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Dual Channel Memory Shootout

Posted by CowboyNeal on from the ram-roundup dept.

MDT48 writes "Ever wondered if that expensive low latency memory was worth the cash? These guys have rounded up almost every memory module out there and hammered them. Must have taken them ages, and takes almost as long to read, well worth the effort though."

7 of 204 comments (clear)

  1. RAM Speed Differences by HitByASquirrel · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Anyone know if 4 512MB PC3200 DDR 400 chips is faster/slower than 2 1GB PC3200 DDR 400 chips?

  2. Great tests, but lacking the new goodness by randyest · · Score: 4, Interesting

    PC4000 (DDR500) RAM and faster) is here, and it's a lot faster than anything they reviewed. Even if your CPU/Mobo don't support more than DDR200 or DDR333, you can get lower latency (i.e., 2-2-2-2 BIOS timing options will be usable at lower frequencies) and be ready for upgrades using faster RAM.

    I just picked up two 512MB sticks of this amazing stuff to go with my AMD64 3200+ from, of all places, Circuit City (because it is only $129 each, cheaper even than newegg, which is usually a great deal for RAM and has amazing reseller ratings.) Though I just noticed there's a new $40 rebate on newegg's $299 price (for 1GB), making the net $259, or about the same as I paid at CC. Then again, I hate rebates.)

    No shipping and insta-pick up at Circuit Shitty (though newegg is usally free for fedex saver), even with MA 5% sales tax it's a steal.

    Sorry, I digress -- I'm full of gin, tonic, and Italian food. Back OT -- they got their best RAM up to 275MHz FSB (DDR550). The Kingston I got works stable up to 325MHZ (DDR650!!) and it's not much more (a few cents/MB) than the reviewed RAM.

    Just thought I'd share all I recently discovered before someone runs out and buys the best of this review. I think it took so long to write all that review text and compile/plot the data that they missed the new goodies!

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    everything in moderation
  3. Comment removed by account_deleted · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Comment removed based on user account deletion

  4. Mushkin? by SpootFinallyRegister · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Where's the mushkin at?

    Does this seem like a pretty major omission to anyone else?

  5. never saw the point of the super duper RAM by alen · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I'd rather buy the generic stuff and save the money for a better cpu or video card. better price performance ratio i think.

  6. More info, please by dargaud · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I have never been able to find a good explaination on PC memories. What are the timings, latencies, what are the numbers on their labels, etc... PC133 ? 4000 ? I put PCs together and usually stay with the recommanded motherboard manufacturer's recommendations but I'm curious for more.

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    Non-Linux Penguins ?
  7. The same but different. by mollymoo · · Score: 3, Interesting
    Would somebody care to explain to me how different sticks of RAM at the same frequency with the same timings can perform differently?

    I had presumed that the frequency and timings absolutely dictated the bandwidth and latency etc. For example, with CL2.5 RAM you have to wait 2.5 cycles after strobing the CAS line to get your data, so doesn't that operation take exactly the same ammount of time on every stick of CL2.5 RAM? Isn't the same true of every operation and therefore the overall performance? Why not? Do the modules themselves cache and pre-fetch data in the same way CPUs do?

    Note I'm only talking about sticks at the exact same frequency and timings - it's easy to understand how faster timings and higher frequencies improve performance.

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    Chernobyl 'not a wildlife haven' - BBC News