What is the story with DDR2 Mobos and Ram?

OK, so the new architecture is based on DDR2 for next year and Q4 of this year. When a mobo manufacturer and processor manufacturer state that a maximum allowable module is DDR2 800. Does that mean that you cannot install DDR2 1000 and higher?

I know in our current systems, when a manufacturer states DDR400 (PC3200), we, the overclockers stuff in DDR600 and overclock the **** out of it. Because I have never seen a manufacturer blatantly state that "this processor cannot take any memory with higher frequencies than DDR2 800" until I recently discovered it in a few DDR2 articles.

Is there any difference with DDR2? Can we still put in modules with much higher frequencies then is recommended by the CPU and MOBO?

Just a newbie to Conroe/AM2 and DDR2 like everyone else here and picking some of your brains.

Regards,
Dom

if stock fsb = 200mhz (p4/d) then max ram speed is ddr2-800 (1:2 divider)
if stock fsb = 266mhz (conroe) then max ram speed is ddr2-1064 (1:2 divider)

so that's your motherboard rated max ram speed for ya. if you look around a bit you'll see that people can oc the fsb like mad.

crimedog said:

if stock fsb = 200mhz (p4/d) then max ram speed is ddr2-800 (1:2 divider)
if stock fsb = 266mhz (conroe) then max ram speed is ddr2-1064 (1:2 divider)

so that's your motherboard rated max ram speed for ya. if you look around a bit you'll see that people can oc the fsb like mad.

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I know this information. That is basic OC knowledge. I am just asking in general is there a new limit on DDR 2 frequency that you know of?

limit? limit is always the ram

I can't imagine the DDR2 situation would be any different than DDR

wellnessoc5 said:

I can't imagine the DDR2 situation would be any different than DDR

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except that you run an upward divider instead of a downward one...

The "limit" that you are seeing is motherboard manufacturers working with memory manufacturers to keep the business in the main stream, i.e., not the OC community. If an mobo company can convince everyone that the mobo can only support ddr2-4200 memory, people won't turn to companies such as OCZ, GEIL, G. Skill, etc for memory. Rather they'll hit up the volume cats like Kingston Value, Corsair Value, PNY and Ultra.

soulfly1448 said:

The "limit" that you are seeing is motherboard manufacturers working with memory manufacturers to keep the business in the main stream, i.e., not the OC community. If an mobo company can convince everyone that the mobo can only support ddr2-4200 memory, people won't turn to companies such as OCZ, GEIL, G. Skill, etc for memory. Rather they'll hit up the volume cats like Kingston Value, Corsair Value, PNY and Ultra.

Click to expand...

Thats what I was trying to figure out. If this was just a marketing ploy. Again, I am a newbie to AM2/Conroe so I was not sure if the actual ram frequencys would be locked. I read it somewhere in CPU Magazine a few days ago that DDR2 could not be clocked higher than the motherboards maximum compatibility mark.

dominick32 said:

I am just asking in general is there a new limit on DDR 2 frequency that you know of?

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No, DDR2 clocks as high as the RAM will allow.

The chipset determines the maximum speed of the RAM that is compatible. I have a 825X motherboard that only supports max. of DDR2 4200, it will not boot with ddr2 5300. But I can overclock the 4200 much higher. I think the interaction between the chipset and the SPD of the RAM is more a variable than the processor.

Interesting, I dont think there is a limitation on AM2 set ups is there? I have a AM2 setup and the only issue with RAM clocking is it only will do 1T to DDR800 or so, while there is another 100Mhz+ of headroom w/ 2T.