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What should I do? A memory dilemma...

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SithSolo1

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Joined
Jan 16, 2004
I currently have 512MB (2x256) Mushkin Black LvL 2. It's great, goes as fast as I need with low voltage and ultra low timings. I have two problems:

1) I've always wanted 1GB of ram and now some the games I've been playing lately are starting to munch on the page file...a lot.

2) The ram is going to waste. I maxed out my chip the other day(locked 2500+) at 11x225 @1.9v(changing the voltage and the ram timings didn't help so I assume I maxed out the chip) and that wasn't even stable. Lately I've been running at 11x210 @ 1.8v 2-2-2-11 and I'm happy with that but the ram just yerns for more.

Anyway should I try and locate a 512MB stick of LvL2 or get like a gig of Boffalo w/ CH-5(or equivolent), hope it over clocks to my current settings, and sell the LvL2?

:bang head :-/
 
Probably not the answer you looking for but, I would say keep the RAM and later upgrade to a mobile processor that will take advantage of it.
If I was you I would not want to sell it and take the chance of getting RAM that does not perform like you want.
 
CH-5 won't clock to the settings you want it to, but it should be able to do 210 @ 2.5-3-3-11. Upgrading to a gig of that stuff wouldn't be a bad idea. 3DMarks would go down, but your overall experience would probably go up.
 
Unless you are seeing a real effect without more memory, I think ou_phidelt's suggestion is reasonable.

Scenario: You change from 2-2-2 to 2.5-3-3 (as would be associated with memory you would most likely buy today) and you'll see about a 3% loss in performance on a nForce2 mobo. So you need a fsb of about 216 (since you're now at 210) just to break even on memory bandwidth performance with new memory. A NF7 mobo would typically need more voltage (either a Vdimm mod, or a Vdd mod, or both) to push above 215ish. So I would suggest you might want to get to about 225 or better to make it worth the effort/cost of buying new memory. 225 to 235 are about the max I think you might get out of a NF7 mobo unless you're REALLY lucky.

Thus I think ou_phidelt's suggestion is a very reasonable one. Buy a mobile 2500+ then do a Vdimm mod to give the Mushkin more voltage (maybe Vdd too) and live with that till you build you're next system.
 
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