What is the best to go for....

Hello all,
I'm new to the forum. I am thinking about upgrading the RAM in my system from 512MB to 1GB. I currently have 2 x 256MB pc3200 Corsair XMS chips in there. My setup is:

xp2800 cpu
Abit NF7-s mobo
ram as above
74GB WD raptor hdd
ATI Radeon 9600XT 128MB

If somebody could please explain when the faster speeds than 3200 come into play as I thought the max bus speed was 400? This machine is for gaming mainly, and unfortunately, money is a key issue so I'm trying to find a cheap way of getting to a gig of ram, or otherwise improve gaming performance. I am contemplating getting another 74GB raptor and RAIDing them to improve general all-round Windows performance etc, but will have little effect on gaming.

How important are the timings when playing a game. I have got them set fairly low at the moment i think, but was considering going for Crucial ram, as i have heard it is reliable and stuff, but crap for overclocking. Any other suggestions for upgrading would be welcome too.

Thank you,
Stu.

the faster speeds come into play when you increase the FSB past 200 (400 effective).

216FSB = PC3500
233FSB = PC3700
250FSB = PC4000

I'd go with ram or a better video card.

Timings are important but your video card is more important. Better to put the money into there sometimes.