Which Divider Should I Use????

Hello, will I get better performance if I run w/o a 1:1 divider and run a higher memory frequency while keeping the FSB at the same speed and cpu at the same speed? I heard that I should use 1:1 to get the best performance. Should I increase my memory frequency and use a different divider and use the same fsb and cpu frequencies to get better performance? THANKS

You need top find the best mix for your memory and your RAM. In general, you will see much more of a performance jump from X percentage of CPU speed increase than you will from X percentage of memory speed increase. If using a lower memory divider lets you push your CPU considerably faster, then go ahead (even 100 or 200 MHz more on the CPU will probably be worth the use of a divider).

In the end, only you can tell by experimenting with different speed combinations of CPU and memory.


EDIT: just noticed you said a higher divider (normally we call this a multiplier). That leads me to beleive you're running an Athlon XP system. In that case, no, stay at 1:1, even if it means you're running the memory slower than it's capable of.

BTW, this is why it's good idea to list the details of your system when you ask specific questions like this. Hope I haven't been to confusing.

sorry Jkeefe and thanks for your reply,

I have a p4, 3.0c. I want to run a 3.75ghz with a 250 fsb and 500mhz ram. My question is, will there be any sort of performance boost if i run the same fsb and cpu frequency and change that to say, 533 mhz or 550 mhz ram?

I hear that synchroneous is better than async. so perhaps I should stay with the 1:1 divider. Any suggestions?

Ah, ok.

There are no memory multipliers for 200 FSB chips, only dividers. You cannot run the memory faster than 1:1 at 200 FSB and above. All that DDR533 or DDR550 would give you is more headroom in your RAM.

JKeefe said:

Ah, ok.

There are no memory multipliers for 200 FSB chips, only dividers. You cannot run the memory faster than 1:1 at 200 FSB and above. All that DDR533 or DDR550 would give you is more headroom in your RAM.

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What do you mean by more headroom? Do you mean speed? I need to squeeze every bit of performance i can from this machine, for the things that i am doing. (not gaming!)

If you run your 3.0C @ 3750 MHz, you will be running at 250 FSB. Therefore, the fastest memory speed you will be able to attain will be DDR500, because you cannot run the memory any faster than the FSB.

So, I say you will have more headroom using DDR533 or DDR500 memory because it will allow your CPU to go faster without exceeding the rated speed of your memory.

I thought it was possible to run the memory higher than the fsb? and yes, more head room, I will probably try to push it to 266 fsb and get 4ghz going, but im not sure how stable it will be at that level with the voltages and everything.

danman81 said:

I thought it was possible to run the memory higher than the fsb?

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It's not. The memory dividers availalble on 865 and 875 boards are 3:2, 5:4, and 1:1.