Main Memory: Don't Go For The First Best Thing
Source: Tom's Hardware – Keywords: generation, change
Main Memory: Don't Go For The First Best Thing
A solid main memory system is more critical than ever. Whereas good mobos featuring memory modules without cleanly programmed SPD EPROM have generally set timings far back up to now, problems could arise with souped up systems and fast memory (DDR400 or even more). That's why we limited ourselves to one memory type that has served us reliably and well over the past few months (see illustrations).
We weren't able to run the Corsair PC3200 XMS memory used in the test, released for 6-3-2 and CAS latency (CL) 2.0, at the ideal timings of 2-6-2-2. Timings slower than those specified inevitably resulted in a complete crash after a while.
Up until just a few months ago, various brand name modules that were released for CAS latency 2.0 but not for other low values could actually be run faster on the odd mainboard without problems.
That leads to the following conclusion: the memory makers have their production so much under control that today's minimal specified timings basically can't go any lower at high clock frequencies. There's not a lot of leeway left at high clock speeds of over 200 MHz (PC3200 and higher).
That's why we have to advise against no name modules, since the timings they specify if any timing parameters are given at all are sometimes just ballpark figures. In conjunction with a system that relies on precision this could result in some unpleasant problems, some of which may be very difficult to isolate and could lead to a lot of headache.
- Previous page Cool & Quiet In Detail
- Next page Back Panel: Anything Goes!
- Avant-Garde: Four boards for AMD's Athlon 64 FX
- Six Athlon Boards With The KT600 Chipset
- The Best of Both Worlds: Asus PC-DL with 875P Chipset for Intel's Xeon
- Big Business: 18 P4 boards In Price / Performance Face-Off
- Athlon Hit Parade: 10 mobos with the nForce2 Ultra400
- Mobo Tsunami! 24 Boards with the 865/875P Chipset
- Upgrading to Hyper-Threading? The PL-iP4 Adapter from PowerLeap
- Faster and Faster, nForce2: The Latest Boards Put to the Test
- MSI Admits to FSB Overclocking
- One Tough Cookie: 10 Boards with Intel i875P Chipset: Part I
- Comparison of Nokia N-series phones: N95, N93, N73
- Rip DVD and convert Video to iPod
- USED 4DTV EXCELLENT ANCHOR
- Sean proved right again!!! Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha
- C64 Preservation - Late Activision titles
- Non stop calls to 18667092073
- Will playstation be first to be "KING" 3 TIMES???
- Notebook screens: are they DVI driven?
- DVD writer very slow
- XPS Gen 5 From Outlet
