• Welcome to Overclockers Forums! Join us to reply in threads, receive reduced ads, and to customize your site experience!

AMD Platform: Higher FSB - Lower Latency?

Overclockers is supported by our readers. When you click a link to make a purchase, we may earn a commission. Learn More.

Fushyuguru

Member
Joined
Jul 19, 2002
Location
WPAFB, OH
Ive seen several people mention that some of the ultra fast PC4000 ram isnt for AMD people. Now Ive been OC'ing under the impression that pushing the fsb as high as I can go is a good thing, so definitely PC4000 would be good respectively. Now the idea of a lower latency on an AMD system is a plus since the bus is a dual pump instead of a quad pump, get all the performance from your mhz as you can.

Now, the mass majority of Pc4000+ modules run at relaxed timmings, generally that would mean not so good for AMD guys.

Im in the market for new memory, so thats why I bring this up (Im looking at GEIL PC 4000 CL2.5 not 3 like everybody else).

So what do you think, ultra fast more relaxed timmings on a AMD system, or ulta aggresive timmings at a lower fsb better for the green team?
 
do you relaly think you high of a fsb?? hehe most ppl are satified with a lil over 200 =d i'd save my few bucks and go with like pc3500 =d its alot cheaper =d
 
Disregard price here, I want to talk real world performance experience, opinions. Its not a factor of need, its a question.

I reiterate.

What combo results in better performance in an AMD system?
 
the reason many of the modulesare cas3 is because they are not true 4000 . they are OCd 3500 and 3700 and require higher cas to get full charge at higher speeds and still be stable . thats why if you think yuo have topped out on timings you may be able to push harder by upping cas and voltage .AFAIK
 
Maybe I was wondering about something closely simliar to that?

When I overclock by FSB to a certain level, I have to relax my memory timings for stability. Result: lower memorybandwith eventhough the FSB is higher. CPU is only somewhat faster, and despite my ancient GF2, I still manage to sqeeze more fps within games; even the new ones.
Example: fsb137-cl2 vs fsb143-cl3 (timing: fast on both)

Raises some questions for me....
should I even bother with a lower FSB but faster memorytimings thus more memorybandwidth if it somehow gives me a bit less performance for the programs I really want the most performance for? Sounds like a stupid question, but I used to go for an average highest numbers in speed according to benchmark programs (specific for mb/sec for memory etc..., one part only) and grade that as "best overclock for my pc"......
now? I just leave my memorysettings alone aslong as its stable; last priority for me when overclocking.

I know it's still sd-ram on a amd xp system, and eventhough I can use ddr-ram also (ecs k7s5a), I rather upgrade my cpu and videocard only in the future unless I want to make me a whole new system.
 
fushyu,

i think what people are trying to say is that pc4000 is wasted on amd systems. athlon systems face huge penalties when running fsb and mem clocks asynchronous, so 1:1 ratios are the only way to go. there are virtually no amd mobos that will hit 250mhz fsb to run 1:1 with pc4000. My 220mhz on my nf7-s 2.0 is considered a pretty decent fsb overclock, and i'm doing that fine with 2-2-2-6 1T timings at 1:1 with my mushkin pc3200 BL2 (bh-5 chips).

the underlying reason why pc4000 modules are more tailored for canty/springdale systems is because intel systems don't really take much of a hit running their fsb/mem asynchronously. so, these systems are able to reach outrageous fsb speeds (like close to 300!). because of ram limits, no one's running that 1:1, and have been typically using 3:2 or even 5:4 dividers. with memory that runs 250mhz, those who can only hit close to 250 fsb can use 1:1, and those who are close to 300 can use a godlike 6:5 ratio.

as for your question, the obvious answer is that we don't really know, since amd fsb's cannot give memory speeds a run for their money. ie. virtually all amd system fsb's have been able to run 1:1 with cas2 timings with currently available 3200/3500/3700 ram. so there isn't really need for ram that can go at ridiculously high speeds but loose timings (i've never seen an nf2 system over 240mhz fsb). consequently, amd users never really have had to experiment loosening the memory timings, since we could readily do cas2 at our highest fsb! intel users on the other hand, find their fsb's leaving mem speeds in the dust, and have thus had to experiment what was better, higher mem speeds, or tighter timings. i think overwhelmingly, it is the former, (correct me if i'm wrong, but that's the impression i get from reading up on intel stuff) hence all these pc4000 sticks coming out.

however, there are those who don't have access to top of the line cas2 3200/3500/3700 ram, and so have had to experiment with a higher fsb and loose timings, or lower fsb and tight. the result? as TR_B says, it differs. some apps do better with high fsb, loose timings. some apps do better with lower fsb, tight timings. personally, i prefer the highest fsb i can do at 2-2-2-6 and 220 is it for me, but that's because i find games run smoothest for me... it'll probably be different for whatever you use your computer for.

edit for clarity
 
Unless you have an AMD mainboard that is somehow capable of hitting 250 MHZ FSB (I have seen some LN2 NF7-S's do it), then you will be wasting time by purchasing PC4000 memory.

If your AMD board is capable of doing 230, 240 or even 250 MHZ FSB, then go for some PC3700/PC4000 memory.

If you are stuck at 220 FSB or less because of your mainboard, then purchasing faster memory isn't going to help much.
 
Also, if you don't mind my recommending you memory, our OCZ PC3200 Platinum does very tight timing and is a great match for NForce2's at 200 FSB. Above that, PC3500 EL DDR should work great for you.
 
Also, if you don't mind my recommending you memory, our OCZ PC3200 Platinum does very tight timing and is a great match for NForce2's at 200 FSB. Above that, PC3500 EL DDR should work great for you.
 
Back