When will DDR3 be worth getting?

It's been my understanding that there is little to no performance increase when comparing DDR2 to DDR3 because even though DDR3 can achieve higher speeds, the higher timings slow it down and pretty much balance it out. Is this still true or has DDR3 gotten better?

I would assume we wouldn't see the "real" performance increases until they start hitting timings as low as 5, since DDR2 is at 4 and 5. It looks like the best DDR3 has right now is 6, and only a select few models hit timings that low. Most are 7, 8, or 9. Do the DDR3 models with 6 timings show a significant performance increase?

im thinkin Q3/4 09 is the right time to upgrade to ddr3. by that time the mem and chipsets would be mature enough to warrant the upgrade

when ddr3 1600mhz goes for $100 at 4GB I will probably switch.

Really not looking forward to it though

ddr3 1866 CL 8 6gb at 150 I am there

Actually it really doesn't matter. As cheap as DDR2 is DDR3 will be a long time coming before it is price competitive for the relatively small increase it gives. By the time that gets here most people will have already moved over do to necassity. With i7 requiring DDR3, that is getting a lot of enthusiasts moving over. I am not sure what AMD is up to these days on the memory front but they probably are not to far behind.

Agreed. By the time I have to switch, prices should be quite a bit less. In the meantime, who wants to change RAM if it means buying a new mobo also.

DDR3 should be faster than DDR2 even with higher timings, the higher clock rates should compensate the latency.. I'd really wish they would show Latencies in Clock Cycles AND Nanoseconds.

The main problem with DDR3 is price and there is hardly any hardware out there that can efficiently make use of the bandwith DDR3 delivers. And if so it also needs the right Application that requires bandwith en mass.

scottw182 said:

I would assume we wouldn't see the "real" performance increases until they start hitting timings as low as 5, since DDR2 is at 4 and 5. It looks like the best DDR3 has right now is 6, and only a select few models hit timings that low. Most are 7, 8, or 9. Do the DDR3 models with 6 timings show a significant performance increase?

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It was the same with the change form DDR1 to DDR2 at first. with the higher speeds you are going to have looser timings. remember DDR1 was running at cas 2-3.

18 is # 1 said:

Agreed. By the time I have to switch, prices should be quite a bit less. In the meantime, who wants to change RAM if it means buying a new mobo also.

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Im sticking with my ip35 pro and ddr2 until there's absolutely no choice in the matter

when you get an i7? lol. there's no use getting them for Socket 775 cpus. they just have no real gain over s775 + ddr2.

With DDR3, you'll get higher benchmark scores. But for gaming & normal applications, there's really not much of a difference. It doesn't increase the FPS in PC games, that's for sure.

cozmo_d said:

Im sticking with my ip35 pro and ddr2 until there's absolutely no choice in the matter

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Me2

From what I've seen, DDR3 offers no performance improvements on LGA775 systems. I think you have to have an i7 system to benefit from it.

I guess I didn't ask the question very well. When I asked when will it be worth getting, I meant when will we start to see significant performance gains. Everyone seems to be on the same page that there isn't really a performance gain right now, but when will there be?

scottw182 said:

I guess I didn't ask the question very well. When I asked when will it be worth getting, I meant when will we start to see significant performance gains. Everyone seems to be on the same page that there isn't really a performance gain right now, but when will there be?

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If you plan to move to an i7 system, then the time is now.

If you plan on sticking with your current system, then wait till you need to upgrade to the new chipsets and beyond because of the price to performance ratio of LG775 when it comes to DDR2 and DDR3.

As of right now, I see no super huge increase in anything performance-wise to warrent paying the premium for having the lastest and greatest ram in an old (but still outstanding) chipset.

It's like putting a FlowMaster exaust on a Chevy Citation lol. No benefit. Hope it helps you out.

It will be worth it to the budget minded consumer when DDR3 modules are as cheap as DDR2 modules. It will be even more worth it when 4GB modules drop in price. DDR2 is a dying platform but DDR3 has a chance at cheap 4GB sticks.

Rich'[ard] said:

when you get an i7? lol. there's no use getting them for Socket 775 cpus. they just have no real gain over s775 + ddr2.

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I got a few 775 things lying around. I also have a i7 which when handled correctly. Is a very fun machine.

Stock clocks.. as in not overclocked....
I got on this kick to use fraps and try and toss heads at Mutants in Fallout 3. I was doing that. Minimizing the game, and then encoding the footage. Remaximize the game as I was progressing in the game finding heads and mutants.. Rince and repeat for a few hours. It did it all at once very well. the encoding did not slow the game up. I run Fallout3 at the highest settings I can, on a 1080p TV.

It takes one heck of a 775 to do that on stock clocks.

I know the first part of your posts as not directed at me... Though I will toss in that i had the machine since the end of November of last year. It was a gift to my wife. Hence why it is not overclocked. Soon it will be though. Oh, when the time is right. I am going to pull that chip and out, and make use of a very early batch i7 920.

Come around end of Fall is my prediction of RAM price drops. Yes.... I am very much waiting for the 4gig modules to drop in price. The prices are simply crazy for them.

scottw182 said:

I guess I didn't ask the question very well. When I asked when will it be worth getting, I meant when will we start to see significant performance gains. Everyone seems to be on the same page that there isn't really a performance gain right now, but when will there be?

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When building an i7. On a 775 system, there is no substantial performance increase, and that is unlikely to change, as DDR2 can still deliver more than enough bandwidth to saturate the FSB.

I don't keep up on AMD chips, but I think they're coming out with one that will use DDR2 or DDR3. If you are looking for an example of where DDR3 outperforms DDR2 on the same cpu/platform, that is probably the first place I would look.