P4 questions....

[prelude2005]

if you have a P4 do you HAVE to use RDRAM? or can you use SDRAM?

also, whats the differ between socket 478 and 423?

im new to this P4 think...im an amd guy heh

 

[prelude2005]

if you have a P4 do you HAVE to use RDRAM? or can you use SDRAM?

also, whats the differ between socket 478 and 423?

im new to this P4 think...im an amd guy heh

ONE more thing....P4's use ATX power supplies correct? (300 watt)

 

[Bull]

Depends on the board. They have Sdram Boards DDR 266 DDR 333 and Rdram boards. You have to have an approved PSU that has two extra connectors for the P4. The 423 socket is the old williamette and the 478 is the newer one. The older 478 processors have 256k of cache and the new northwoods have 512K.

 

[prelude2005]

so fi the mobo supports all types of ram, ithe P4 can rake it right? no errors?

DDR, SDRAM, and RDRAM?

 

[Bull]

I have been researching into this lately because a Northwood is my next purchase. IMO Rdram is on its way out. I have been looking at boards by Asus and Abit. They make boards that have Sdram and DDR ram for the P4. I kind of like the reviews and performance of the SIS645 that supports DDR 333 and It won't break your wallet which is what I'm looking for. Also a 1.6a P4 is 133 dollars on newegg and the motherboard is 105. I'm thinking of watercooling it though some people give me strange looks like I'm crazy but oh well.

Daniel

 

[prelude2005]

I have been researching into this lately because a Northwood is my next purchase. IMO Rdram is on its way out. I have been looking at boards by Asus and Abit. They make boards that have Sdram and DDR ram for the P4. I kind of like the reviews and performance of the SIS645 that supports DDR 333 and It won't break your wallet which is what I'm looking for. Also a 1.6a P4 is 133 dollars on newegg and the motherboard is 105. I'm thinking of watercooling it though some people give me strange looks like I'm crazy but oh well.

Daniel

thas the exact system (mob/procs) i was looking at, on newegg.

 

[funnyperson1]

yes but whatever you do, do NOT get SDRAM with a P4 the performance would SUCK....a P4 2.0 with SDRAM would get thouroughly mashed up by the system in my sig...the P4 needs DDR or RDRAM for that superior performance.....

 

[Enigma422]

I am getting my P4 system very soon, and to answer your questions.

In terms of memory, one thing I can tell you definately is stay away from SDRAM. As for the other two memory types, DDR SDRAM and RDRAM are very close in price, though the boards that support them still have a slight difference in price. The RDRAM boards tend to cost more than the DDR SDRAM boards. I would suggest getting RDRAM for a P4 system especially if you get a NW. Their larger L2 cache will take advantage of the higher bandwidth provided by RDRAM. If you are on a budget, then get DDR SDRAM, should still provide a lot of performance, but for all out P4 performance RDRAM is still the only way to go.

As for the Sockets, if you plan on upgrading your P4 system in the future, and even if you don't, stay away from Socket 423. Socket 423 is being phased out in favor of the newer Socket 478 package and all new P4s will be only produced in a Socket 478 Package.

As for the PSU, you need a P4 compliant PSU. It is ATX, but ATX 2.03. P4 PSUs have a seperate 4-pin 12V line that plugs directly into the board. Putting it in AMD terms, your PSU should also be compatible with the new 760MPX motherboards, since I noticed they too use a 12V line that plug directly into the motherboard.

Good luck in building your system.

 

[prelude2005]

thanks guys!! i truely thank you for the help

i can always depend on this forum!!!

 

[batboy]

I'd have to disagree with the statement that RDRAM is on the way out. Actually it's on it's way in and will keep getting better. You will get the best performance and benchmarks out of RDRAM. DDR is a fairly close second for the time being, but like was said already, SDRAM suck with P-4's. Choose the motherboard carefully. Once you buy the mobo (get a socket 478 one), you're locked into that type of RAM it uses. RDRAM is used in pairs and for most mobos, you'll need a power supply that supports P-4's (has the extra power connectors). Make sure you get the CPU with 512k cache, that's the Northwood. The older Willamette P-4's only had 256k cache and don't overclock nearly as well.

 

[TC]

Definitely don't get an sdram board, period. I'm sort of split on ddr vs. rdram. Rdram is the only option at the moment if you want the absolute best performance from a P4. Dual channel DDR looks like a promising alternative though. We'll just have to wait and see. I'm sort of guessing that Intel may keep rdram around for their server type platforms, and perhaps push dual channel ddr for high-end desktop and workstation roles.

 

[Sicco1]

I would stay away from the RDRam as well, since in two years it will be very hard to find (intell gave up on it, check at
http://www.tweakers.net )

 

[DaveB]

As for the PSU, you need a P4 compliant PSU. It is ATX, but ATX 2.03. P4 PSUs have a seperate 4-pin 12V line that plugs directly into the board. Putting it in AMD terms, your PSU should also be compatible with the new 760MPX motherboards, since I noticed they too use a 12V line that plug directly into the motherboard.

This is not true. I am using an Epox 4SDA SiS 645 mobo and it only uses the standard ATX connector. Just make sure you have a power supply that matches the requirements of the motherboard you purchase. And don't get a PS less the 350W and go for a quality brand such as Antec.

 

[Burning Phoenix]

I highly doubt RDRAM will phase out especially since Rambus has new chips in developement. You will see the introduction of PC1066 when the 533fsb Northwoods arrive. Later the PC1200 we be out in 2003 i think is the date. QRSL (Quad Rambus Signaling Levels) is a new technology by Rambus which will double the bandwidth of their memory chips. RIMM4200 another new technology allows bandwidth of 4.2. A quote from Rambus.com : "module integrates two RDRAM memory channels to deliver 4.2GB/s of memory bandwidth from a single module".
They simply have too much going on to be out of the game.

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