ok, i got my new computer built. The specs are below...


P4 2.6c
Gigabyte 8VT800(L)
512megs of ddr400
Geforce4 ti4200 (128 meg)
Soundblaster Life
Lite on 12x cd burner


I've had the computer for a week now and now i'm ready to overclock it. I want to get it to a 3.2. The heatsink i want to get is a Thermalright SP-94. Now for the memory i'm not sure what to get.
I was looking at kingston hyperx memory. It's about $150 for a 512 module. Now my motherboard supports Dual channel ddr. So does that mean i would be better off getting 256 X 2 instead of the 512 meg chip.

Maybe someone could break it down a little for me to help me understand it a little better. The way i see it is if i buy 2 X 256 ddr500 modules and put them in my computer (first and third slot) then they will run at 1000mhz fsb.

Then i can just overclock my fsb for my cpu until it becomes unstable then go back down a notch. But if i buy 1 X 512 module then my fsb will run at 500mhz which will be slower then my p4's 800 fsb, but will still allow me to overclock.

I read about Vehementi using the OCZ memory (256X2) and it working fine so i was thinking about getting 2 X 256 kingston modules. The 1000mhz fsb sounds better then 500mhz, but at the same time i've always heard it's better to get 1 512 meg chip then two 256 meg chips.

Thank you for any help in advance, spending 150 bucks for ram is quite a bit so i want to make sure i get the right stuff

btw..my motherboard says it only supports up to dual ddr400 but i'll still be able to overclock just fine right?....

Ok sabenfox, you really do want the 2 x 256 or 2 x 512, you really want to run dual channel is what I'm trying to say. It's been proven all over the place that the performance is just far superior.
Get the matched set and you'll be fine.

That ram Vehementi has is really good stuff, so is the OCZ EL PC3700 Gold, rated 2.5-3-3-7, but can do 2-3-3-6 most of the time. 250fsb has you at 3.25g, right where you want...

Might be a good idea to check out Gigabyte's website and check for recommended memory and go from there...

Later....

Well it is kind of hard to run a Dual Channel system if your board ( 8VT800-L ) doesn't have a Dual Channel memory controller.

In other terms, you will not get any difference whatsoever if you run your system with one, two or three DIMMS other then stability issues that might arise from using diffrent types of DIMMS.

i don't get what you mean. Are you refering to where i was talking about the having 1 512 chip being better then 2 256 chips or are you saying that my motherboard doesn't support dual channel ddr ?

Yes, see, you're motherboard doesn't support "Dual Channel" DDR.

So, even if you get the 2 x 256MB or 1 512MB module there won't be a performance difference WHICH MEANS go for the cheaper of the two

Dual Channel DDR does not exist. It is simply DDR Ram. & certain boards have Dual Channel memory controllers, not all of them do. Yours does not.

So yes, I'm saying it won't make a difference if you get 2x 256mb or 1x 512mb.

It is always best to get info for your hardware before ordering it.

Gigabyte 8VT800-L

Argh, that's what I meant, "Dual Channel" memory controller. Thanks Didou!

ok nevermind, i totally got ripped off, it was the 880 that has the dual channel. Man that is so unlucky. I must have misread it and thought the 880 was the 800. I read over the descriptions so many times i don't know how the hell i missed it.

Ok so now that totally screws everything. So now can i still overclock my computer, and if so what impact will it have not having the dual ddr.
Will i get lower overclocking speeds or will i just hit a huge bottleneck when i overclock, i'm going for the later. GRRR this pisses me off so badly. What is the best i can do now that i'm limited to the ddr400.

(that is assuming they wont let me trade it in for the 880 for a reasonable price difference)

Basically i want my computer to go as fast as damn possible (without water cooling). Now i know that since i don't have dual channel ddr then i'm going to obviously be limited, so can you help me out to still speed it up.

My cousin has a p4 at 533 mhz buss. I want my p4 to blow his away ....and play awesome games of course

btw what does the little black circle on the envelope mean, havn't seen that before ?

OK, so if I understand correctly, you'll want to buy some very fast RAM or buy the 880 and save yourself the money.

PC3200 DDR has a theoretical bandwidth support of 3.2GB/sec. A Dual Channel memory controller (when you have two 256MB sticks) would [theoretically] double that to 6.4GB/sec.

So, if you want to overclock, you have to get some speedy RAM which cost a fortune. PC3700, PC4000, PC4200.

Maybe someone who knows more about RAM can clear it up for you. As per the black circle, what envelope are we talking about here?

If you decide to overclock you'll still need faster Ram. Your FSB is set to 200mhz ( 800 ) & the Ram is at 200mhz ( 400 ). As soon as you start raising the FSB, the Ram speed will get raised to. PC3200 Ram will not go very far beyond 200mhz so you're better off with some PC4000 which is rated to go all the way to 250mhz ( 500 ).

Just remember that for every speed bump you try, boot the OS & try a few burn in tests like memtest86+, the one in Sisoft Sandra or CPU Stability Test to see if the system is stable at that speed.

I was thinking the same thing.

read the threads about overclocking or read some guides.

Ok I'm going to go with dd500 (just ordered it yesterday) and overclock it from there. Got a brand new 512 cz chip

Just wanted to tell everybody who helped thnx. Where i live (and the general area) i'm the smartest person when it comes to computers, so when i don't understand something then it's like i'm screwed unless i get on here and ask you guys. I appreciate the knowledge and advice

Thanks again !