RAM Modules --- Help Needed

some help needed here..

I currently have 2x 512 MB DDR266 modules running in dual channel mode on an intel 865GBF mobo... this mobo supports upto 4 GB DDR400.... max. Now, I wanna upgrade to another 1 GB of RAM.. and on querying, one of my friend said that DDR266 modules are hard to find, the default is DDR333 now. If this is true.. plzz tell me..

1) can I use DDR333/400 modules in conjunction with my DDR266 modules .. or I have 2 dispose off my previous RAM modules 2 upgrade... ??

2) What is the present cost of 512 MB/1GB DDR333/400 modules now (preferably Hynix and in Kolkata) ?

3) Is dual channel performance superior to single channel performance ?

Thanx 2 u guys in advance !!!!

P

Dual channel performance is indeed better than single channel.

I don't think you can use memory of different speeds together.

If possible, get DDR400 modules to fully utilise the 800MHz FSB of your mobo.

Sorry, no idea of the prices in Kolkata.

V

yeah ddr266 are hard to find

in a way they are obselete

there is no way to make different frequencies work together

buy ddr400 any amount

generally 1gb of ddr400 costs around Rs 4600 !!!

G

weather u can use DDR266 or DDR400, depends on your CPU FSB, if it's 800 MHz, then u can use DDR400, if not then even if u use DDR400 it will underclock & work at either 266 or 333 MHz

Plz tell us which CPU U got, as if it supports DDR400, then i would say that u sale your current RAM & get DDR400

H

and above all do u want 2 buy hynix? transcend or kingston or corsair r better ne day than hynix.

I recently bought HYNIX 512MB DDR 400MHz for Rs.2400/-.

Thanx 2 all u guys....

@gxsaurav.. I got a 2.8 Ghz P4 HT.. 800 MHz FSB.. and my mobo supports the DDR 400 modules.

@hummer: I think transcend or Corsair is very hard 2 find in Kolkata... Kingston may be thr !!!

G

in that case, sale your current RAM & get DDR400

H

hey, i downloaded the software cpu-z, and found out that my Simmtronics 512MB DDR400 is running at 200 MHZ frequency. I have an Athon 64 2800+ running at 1800 MHz, socket 754, multipler is 9, fsb is 200 i think. my motherboard MSI K8M Neo-V supports DDR400, as i think from looking at this site:
*www.msi.com.tw/program/products/mainboard/mbd/pro_mbd_detail.php?UID=621

so is the problem the cpu, or that the memory is working in single channel mode? I was thinking of adding another 512mb, will the performance diff. be good? and shld i buy one more 512 mb for dual channel mode or a 1 GB ram? is the extra 1 gb any good use or another 512 mb ok?? I'll be playing all the latest games, so plz advice... I experience stutters while playing NFS: MW, whether highest or lowest, and in bink videos of painkiller(but the game runs really smooth), and sometimes in doom 3, even after patching it up(any settings), whereas quake4 runs fine at 1280x1024, with 2x AA, but stutters somewhat in single player. All the stutterings occur at any graphic settings. So, is the prob the ram or the hard disk?
i was also thinking of setting up raid, does raid config really make any diff.? and shld i buy 2 80gb SATA or another 160 gb pata?? if i buy two 80 gb, then ill convert the internal 160 gb to external, using hdd enclosures...thnx..

H

u r playin all that with what graphics card?
don tell me that u r playin quake4 with on board graphics at 1280x960 +2AA. if that is the case u need a graphics update.

H

Do u really think some1 will be able to play QUAKE 4 AT 1280x960 + 2xAA with onboard gfx???

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gud joke...be sirius now

G

HellGuardian

your RAM is working fine, it working in 200 MHz X 2, as it's DDR, so it's working at ddr400, don't worry

H

thanks, thats a good relief for me, and er..wat bout my other queries?

G

for dual channel memory U need 2 X xxx Memory RAM module, of same speed, so for 1 GB get 2X512 MB DDR400

1 GB should be enough for anything, even for learning 3d max or other workstation apps,

for the quake 4 stuttring, see my thread in gamers section for quake 4, that will solve most of the probs

H

and one more ques. plz, does the amount of free hard disk space left in the partition that the game is installed in, matter??? like ive installed doom 3 in d:, space left is 3.5 gb/30gb, and painkiller in g:, 3.0/30gb, and wat about the bink videos stuttering(so much that i cant understand what goes on in the video(the story, that is)), coz when i had played the demo, the videos worked fine(like the initial starting, before the main menu, wrkd fine then , but now that stutters too). i think maybe i shld keep more free space on the disk, will that make a diff.?

transcend 512 mb 400 mhz Rs 2300

hynix 512 mb Rs. 1950

if u use 288 / 333 / 400 mhz then ur system will run the ram at 266 i mean lowest among the possible frequencies......

G

there are no bink videos in Doom 3 or quake 4, they are rendered in game engine

if u haven't already, then extract all the pk4 files to the doom3\base folder & quake 4\q4base folder, this will decrese stutter by 40%

Doom 3 will run fine on 512 MB RAM, but quake 4 stutters a lot, U need 768 MB atleast to play it stutter free, while 1 GB is the sweet spot,

also refer to the tweak guide posted theree to tweak the game according to your system

H

sorry, i was talking bout bink videos in PAINKILLER, and i dont know why, but q4 runs smoother then doom3 in my pc, ive got the demo of q4, not the full version. and in doom3(full game), i had tried extracting pk files once, but that only reduces lead times, stutters were as before.

@HellGuardian, you're on a Socket 754 Athlon64 system. Socket 754 systems do not support dual-channel memory, so do not add another mem module to expect dual-channel performance!

On the other hand, 1GB of RAM will do wonders for your gaming needless of dual-channel support not being there. Games like BF2 are already pushing the limit with 2GB of RAM being needed for smooth gameplay.

As far as the stuttering issue goes, try defragmenting your hard disk ?
RAID 0 setups do increase speeds by almost twice as much, however the risk of failure also doubles! So consider that before you setup a RAID array. Disk-intensive operations will benefit from it like XP boot-up times, level load times in games etc.

H

@eddy, chk out the link ive given, my motherboard supports dual channel, my har disk is also defragmented. About raid, i saw in some sites, that the performance increase was negligible, like around non-raid, data transfer is 30 or so, then raid get around 40 somethin...(approx.)...

^ Dual-channel for Athlon64 is irrelevant of what board you have! It depends on the platform/socket you are using - Socket 754 does not support Dual-channel memory (only Socket 939 does).

As per RAID, AFAIK performance increases ARE noticeable.. however the added risk of the disks failing increases as well, which is why its often not recommended.