• Welcome to Overclockers Forums! Join us to reply in threads, receive reduced ads, and to customize your site experience!

knowledge for memory newb

Overclockers is supported by our readers. When you click a link to make a purchase, we may earn a commission. Learn More.

DarkAssassin

Member
Joined
Jan 3, 2005
Location
Louisiana
Hey,
my timings are 8-3-3-3.0 (default by manufacturer). Are these good? I want to know if better performance is lower numbers on all of the numbers and what numbers are good numbers.
 
lower is better...those are kind of relaxed for memory...and judging by those timings we are talking about kingston value ram?

If so...you might get cas 2.5 out of them...but that is pushing them...most value ram will not do under thier factory ratings when OCing past 5 or 10FSB/HTT at 1:1 settings...
 
High performance memory today are rated 2-2-2-5 1T at DDR400 or PC3200. I would recommend memories within these range. Some value-ram are rated with CAS 2.5 so your timing seems to be in lower end system.
 
Hello,

Thats a really tricky question to answer (assuming you plan to OC). You are judging memory by its SPD. On the surface, this argument may seem sound, but there are more aspects to good memory than what the SPD says. Some RAM really fly when you supply sufficient voltage eventhough they are rated at loose timings.

If you are looking to run at default voltages, pick up some RAM with TCCD chips on them. Since you may be limited in the FSB domain, I'd say RAM with 2-2-2-5 timings serve you best. The advantage in getting RAM with tight (low) timings is that you can loosen them to get the RAM running at a higher frequency.

I would suggest you get any RAM capable of 2-2-2-5 timings (PDP, PQI, Corsair to name a few make them).

Look in people's sigs and skim through posts in this section, it will give you a second opinion.
 
Gosh, it's been so long since I bought the ram (like, well over a year for the 256, and don't know how long for the 2 512s). I'm pretty sure that I bought the 256 as generic b/c I was a sophomore in high school, I think. That MAY be the same for the 512s. Gosh, I seriously don't remember. All I know is that it's nothing fancy.

Anyway, I tried overclocking the ram before. I am running an xfx nf2s-alh board. I have no control over cpu voltage, multis, etc. I oc by fsb and it does the rest. Several times I accidently got the ram up to 201MHz while ocing and it hung.

I am asking how I should set the spds (will that let me push up the clocks?) b/c I don't feel like opening my case and resetting the cmos [again, again, again, again, etc.].

How much will this improve my benchmark scores? (look in sig)
 
well, I tried to oc my ram, but my mobo wouldn't let me (again.). I was only able to stabley reduce the spd to 7-3-3-2.5 (previously 8-3-3-3) and my performance in 3dmark05 was about the same, but 03 benchmark was reduced by about 1000! I don't get it. It probably only works well if I can oc. Oh, well.
 
Back