Motherboard/Memory Voltages??

[NealsComp]

In the past for my own use I have just combined max memory to the board and ususally gotten good results, but now I am planning on building a system for a person in the business of web design. I want to combine the right parts to make the system perform at peak efficiency.

I am seeking information on the voltage ratings between the motherboard and memory. I have selected the MSI K9N Platinum which supports 1.8v DDR2 memory, and selected Mushkin DDR2 800 Dual-Channel rated for 1.9v. I realize that this is extremly minor difference, but say I was to step up to memory rated for 2.0v. What does this do? Does the memory not perform to peak because of the lesser voltage? Do I risk motherboard damage because the memory is pulling more voltage than the rating?

I would appreciate any info on this subject or a link to read up on the subject.

Thanks!

 

[KingCody]

the 1.8v setting is just the motherboard's default memory voltage. you can adjust the voltage to 1.9v or 2.0v in the BIOS (as well as manually set the timings to the RAM's rated specs).

there is no risk of damage to the mobo or the RAM, but performance will suffer if you do not manually set the voltage and timings for high end RAM.

the following information can be found on MSI's website for the K9N Platinum:

Due to the High Performance Memory design, motherboards or system configurations may or may not operate smoothly at the JEDEC (Joint Electron Device Engineering Council) standard settings (BIOS Default on the motherboard) such as DDR2 voltage, memory speeds and memory timing. Please confirm and adjust your memory setting in the BIOS accordingly for better system stability.
Example: Kingston HyperX DDR2-800 PC-6400 operates at 2.0V, 4-4-4-12

cheers :wave:

 

[NealsComp]

Thanks appreciate it!

 

[Tedster]

in general don't mix memory types.

 

[maner]

This was helpfull,but to futher my own question on the system I just orderd.. should this MSI mobo ,and 2.0v pqi ram work together? and should the overall system work? need input.

http://secure.newegg.com/NewVersion/wishlist/PublicWishDetail.asp?WishListNumber=5723831

 

[mailpup]

Do you mean would the MSI K9N mobo and the pqi RAM work together? Yes they would but you would have to choose an AMD CPU instead of the Intel.

The system on your wish list would work together but you have chosen an obsolete CPU socket (478) and I urge you to select another brand of power supply. Although yours has the bling, that brand's reliability is poor and it has only 17 amps on the all important 12V rail. Some examples of decent brands include but are not limited to: Antec, Fortron, Seasonic, Silverstone, Sparkle, OCZ, and Tagan to name a few.

 

[maner]

Not the K9N,I meant the MSI I picked out.

I picked that mobo because thats the CPU I have and want to upgrade to DDR2 and PCI X-16.

That power supply is what I have and it has lasted me 3 years running full time.

I realy know nothing of power supplys tho.not a whole lot about computors either,just enough to match stuff enough to put it together.


Main reason I chose this set up is #1. $$$, and #2. my games lag,and when I look at resources im using 1/2 my mem,and 3/4 my CPU. So that led me to believe it was my 9650 256mb 32bit ATI vid card.

Also,do I have to change any jumpers on the mobo. Or should I be able to put it all together fly it? I get it monday or tuesday,so I may run into a problem and need some more help. thanks.

 

[mailpup]

But you didn't pick out any MSI motherboard. The only motherboard on your Newegg wishlist is a Biostar mobo but as I said before, it is compatible with the pqi RAM.

The only problem I can see is you might have to run a Windows repair or maybe a full reinstallation to get Windows to recognize the new motheboard. Your hard drive will still have drivers for your old motherboard so don't neglect to install new drivers. Is your copy of Windows OEM or full retail? If full retail, you shouldn't have problems reinstalling and activating Windows. If OEM, you might.

 

[maner]

oh ya,Biostar,heh. the Vid card is MSI.

Yes I have win xp sp2 retail disk,and planed on reformatting so I can get a clean install.As of late I have to call for a new activation code every time I reformat.

I imagine I will have to raise the ram voltage in the bios to 2.0,what else will I need to do to have the best performance. I don't mind a slight overclock either. The video card is also an OC edition and has its own OC software.

 

[maner]

Yep didnt need a format.Thanks