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I need DDR SDRAM, if only it was that simple...Misc ?'s about DDR SDRAM
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Posted by: I_Know_Nothing
I'm going to build a computer with an Athlon 2600 Barton chip and DDR SDRAM memory, but in the buying process I learned that there is alot more to it.
Is ECC always better than non-ECC/standard RAM? Is there really very much of a difference? And what the heck does ECC registered mean?
At tigerdirect.com they list some DDR SDRAM as overclocking RAM? What's the difference? If I decide to overclock my CPU at some point(way in the future), would I need to buy a completely new set of 'overclocking' RAM? I thought overclocking only messed with the CPU...what's RAM got to do with it?
They also sell dual channel DDR SDRAM so instead of selling one 512MB stick they sell you two 256MB sticks? What's the point? Are there any other differences between regualar and dual DDR SDRAM?
Does brand name matter when buying RAM? If so, which brand should I buy?
I'm going to start out with 512MB of RAM? When I upgrade do I need to add it 512MB at a time? In other words, can I have more than one stick of RAM with different sizes, say one 512MB and one 2G??
DDR SDRAM has 184 pins. When I look at it I can't count 184 of anything. What pins are they talking about?
If PC 3200 runs at 400MHz, then why is it called PC3200?
Any help on these matters would be greatly appreciated and might keep me from going bald....and since I am an ape that would be really bad.
Posted by: redwench
1. ecc is much more expensive, and not the standard. skip it.
2. no such thing, although some companies make ram thats more tolerant of weird overclocking stuff. it costs more.
3. you dont get dual channel performance with 1 stick, needs to be paired. yes there is a difference.
4. yes. NOT house brand or PNY. kingston, samsung, corsair, sony, etc are all fine.
5. you can add singly if you wish, although unpaired wont be dual channel.
6. its the usual factor of 8 in computing. it can handle 8 units per cycle.
Posted by: taco_fox
PC3200 is called that because it has a theoretical bandwidth of 3200 MB/s
Posted by: I_Know_Nothing
 Quote:
Originally posted by redwench
3. you dont get dual channel performance with 1 stick, needs to be paired. yes there is a difference.
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Do I need to but special 'dual channel' RAM to get dual channel performance, or do I just need to buy two sticks of the same RAM and get dual channel perfomance automatically?
Posted by: redwench
youd need to buy ddr ram to get that feature.
Posted by: I_Know_Nothing
I guess I didn't ask the question very well. If I buy two random sticks of 256 DDR SDRAM and stick them in my motherboard will I get dual channel performance or do I need to buy specially designated 'dual channel DDR SDRAM?
Posted by: redwench
ddr is dual channel.
Posted by: taco_fox
You don't need specially designed RAM for dual channel.
Posted by: nocode
Just so there's no confusion here..............
DDR doubles the data rate of sdram.
Dual Channel DDR doubles the data rate of the DDR by doubling the number of memory channels from one to two.
Posted by: I_Know_Nothing
Athttp://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/Category/category_memory.asp
Two 256MB sticks of regualar PC 3200 DDR SDRAM would cost $100($49.99 each).
A pair of 256MB sticks of PC3200 Dual Channel DDR SDRAM costs $160!!??
Why would anyone pay 60 extra dollars for the 'dual channel' DDR SDRAM when you can get the exact same thing by just buying two sticks of the regular DDR SDRAM....or am I missing something? Is there anything different about the 'dual channel' DDR SDRAM??
Posted by: redwench
http://www.buildorbuy.org/ramchart.html
http://www.buildorbuy.org/dualchannelddr.html
Quote:
So the next time you come across a product that's touted and sold as dual-channel DDR, know this: It's simply two DDR memory modules, packaged and marketed as a specialty product or a must-have "kit."
If indeed you have a dual-channel platform and you want to take advantage of the performance gain it offers, our advice is to opt for high quality and service over expensive packaging, and simply purchase your DDR memory in pairs. However, be very careful to order two modules with the exact same specifications; the modules must be identical to each other to perform correctly." Thank you Crucial for that clarification.
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if you look at the price differential between a 256 and a 512 chip, youll see that you can get 1G total of ram for $150, and 512 for $100 on that site.
oh, thanks for posting that link. theyre now on my list of merchants not to do business with. as you can see with the below link, the price for a kit should be about the same as buying the 2 seperately.
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/Produ...goryCode=011116
Posted by: I_Know_Nothing
Insted of starting a new thread, I thought I'd resurrect this old one for another RAM question?
Since you need two identical DDR SDRAM sticks to get dual chanel performance, then why do most motherboards I see that support DDR SDRAM have only three DIMM slots??? If they work in pairs then shouldn't it be an even number??
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