A7n8x memory

[onesmartidiot]

ive been paranoid about timings and voltages on memory moduels ever since i build my buddies core 2 duo system. i want to get a dual channel kit for this board, im looking at ocz 2 gig dual channel kit ddr 400, should i worry about the voltages and timings or does it not matter on amd systems?

also do i want a low latency? i dont play games much i just need the extra power to make photoshop, premeire, and flash work smoother.

i would also like to put the same kit in my k8t neo v board, but at 140 bucks it will have to wait.

 

[KingCody]

hi OSI,

ive been paranoid about timings and voltages on memory moduels ever since i build my buddies core 2 duo system

paranoid? why?

should i worry about the voltages and timings?

should you worry about voltages? no, your mobo should be able to run any standard DDR voltage. should you worry about timings? with an older system like that, I would say no.

does it not matter on amd systems?

it affects all systems regardless of the manufacturer. benchmarking will reflect the difference, but chances are you won't notice any significant real world difference.

also do i want a low latency?

latency and timings go hand and hand. (the tighter your timings, the lower the latency. the looser the timings, the higher the latency). the best timings you can get on DDR is 2-2-2-5/1T. my advice would be to give yourself a maximum budget, then go for the tightest timings you can find (stick to reputable companies )

i dont play games much i just need the extra power to make photoshop, premeire, and flash work smoother.

if you need more power, have you considered investing money into a newer, more powerful processor/mobo? or if money is tight, you can squeeze some more power from that CPU by overclocking it.

i would also like to put the same kit in my k8t neo v board, but at 140 bucks it will have to wait.

your Athlon64 3000+ / K8T NEO is socket-754. the memory controller on a socket-754 CPU does not support dual channel memory mode.

cheers :wave:

 

[onesmartidiot]

on core 2 duo systems, they have very specific memory requirments.

(ddr 800 1.8v with 5-5-5 or 6-6-6 timings, if it is any thing else it work right)

a #3 latency is $140 and a #2 latency is $190

both ocz

i want to use my current parts because if i was gonna mess with processors id build a new box.

my socket 754 isnt dual channel capable?
the msi box says right on it dual channel

on the asus box there are 3 dimms

for dual channel do i put a stick in dimm 1 and dimm2 or do i set it up in dimm1 and dimm 3?

on my msi box there is 2 dimms, but my old msi board had 3, it was just like my current one only it had more features.

and overclocking has always scared me since i messed with my a64 and about blew it up. so it would be completely out of the question. lol

i want to take the current mobo/ cpu and max it out (while stayin under 400 bucks) i was thinkin a 512mb nvidia card would max it out too, then i wouldnt have to upgrade again.

 

[Tedster]

for that particular board you MUST use recommended brands.

read the upgrading ram and troubleshooting guide in the guides forum.
ASUS is very picky about RAM.
and tampering with latency and voltages is just a bad idea period.

 

[onesmartidiot]

ok ill go look for that guide

but by "tampering with latency and voltages is just a bad idea period" are you talking about picking them when i buy or after they are in the box and changing them?

 

[Tedster]

there's nothing you need to do with latency and voltages after you buy it. Just buy the specifications and brands that the manufactuer recommends.
Tampering with latencies and voltages in BIOS is a sure way to burn it up and ruin your RAM.

 

[Didou]

Sometimes the BIOS will not properly read the SPD info & you have to set the proper timings manually. As long as you're running them as specified, you shouldn't have any trouble.

 

[KingCody]

i want to use my current parts because if i was gonna mess with processors id build a new box.

you still can use your current parts, you'd only need to replace your CPU and mobo (and depending on the socket/motherboard, your RAM and video card as well)

my socket 754 isnt dual channel capable?
the msi box says right on it dual channel

no socket-754 CPU is capable of running in dual channel. on Athlon64's, the memory controller is located on the CPU itself (as opposed to the motherboard chipset). it doesn't matter what motherboard you use, socket-754 is and will always be limited to single channel memory operation. this was the main reason that socket-754 didn't last very long and was quickly replaced by socket-939 (the extra pin count allowed for dual channel DDR operation)

i want to take the current mobo/ cpu and max it out (while stayin under 400 bucks) i was thinkin a 512mb nvidia card would max it out too, then i wouldnt have to upgrade again.

well it's your money, but IMHO, spending $400 on an old platform is a waste of money, especially considering how much processor prices have dramatically dropped in the last few months.

with a budget of $400, you could upgrade to a much more powerful system than your socket-A will ever be capable of. you could build a socket-AM2 or socket-775 system that would eat your AXP2500+ for lunch all for less than $400. it's definitely worth some serious consideration.

also, if you don't play any games, why buy an expensive video card?

there's nothing you need to do with latency and voltages after you buy it. Just buy the specifications and brands that the manufactuer recommends.
Tampering with latencies and voltages in BIOS is a sure way to burn it up and ruin your RAM.

the only way you could "burn up and ruin" your RAM is by setting a voltage higher than the RAM was designed to operate at. changing latency values will not do any damage to your RAM. worst case scenario setting a lower latency value will not boot, and you will have to clear CMOS.

with value RAM, there should be no need to manually adjust timings (as they are not capable of operating at fast timings anyways). but with high end RAM, the SPD timings are often set much higher than the RAM is designed to operate at (they do this for compatibility/stability reasons, mainly to help ensure that it will work with cheap motherboards/chipsets).

:wave:

 

[Tedster]

Sometimes the BIOS will not properly read the SPD info & you have to set the proper timings manually. As long as you're running them as specified, you shouldn't have any trouble.

you're correct, but I don't recommend this for noobs. It's too easy to fry stuff.

 

[onesmartidiot]

im sorry, i read it wrong, it says dual memory slots
mybad

i think what i'll do, is sell my a64 parts to my buddy, and build a e6400 system in that box. i dont know why i want to max out my asus box, maybe sedimental value (first computer i had/built) and i have no plans of getting rid of it. i would sell my piece of junk a64 box too, but i have my xp pro license slapped on it.

but ive considered what kingcody said and figured why not get a new system. i might go along with a desktop replacement laptop, but thats another story.

now heres my explanation on the graphics card. ive read that 512mb cards suck at games, but are great for rendering . considering 90% of the time im rendering my premiere files, or 3ds files, id make use of a 512 card. also it was the best bang for my buck, since from now on i will never even consider looking at anything with ATI written on it.

they have great performance when they work, but for someone like me who nukes windows every other month, its too big a hassle to deal with the 5 junk ati drivers to find the 1 that works.

so to keep my asus box running it needs memory, 256 isnt cutting it. i think ill buy the 2 gig kit, and put my hellspawn ati in it. then sell my a64 processor, board, and memory. and shop around for a new desktop or laptop.

so from rereading this thing a latency level 2 ddr 400 dual channel 2gig kit will work?

if it does ill buy that and be done with they system (unless i throw the geforce 2 back in cause it out performs the 9800 )