Corsair TWIN 3200LL or OCZ 3500 Dual CHannel?

they are almost equal in price...give or take $5.

Which would be better w/ the A7N8X deluxe?? both are 256MB sticks

*bump*

I think you will have success with both. I run the OCZ EL 3500 and like it.

Well you're not using onboard video, why even bother with dual channel? Even at 200fsb, all you need is a single stick of PC3200. For your system to use a Dual Channel setup of PC3200, you would need to have your fsb at a REAL 400MHz (800MHz effective)!

I have OCZ ram, and I like it. Very overclockable. I have a stick of PC-2700 and with stock voltage, I have gotten it up to 187fsb, and I can probably get it higher if my motherboard wasnt so crappy. So, I would go with OCZ.

Stumpjumper5200 said:

Well you're not using onboard video, why even bother with dual channel? Even at 200fsb, all you need is a single stick of PC3200. For your system to use a Dual Channel setup of PC3200, you would need to have your fsb at a REAL 400MHz (800MHz effective)!

Click to expand...

You are right on. Because Corsair came up with PC3200 LL TWIN pair and markets them specially for dual channel nforce2 MB, even use A7N8X as the test bed for those memory sticks. They came up the PC3200 LL TWIN (which is the same as 3500C2) after many people (who don't tweak bios) were having problems with the 3200C2/3500C2 with the nforce2 boards SPD.

Most people buy those PC3200 LL TWIN pair (almost $200 for 256MBx2) for their nforce2 MB and don't even realise 50% of the memory bandwidth are completely WASTED. And also many nforce2 MB cannot even run at 200 MHz.

The 5 ns DRAM chip DDR are mature. Almost any brand of DDR which use 5 ns chip (esp those w/ WindBond) can do 200 MHz delivering the 3200 MB/s bandwidth (which is about max for nforce2 MB). Some of those DDR400 modules are priced 40% less than the high priced ones.

These are some popular ones ppl talk about here, the price difference is as high as 40%, but performance difference is just a few % for PC3200, 5ns chips:

TwinMOS 256 MB PC3200 5ns chip ~ $59
Winbond 256 MB PC3200 5ns chip ~ $75
OCZ 256 MB EL 3500C2 4.5ns chip ~ $86
Kingston 256 MB HyperX 3500C2 5ns chip ~ $87
Corsair 256 MB 3200C2 (6ns chip ??) ~ $84
Corsair 256 MB 3200 LL 5ns chip ~ $92
Corsair 256x2 MB 3200 LL TWIN 5ns chip ~ $193 (two)
Corsair 256 MB 3500C2 5ns chip ~ $93
.....

Really? The twin 3200's are the 3500's???

That would be an extra bonus, because I just ordered the 1 Gig PC3200 set for my Granite Bay setup

I know I might be hitting 200fsb, but I'm around 166 right now. If I got the PC2700 twin pack, there's a chance that my memory doesn't like being run very quick in a dual channel setup, and I would soon hit the wall on the PC2700. Just a little extra insurance, plus the difference was only like $40.

Stumpjumper5200 said:

Really? The twin 3200's are the 3500's???

That would be an extra bonus, because I just ordered the 1 Gig PC3200 set for my Granite Bay setup

...

Click to expand...

Corsair 3500C2 and 3200 LL TWIN are based on the same DRAM chips (according to Corsair RAMGUY). I think this is what they do: from the 3500C2 modules which is spec at 217 MHz 7-3-3-2 timing, pick those that can run at 200 MHz 6-2-2-2 timing and claim them as 3200 LL (low latency, tighter timing). And 3200 LL TWIN is just a pair that passes on a test bed using A7N8X dual channel MB.

I doubt they will test the TWIN for you by running 3D Mark 2001 for stability, lol !!!

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

THIS IS FROM CORSAIR:

Testing parameters for XMS3200LL:

Motherboard make and model: Asus A7N8X, and/or Abit KD7
All settings by MB default resulting in:
Resulting Frequency: 200MHz
SDRAM CAS Latency: 2T
SDRAM RAS to CAS Delay (tRCD): 2T
SDRAM RAS Precharge (tRP): 2T
SDRAM Active to Precharg Delay (tRAS): 6T
SDRAM Bank Interleave: 4 Bank
Memory Voltage: motherboard default*

Testing parameters for TWINX3200:

Motherboard make and model: Asus A7N8X
Each set is tested together in an A7N8X with default settings resulting in:
Resulting Frequency: 200MHz
SDRAM CAS Latency: 2T
SDRAM RAS to CAS Delay (tRCD): 2T
SDRAM RAS Precharge (tRP): 2T
SDRAM Active to Precharg Delay (tRAS): 6T
SDRAM Bank Interleave: 4 Bank
Memory Voltage: motherboard default*

This is very interesting......... I am about to replace my memory for an Asus P4PE board with a 2.4C1. What memory should I be getting??? XMS3500 with it's weaker CAS ratings or LL3200 with the better settings???

I can't figure it out (blonde day maybe)

fritzman said:

This is very interesting......... I am about to replace my memory for an Asus P4PE board with a 2.4C1. What memory should I be getting??? XMS3500 with it's weaker CAS ratings or LL3200 with the better settings???

I can't figure it out (blonde day maybe)

Click to expand...

If you really want to go with Corsair and just want to decide between 3200LL and 3500C2, AND are able to adjust the memory timing in the BIOS, then IMHO, I'd pick 3500C2 because

1. There are based on the same DRAM chips (5ns I guess)

2. The 3500C2 has a "RMA proof guarantee" to run at 217 MHz 7-3-3-2 timing. Even though the 3200LL has tighter timing of 6-2-2-2 and stock freq of 200 MHz, but I don't think such difference in RAS/CAS timing would translate into memory performance of 17 MHz (= 217 - 200), rather than about 5-8 MHz.

3. Prices of 3200LL and 3500C2 are about the same.


But on the other hand, since 5ns chips are mature, there are many modules from other brands would perform equally well (if not better) to within few % (say 3%) in terms of memory bandwidth, but with a price 30-40% lower. IMHO, for price/performance, I'd look for alternatives.

Thanks......... out here in the antipodes, there is not a lot of choice. GEIL has just landed, Mushkin arrives rarely, Corsair is readily on tap, then there seems to be a large step down to the rest (unless I am missing other 'major' players??

I just picked up the matched pair of Corsair XMS 3200LL-PT ram for right at $200. I have an Asus P4PE board. These'll work great, right? Just checking. I have full adjustability in my bios for adjusting the ram. Thanks in advance guys.
Doc

Alright, just got my Corsair XMS in!

Amazing stuff, 162fsb gives me a little over 3960MB/sec in Sandra!

Hmmm.... you guys are still going both ways......... some with 3200LL's and others with 3500's.

Do I go left or do I go right, or do I wait for 3700??

stick with the 3500. That'll probably be best till something better comes out.
Doc

I run 2x 256xmsLL 3200 Platinum sticks on a Chaintech 7NJL1. They do what they are advertised. Only problem is my mobo doesn't allow fsb over 200. I emailed the techs and the reply was ???? if they would support >200 fsb in a future bios, but they are working on Barton features to be included in a new bios.
I wish I could try a higher fsb so i could tell you what these sticks are truly capable of. If you do go with the Corsair, save a few bucks like i did and get two seperate sticks instead of the twin sticks marketed for dual channel for a higher price. It's just marketing. Mine work great together.

Actually, I've seen some benches that prove otherwise. In the same system at the same settings, the results are huge, but they're there.

Also, with my old cheapo memory, even though it was rated as DDR400 (and I had it around DDR375 on my old ASUS P4S533), I couldn't go past 162fsb on this motherboard (which runs the sticks at DDR324).

Now with the Corsair Twin Pack, I'm at 173fsb at 1.6Vcore. Even at 1.6vcore with the old memory, it just seemed like it hit a wall at 162fsb.

Stumpjumper5200 said:

Actually, I've seen some benches that prove otherwise. In the same system at the same settings, the results are huge, but they're there.

Also, with my old cheapo memory, even though it was rated as DDR400 (and I had it around DDR375 on my old ASUS P4S533), I couldn't go past 162fsb on this motherboard (which runs the sticks at DDR324).

Now with the Corsair Twin Pack, I'm at 173fsb at 1.6Vcore. Even at 1.6vcore with the old memory, it just seemed like it hit a wall at 162fsb.

Click to expand...

I assume you are running at 1:1 ratio with the Granite Bay.

Why would you need a 3200LL (5 ns chip) spec'd at 200 MHz to run at 170 MHz+-. It seems to me a PC2700 would do fine w/ the Granite Bay dual channel, and you could achieve 4000+ MB/s running fsb at 170 MHz. Two sticks of PC2700 would save $100.

You'll need the 3200LL if you can push the Granite Bay fsb higher towards 200 MHz. The then bandwidth would be close to 4500 MB/s +-

hitechjb1 said:

I assume you are running at 1:1 ratio with the Granite Bay.

Why would you need a 3200LL (5 ns chip) spec'd at 200 MHz to run at 170 MHz+-. It seems to me a PC2700 would do fine w/ the Granite Bay dual channel, and you could achieve 4000+ MB/s running fsb at 170 MHz. Two sticks of PC2700 would save $100.

You'll need the 3200LL if you can push the Granite Bay fsb higher towards 200 MHz. The then bandwidth would be close to 4500 MB/s +-

Click to expand...

PC2700 would be good for 166fsb with the tight timings, maybe more since it's Cosair. But theoretically speaking, if the memory does only what it's specified to do and nothing more, I would have to slow the timings down past 166fsb. I know that timings don't affect the bandwidth THAT much (I got about 50-75MB/sec more, I think....can't remember), if you can have both...go for it

As for price differece.....When I bought them the pack was $387, now it's $338...ROFL!!! But anyway, right now the price difference is $44, when I bought it I think the difference was about $55. So I figured what the heck, why not go for the PC3200 anyway?



EDIT: Oh yeah, I'm running 1:1. That's the only ratio there is on Granite Bay, and is the only one you need.

Stumpjumper5200 said:

Actually, I've seen some benches that prove otherwise. In the same system at the same settings, the results are huge, but they're there.

Click to expand...

Stump
I'm not sure what you are saying. Is this a response to what i posted?

If so, i'm interested in seeing the benchmarks that show a "matched" pair works better than two random sticks of the exact same brand and speed.

~spec