p4p800 Ram Timings question

When i set the timings to be read by SPD or whatever the phrasing is, it sets it at 2.5-4-4-8 while the ram (geil golden dragon pc3200 dual) says it is 2-3-3-6. Is that normal? Do i have to set it in the Bios? What does the SPD thing represent/mean? Also, what do i put in the DRAM BURST LENGTH thing in the BIOS? thx in advance
Ritalin

I set burst length @ 4, it seems more stable. I've read 2 different schools of thought on this setting. Rojaks says 8 is more aggressive. Another article(tech forums I think) says there is no performance gain or loss either way. Personal experience sides with the latter.

SPD is useless.

SPD is surely not useless! It stands for Serial Presence Detect and informs the BIOS of the timings the original manufacturer specified the RAM chips for. GeiL (and other brands) however tests and remark their RAM sticks for a tighter speed (2-3-3-6) in Ritalin's case. But the SPD still reveals the original timings. My Kingston HyperX SPD's as 2-2-2-6, so at least I know it's the real deal with BH-5 chips...

Thanks for the definition. However if I set my timings to SPD they default to 2.5-3-3-7. I'm using mushkin lvl 2 black pc 3200. Mushkin specs are 2-2-2-5. Perhaps you could further enlighten me as to why spd does this, as this would be part of the reason for my opinion. Isn't the best way to ensure your timings are correct per spec is to set them manually?

I'm pretty sure mushkins timing spec hasn't been retested and tightened on the lvl 2 recently.

Also IMO, I find it reasonably hard to believe that(in ritalin's case)Geils original timings were 2.5-4-4-8 then retested to 2-3-3-6 thats a substantial jump. It seems more like spd is a roll of the dice.

i had the same as grandpa dan, i had to set them manually in the bios to fit what was written on the box.

Grandpa Dan said:

Thanks for the definition. However if I set my timings to SPD they default to 2.5-3-3-7. I'm using mushkin lvl 2 black pc 3200. Mushkin specs are 2-2-2-5. Perhaps you could further enlighten me as to why spd does this, as this would be part of the reason for my opinion. Isn't the best way to ensure your timings are correct per spec is to set them manually?

Click to expand...

Exactly. SPD is how manufacturers guarantee that their RAM will work the first time and every time someone plugs it into a supported motherboard. SPD timings are intentionally relaxed (with a few exceptions) to ensure compatibility.

By all means lower the latencies manually. You should be able to get at least as low as the advertised numbers, and you should set them as low as you can get while staying stable.

Riddle me this, riddle me that. Why on my old mobo(Aopen ax4spe-n) timing by spd with all other parts unchanged was correctly set to 2-2-2-5 as per manufacturers spec.? Now keep in mind, this memory has been tested and approved for use on this Asus board, but at the time had not been tested and approved by Aopen.