X PC3200 200MHz with DDR technology.

 

 

What the memory timings represent

----------------------------------------------

You may have seen a string of numbers when you look at the memory module specification,

e.g.
3
-
4
-
4
-
8
/
A
-
B
-
C
-
D
, (sometimes shown as
3
-
8
-
4
-
4
/
A
-
D
-
B
-
C
).

 

These are the memory timings and they specify how fast the memory cells can be accessed. Each number corresponds to the following,

 

#
Cas latency (tCL)

#
RAS to CAS delay (tRCD)

#
Row precharge time (tRP)

#
Min RAS active time (tRAS)

 

If you would like to know what each one does please have a look at the

 

 

Using memory modules rated higher than PC3200

---------------------------------------------------------------

When buying/choosing memory modules, you may have come across modules rated higher than PC3200, e.g. PC3500/PC3700/PC4000/PC4200/PC4400/PC4800/PC5000

 

These modules are rated higher as they can operate at a higher frequency. A higher frequency module can handle more data in one go, which means it has a greater data bandwidth.

 

The number after the letters PC = the data rate, e.g.

 

# PC3200 = 3200MB/s, operational frequency = 200Mhz (400DDR)

# PC4000 = 4000MB/s, operational frequency = 250Mhz (500DDR)

# PC4800 = 4800MB/s, operational frequency = 300Mhz (600DDR)

 

More MB/s (Megabytes per second) is faster but if you buy a module rated more than PC3200 it will not make your pc any faster, in fact it has the ability to make things slower.

 

So what is the point of buying a module rated more than PC3200?

To explain this you need to know how the memory gets filled with Data.

 

 

The basic understanding
(An AMD Athlon XP3200+ Barton 2.2Ghz 200Mhz FSB 32bit CPU)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ask yourself, what is controlling the data flow and how is data sent to the memory?

The answer: the CPU is and it sends data along the FSB. (Front Side Bus)

 

# The CPU FSB = 200Mhz (400DDR)

# CPU FSB of 200Mhz with DDR = capable of 3200MB/s transfer rate. (just like the memory rating, PC3200).

# The memory is only used as a storage space.

# It does not process anything.

# The CPU sends/retrieves data to/from the memory. (Transfers)

 

If the CPU FSB frequency is only 200Mhz with DDR, how much data can it send?

You should be thinking 3200MB/s.

 

So what good is PC4000 if your CPU can only transfer 3200MB/s?

 

From the above, you should see that for our AMD XP3200+ Barton CPU,

It is the CPU FSB frequency that determines the maximum Data rate/Bandwidth.
[
Remember this
]

 

 

Why having the memory run over 200Mhz will not increase performance

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

If you understand what was said above then this should make sense, think of it like this,

 

# Your water supplier sends you water at a rate of 50 litres per second.

# When the water gets to your house you have an accelerator on your tap that makes it travel at 100 litres per second into a bottle.

 

If you open your tap and count to 1, how much water will you have in your bottle?

The answer is 50 litres not 100.

 

In that example,

Water supplier = CPU

Tap with accelerator = Memory

Count to 1 = Benchmark

 

And if the tap accelerator was only 25 litres per second it would be a decrease in flow rate, chokes system performance. Now you should see why operating the memory above the CPU FSB frequency has very little effect.

 

 

What about the AMD 64bit CPUs?

-----------------------------------------

The rule still applies but a few things are different.

In both 64bit & 32bit platforms the system architecture is,

 

CPU <---> Memory controller <---> Memory

 

# CPU talks to Memory controller

# Memory controller talks to Memory

But the main difference in the 64bit platform,

# The memory controller is now integrated inside the CPU core.

 

This means that the data rate between the CPU and Memory controller is not limited by the FSB frequency.

 

attachment.php?attachmentid=2487&stc=1

 

 

The 32bit CPU FSB limitation explained

-------------------------------------------------

On the 32bit platform, the Memory controller was on the motherboard in the northbridge chip.

 

# The CPU plugged into the board.

# CPU communicated to the Northbride along the FSB. (1 in the diagram)

# Northbridge (with Memory controller inside it) communicates to the memory plugged in the board. (2 in the diagram)

# So the CPU to Northbridge (with memory controller inside it) data rate = limited by the FSB frequency.

 

Therefore the maximum Memory data rate = determined by the CPU FSB, as the Memory controller can only transfer what it gets from the CPU.

 

attachment.php?attachmentid=2486&stc=1

 

 

By removing the memory controller from the Northbridge and placing it directly inside the CPU core, The CPU to Memory controller data rate is no longer restricted by the FSB frequency.

 

So now the Memory controller is running at the same speed as the CPU core which means it can transfer a lot more data.

 

If you look back at the AMD 32bit platform which was limited to 3200MB/s, you should see why Dual channel mode did not double the memory performance. The Memory controller was limited to a maximum transfer rate of 3200MB/s, the FSB frequency.

 

 

How much data can the 64bit 939 CPU transfer to the Memory controller?

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It is a lot of data and it depends on the CPU frequency. As everything inside the core runs at the CPU operating frequency, a 2Ghz CPU will be able to send more data to the Memory controller than a 1.8Ghz CPU. With the old 32bit CPUs the operating frequency did not have as much of an impact on the memory performance. (Due to the FSB limitation).

 

Now the actual theoretical data rate from CPU <---> Memory = 6400MB/s so dual channel mode is going to make a difference. I should also mention that the memory modules you plug into the board are connected directly to the CPU's Memory controller. (As shown in the AMD 64bit system diagram)

 

Due to efficiency/latencies, the actual data rate is not 6400MB/s but close and it gets closer as the CPUs operating frequency increases.

 

Overclocking the CPU to 250Mhz FSB (Memory Controller to Memory BUS) can push the data rate beyond 6400MB/s and into the 7000MB/s - 8000MB/s range, very fast and you would need PC4000 memory modules, I think it's time to answer that question.

 

 

What is the point of buying a module rated more than PC3200?

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Having reached this far, you should understand that the Maximum Memory data bandwidth possible depends on the CPU FSB frequency or in the AMD 64bit CPUs, the Memory controller to Memory link (BUS) frequency.

 

And also that using memory rated above 200Mhz (e.g. XXXMhz) is not going to make your PC perform faster unless the Memory controller to Memory frequency is also at XXXMhz and the CPU can generate that amount of data.
[
Very Important
]

 

# PC4800, 300Mhz (600DDR) = capable of handling 4800MB/s

# PC4800, 300Mhz (600DDR) in dual channel mode = capable of handling 9600MB/s

 

9600MB/s is a lot of data and it would take a very powerful CPU to generate/transfer that amount of data to the memory.

 

All the AMD 64bit CPUs have a Memory controller to Memory BUS frequency of 200Mhz (400DDR) and run in Dual channel mode, (Capable of transferring 6400MB/s). So why would you want PC4000 memory modules?

 

Manufacturers offer PC4000 as it allows to the user to overclock their CPU FSB to 250Mhz without worrying about the memory not being able to run at 250Mhz. e.g. Suppose you had PC3200 and overclocked the CPU FSB to 250Mhz

 

# In order to make the most out of the overclock you will need the memory to run at 250Mhz, to handle the data rate. (Overclocking increases CPU performance = increased data rate between memory and CPU = exceed 6400MB/s)

# Increasing the memory frequency = Allows it to handle more data

# But overclocking PC3200 to 250Mhz may not work. (Does now on most good modules)

# So manufacturers came up with PC4000, modules that will do 250Mhz (not overclocking them).

 

And this allows you to get the most out of your overclock, nothing will be limiting the data transfer rate from the Memory controller to the Memory.
So PC4000 memory modules or above are for people that wish to overclock
.

 

You can also use PC4000 and run it at PC3200, 200Mhz instead of 250Mhz, (underclocking). All boards that support PC3200, support PC4000 or above but the key point, running PC4000 to its full potential means you must overclock your CPU. And by default all manufacturers do not support overclocking as it can cause damage.

 

One day when the CPUs get faster, the default Memory controller to Memory frequency may increase to 250Mhz and PC4000 may become the next standard (not for overclockers).

 

 

A list of good memory modules

--------------------------------------

If you are planning on buying a module that is not included in the list just ask before you buy. (The list should get bigger over time)

 

(Crucial Technology)

--------------------------

 

- Crucial BallistiX PC3200 [
2x512MB
] (
5B-G
) [
2-2-2-6
]

- Crucial BallistiX PC4000 [
2x512MB
] (
5B-G
) [
3-4-4-8
] was previously [
2.5-4-4-8
]

- Crucial BallistiX Tracer PC4000 [
2x512MB
] (
5B-G
) [
2.5-4-4-8
]

 

The 2x1GB modules are not recommended (high RMA rate).

- Crucial BallistiX PC4000 [
2x1GB
] (
5B-D
) [
3-4-4-8
]

- Crucial BallistiX Tracer PC4000 [
2x1GB
] (
5B-D
) [
3-4-4-8
]

 

 

(Mushkin)

-------------

- Mushkin eXtreme Performance XP3200 [
2x512MB
] (
TCCD
) [
2-2-2-X
]

Part number:
991357

 

- Mushkin eXtreme Performance XP4400 [
2x512MB
] (
TCCD
) [
2.5-4-4-8
]

Part number:
991400

 

- Mushkin REDLINE XP4000 [
2x512MB
] (
UTT CH-5
) [
2-2-2-6
]

Part number:
991440

 

- Mushkin REDLINE XP3500 (
UTT CH-5
) [
2-2-2-6
]

Part number:
991437

 

- Mushkin REDLINE HP3200 [
2x512MB
] (
UTT CH-5
) [
2-3-2-6
]

Part number:
991436

 

- Mushkin XP4000 2x1GB Black Series [
2x1GB
] (
UCCC
) [
3-4-3-8
]

Part number:
991483 dual

 

- Mushkin XP4000 REDLINE [
2x1GB
] (
Infineon CE-6
) [
3-3-2-8
]

Part number:
991493

 

 

(OCZ Technology)

-----------------------

- OCZ EL GOLD PC3200 [
2x512MB
] (
UTT BH-5
) [
2-2-2-5
]

Part number:
OCZ4001024ELDCGE-K

 

- OCZ EL Platinum Rev2 PC3200 [
2x512MB
] (
TCCD/TCC5
)
[2-2-2-5
]

Part number:
OCZ4001024ELDCPER2-K

 

- OCZ EL DDR PC-4800 Platinum Elite Edition [
2x512MB
] (
TCCD
) [
2.5-4-4-10
] [
2-2-2-5
]

Part number:
OCZ6001024EEPE-K

 

- OCZ GOLD VX PC3200 [
2x512MB
] (
UTT CH-5
) [
2-3-3-8
]

Part number:
OCZ4001024ELDCGEVX-K

 

- OCZ GOLD VX PC4000 [
2x512MB
] (
UTT CH-5
) [
2-3-3-8
]

Part number:
OCZ5001024ELDCGEVX-K

 

- OCZ DDR PC-3200 Value Winbond Series [
2x512MB
] *EOL (
UTT CH-5
) [
2.5-4-4-8
]

Part number:
OCZ400512WV3
/
OCZ4001024WV3DC-K

 

- OCZ EL DDR PC-4000 Gold Edition [
2x1GB
] (
UCCC
) [
3-4-4-8
]

Part number:
OCZ5002048ELGE-K

 

- OCZ EL DDR PC-3200 Platinum [
2x1GB
] (
TCB3
/Other) [
2-3-2-5
]

Part number:
OCZ4002048ELDCPE-K

 

- OCZ EB DDR PC-4000 Platinum Edition [
2x1GB
] (
Infineon CE-6
) [
3-3-2-8
]

Part number:
OCZ5002048EBPE-K

 

- OCZ EL DDR PC-4000 Gold GX XTC 2GB [
2x1GB
] (
UCCC
) [
3-4-3-8
]

Part number:
OCZ5002048ELGEGXT-K

 

- OCZ EL DDR PC-4200 Platinum [
2x512MB
] (
TCC5
) [
2.5-3-3-8
]

Part number:
OCZ5331024ELDCPE-K

 

- OCZ EL DDR PC-4000 Platinum XTC [
2x1GB
] (
5B-F
) [
3-3-3-8
]

Part number:
OCZP5002GXTC-K

 

 

(GEIL)

---------

- GEIL ONE PC4800 [
2x512MB
] (
TCCD
) [
1.5-2-2-5
] Discontinued

Part number:
GOS1GB3200DC

 

- GEIL ONE PC4000 [
2x512MB
] (
BH
) [
1.5-2-2-5
] Discontinued

Part number:
GOW1GB3200DC

 

- Geil ultra-X PC3200 [
2x512MB
] (
TCCD
or
UTT BH-5
) [
2-2-2-5
] Discontinued

Part number:
GLX1GB3200DC

 

- Geil ultra-X PC4400 [
2x512MB
] (
TCCD
) [
2.5-4-4-7
] Discontinued

Part number:
GLX1GB4400DC

 

 

(G.Skill)

----------

- G.SKILL F1-3200BWU2-1GBGH [
2x512MB
] (
UTT BH-5
) [
2-2-2-5
]

Part number:
F1-3200BWU2-1GBGH

 

- G.Skill F1-4800DSU2-1GBFF [
2x512MB
] (
TCCD
) [
2.5-4-4-8
]

Part number:
F1-4800DSU2-1GBFF

 

- G.Skill F1-3200DSU2-1GBLA [
2x512MB
] (
TCCD
) [
2-2-2-5
]

Part number:
F1-3200DSU2-1GBLA

 

- G.Skill F1-3200DSU2-1GBLE [
2x512MB
] (
TCCD
) [
2-2-2-5
]

Part number:
F1-3200DSU2-1GBLE

 

- G.Skill F1-4000USU2-2GBHZ [
2x1GB
] (
UCCC
) [
3-4-4-8
]

Part number:
F1-4000USU2-2GBHZ

 

- G.Skill F1-4400DSU2-1GBFC [
2x512MB
] (
TCCD
) [
2.5-4-4-8
]

Part number:
F1-4400DSU2-1GBFC

 

- G.Skill F1-3200DSU2-1GBLD [
2x512MB
] (
TCCD
) [
2.5-4-4-8
] [
2-3-3-6
]

Part number:
F1-3200DSU2-1GBLD

 

- G.Skill F1-3200DSU2-1GBLC [
2x512MB
] (
TCCD
) [
2.5-4-4-8
] [
2-2-2-5
]

Part number:
F1-3200DSU2-1GBLC

 

- G.Skill F1-4800DSU2-1GBFR DDR600 2T [
2x512MB
] (
TCCD
) [
2.5-4-4-8
]

Part number:
F1-4800DSU2-1GBFR DDR600 2T

 

- G.Skill F1-3200USU2-2GBHS [
2x1GB
] (
UCCC
) [
2.5-3-3-6
]

Part number:
F1-3200USU2-2GBHS

 

- G.Skill F1-3200PHU2-2GBZX [
2x1GB
] (
Infineon CE-6
) [
2-3-2-5
]

Part number:
F1-3200PHU2-2GBZX

 

- G.Skill f1-3200usu2-2gbhs [
2x1GB
] (
UCCC
) [
3-4-4-8
]

Part number:
f1-3200usu2-2gbhs

 

- G.Skill f1-3200biu2-hx [
2x1GB
] (
?
) [
2-3-2-5
]

Part number:
f1-3200biu2-hx

 

- G.Skill f1-3200phu2-2gbns [
2x1GB
] (
?
) [
2.5-3-3-6
]

Part number:
f1-3200phu2-2gbns

 

- G.Skill F1-4000BIU2-2GBHV [
2x1GB
] (
Infineon CE-5
) [
3-3-2-8
]

Part number:
F1-4000BIU2-2GBHV

 

 

(PQI)

--------

- PQI PC3200 Turbo memory Black [
2x512MB
] (
TCCD
) [
2-2-2-5
]

Part number:
PQI3200-1024DBU

 

- PQI PC3200 Turbo memory Platinum [
2x512MB
] (
TCCD
) [
2-2-2-5
]

Part number:
PQI3200-1024DPU

 

- PQI PC4000 Turbo memory Black [
2x512MB
] (
TCCD
) [
2.5-3-3-7
]

Part number:
PQI4000-1024DBL

 

- PQI PC4000 Turbo memory Platinum [
2x512MB
] (
TCCD
) [
2.5-3-3-7
]

Part number:
PQI4000-1024DPL

 

 

(Patriot)

------------

- Patriot PC3200 [
2x512MB
] (
TCCD
) [
2-2-2-5
]

Part number:
PDC1G3200+XBLK

 

- Patriot PC4800 [
2x512MB
] (
TCCD
) [
2.5-4-4-8
]

Part number:
PDC1G4800+XBLK

 

 

(Buffalo Technology)

---------------------------

MemoryMan (Buffalo official) will provide me with a list soon.
;)

 

 

(TeamGroup)

--------------------------------

- Team Xtreem Hermes Series DDR600 [
2x512MB
] (
TCCD
) [
2.5-4-4-8
]

Part number:
TXDR512M600HC25DC

 

- Team Xtreem, Hermes Series DDR550 [
2x512MB
] (
TCCD
) [
2.5-3-3-7
]

Part number:
TXDR1024M550HC25DC

 

- Team Xtreem, Hermes Series DDR500 [
2x512MB
] (
TCCD
) [
2.5-3-3-6
]

Part number:
TXDR1024M500HC25DC

 

- Team Xtreem Zeus series DDR500 [
2x512MB
] (
BH-5
) [
2-2-2-5
]

Part number:
TXDR1024M500HC2DC

 

- Team Xtreem Zeus series DDR400 [
2x512MB
] (
BH-5
) [
2-2-2-5
]

Part number:
TXDR1024M400HC2DC

 

- Team Xtreem Poseidon series DDR400 [
2x1GB
] (
Infineon
) [
2-3-2-5
]

Part number:
N/A

 

- Team Xtreem Poseidon series DDR400 [
2x512MB
] (
Infineon
) [
2-3-2-5
]

Part number:
N/A

 

- Team Xtreem Cronus M series DDR500 [
2x1GB
] (
5B-F
) [
3-3-3-8
]

Part number:
TXDR1024M400HC2DC

 

- Team Xtreem Cronus S series DDR500 [
2x1GB
] (
UCCC
) [
3-4-3-8
]

Part number:
TXDR2048M500HC3DC-S

 

- Team Xtreem Cronus IA series DDR500 [
2x1GB
] (
Infineon/Aenoen
) [
3-3-2-8
]

Part number:
TXDR2048M500HC3DCI

 

- Team Xtreem Cronus Infineon 2.5 series [
2x1GB
] (
Infineon/Aenoen
) [
2.5-4-4-8
]

Part number:
TXDR2048M500HC25DC

 

 

(TwinMOS Technologies)

--------------------------------

- TwinMOS PC3500 DDR433 Speed Premium Series [
2x512MB
] (
UTT BH-5
) [
2.5-3-3-8
]

Part number:
N/A

 

 

(Corsair)

------------
Ok, Rgone and I have been through a lot of testing this last week or so with a LOT of Corsair modules.

 

Below are all of the kits that I have tested, and he has tested. All of them work with the settings we show you.

 

If you cannot get your modules from Corsair to work, I suggest you contact Corsair, or their House of Help forums as there isn't much we can do for you if your Corsair memory doesn't work with the settings we provide you

 

(Kingston)
Not Recommended

-------------

 

 

A small comparison

------------------------

- PC3200 GOLD VX =
2-2-2-8
@3.2v @200Mhz (
UTT CH-5
chips)

- PC3200 EL GOLD =
2-2-2-5
@2.8v @200Mhz (
UTT BH-5
chips)

- PC3200 Platinum REV2 =
2-2-2-5
@2.75v @200Mhz (
TCCD/TCC5
chips)

- PC4000 GOLD VX =
2-2-2-8
@3.3v @250Mhz (
UTT CH-5
chips)

 

 

If you are not going to overclock

-----------------------------------------

Do not get any
Winbond UTT CH-5
based module (eg, OCZ GOLD VX PC3200)

They require a lot of voltage to do
2-2-2-8
@200Mhz.

 

Modules with the
Winbond UTT BH-5
chips are slightly better (eg, OCZ EL GOLD PC3200) but for the non-overclockers the perfect modules would be ones that contain
Samsung TCCD/TCC5
or
Micron 5B-G
chips. They don’t need a lot of voltage and will run at low timings such as
2-2-2-5
or
2-2-2-6
. (eg OCZ EL Platinum REV 2 PC3200 or Crucial BallistiX PC3200).

 

 

For those that are going to overclock or would like to one day

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

The
Samsung TCCD/TCC5
and
Winbond UTT BH-5
chips can both overclock well but the
Samsung TCCD/TCC5
chips cannot maintain the low timings.

 

The
Winbond UTT BH-5
chips can and you must increase the voltage. So it is a better choice if you want low timings at high frequencies but remember, that can only happen if you increase the voltage well over 3.2v so it will get very hot. With the extra heat being generated you must have a fan blowing cool air over the chips or you may end up with fried chips. (Yummy)

 

 

What the Winbond UTT CH-5 chips can do
(eg, OCZ GOLD VX PC4000)

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

2-2-2-8
@3.3v @250Mhz

2-3-3-8
@2.6v @200Mhz

2-2-2-5
@3.0v-3.2v @200Mhz

 

They don’t call it Voltage extreme for nothing.

 

 

What the Winbond UTT BH-5 chips can do
(eg, OCZ EL Gold PC3200)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

2-2-2-5
@3.5v @250Mhz < Worse than
UTT CH-5

2-2-2-5
@2.8v @200Mhz < Better than
UTT CH-5

 

So the
Winbond UTT CH-5
chip can use lower voltages (3.3v vs 3.5v) than the
Winbond UTT BH-5
chip @250Mhz.

 

 

What about the Samsung TCCD/TCC5 chips?

--------------------------------------------------------

The
Samsung TCCD/TCC5
chips can also provide a very good overclock with much lower voltages than the
Winbond UTT BH-5
and
Winbond UTT CH-5
chips.

 

InsaneTek like reviewing OCZ modules, shame they didnt use a DFI nF4 board

(MSI are good boards too)

 

2.5-3-3-7
@ <2.8v @275Mhz is very good.

 

So
Samsung TCCD/TCC5
based modules are an excellent choice if you want to push the CPU to its limits.

 

 

Here is a short summary

------------------------------

Micron 5B-G

There seems to be a lack of info so some of this may not be accurate.

- When overclocking it will require a bit more voltage, can take 3.2v.

- You must increase the timings.

- 2-2-2-5 timings @200Mhz with only 2.6v (
Recommended voltage 2.8v
)

- 2.5-2-2-6 timings @250Mhz with only 2.65v

- Maximum overclock varies, some say 280Mhz+ is possible.

 

Micron 5B-D

There seems to be a lack of info so some of this may not be accurate.

- can operate at 2.6v @200Mhz (
Recommended voltage 2.8v
)

- When overclocking it will require more voltage, can take 3.0v

- You must increase the timings.

- 2-2-2-5 timings @200Mhz (recent findings)

- 2.5-3-3-7 timings @200Mhz

- 3-3-3-8 timings @250Mhz with ~2.7v

- Maximum overclock varies, 300Mhz is possible.

 

Winbond UTT BH-5

- Requires 2.8v @200Mhz

- When overclocking it requires more voltage than CH-5 at the high frequencies

- Can maintain low timings at high frequencies

- Gets very hot, must be cooled

 

Winbond UTT CH-5

- Requires 3.0v-3.2v @200Mhz, more than UTT BH-5

- When overclocking it needs less than UTT BH-5 to achieve the same results.

- Can maintain low timings at high frequencies

- Gets very hot, must be cooled

 

Samsung TCCD/TCC5

- Requires 2.6v @200Mhz

- When overclocking it still requires less voltage than UTT BH-5/CH-5

- Timing must be increased when you overclock

- It will reach a higher overclock than UTT BH-5/CH-5 (300Mhz is possible).

- Helps you get a good overclock out of your CPU too.

- you will never go beyond 3.0v (Do not go over 3.0v), so it does not get as hot.

 

Infineon CE-6

- Will only need 2.6v-2.7v

- 2-3-2-5 @200Mhz

- 3-3-2-X @250Mhz

- Maximum Overclock ~260Mhz

 

Samsung UCCC

- Maximum voltage needed is 2.8v

- 2.5-3-3-X @200Mhz

- 3-4-4-8 / 3-4-3-8 @250Mhz

- Maximum Overclock ~275Mhz

 

 

Conclusion

--------------

You decide
;)

For more information about overclocking have a look at the

 

Written by *+*Sharp+*+

26/09/05

 

Update in progress (teamgroup bit)

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Matta Newbie

Matta

Posted
Posted

Good guide, but still I'm gonna need help. ;)

 

I want to buy 2x1 GB. You can see my rig in the sig and I'm planing to overclock my Venice 3200+.

 

I'm not certain should I go for DDR400 with good timings or rather for DDR500 (or is it the same at the end) ?

 

What do you think ?

 

 

P.S. One more question:

 

If I buy, let's say, DDR 500 memory with 8-4-4-3 and run it on 200MHz, what timings can I expect to have ?

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Sharp Newbie

Sharp

Posted
Posted

2x1GB PC3200 might be difficult to overclock.

 

3-4-4-8 @DDR500 = 2.5-3-3-7 @DDR400.

 

If you really want 2x1GB get the PC4000/DDR500 kit.

The timings are not going to make a big difference when compared to the benefits of using 2x1GB @DDR500.

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Sharp Newbie

Sharp

Posted
Posted

300Mhz with the Ballistix PC4000 2x1GB :).

 

One thing I did not mention, Some people buy PC4000 and expect it to be faster but dont realise that you need to OC the FSB to 250Mhz.

 

And I'm sure everyone has seen this question, will PC4000 work in my board.

 

Should I write a little explanation about this?

 

Thanks for the positive feedback :angel:

(And for making this a sticky Dave/Angry)

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Angry_Games Newbie

Angry_Games

Posted
Posted

this needs to be the first thing you read if you plan to overclock:

 

http://www.dfi-street.com/forum/showthread.php?t=20823

 

you need to read all of it, every bit of it, you need to re-read it to let it sink in, and you need to read it while attempting some overclocking so you can not only learn, but practice the things it talks about with your own setup

 

you also need to check this out:

 

http://www.dfi-street.com/forum/showthread.php?t=10195

 

there's a discussion thread to ask/talk about the main 939 database...and if you don't find Ballistix in the OC Database listing, in the discussion thread, ask about it, ask if anyone has it etc...which good ol' Angry himself has some 2x512 Ballistix4000's, but sadly no 2x1024 Ballistix 4000's...but the AMD Overclocking section has a nice thread about it (search is your friend)

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