regarding new RAM thrown into overclocked system

the raven

present RAM: TwinMOS PC3200 DDR-DIMM 512MB CL2.5

system:
abit IS7-E mobo
p4 2.6g @ 3.03g
radeon 9600pro
creative sb live!

i got the fsb @231 & 1:1

would it be best to buy the exact same memory?
and can i just throw it into the overclocked system?

thanks.

(the only reason i'm actually upping the RAM is cos i'm not happy with having to play FarCry in 800x600...)

the raven

oh, and why the F**K have kompletts prices for the same damn stick of RAM jumped 40 quid????

Gerry

Running extra sticks of ram at overclocked speed is extra strain on the motherboard, it may not reach 231mhz with the new sticks installed, but probably won't drop very much. No real way of saying for sure though.

the raven

would the fact that its dual ddr not overcome that problem?

i haven't a clue, just asking outa curiosity

Gerry

Well, you are currently running with 2 sticks presumably so.. If you add 4, the memory controller has to handle twice as much. Theres far more chance of something messing up, be it from extra interference, loss in signal strength, or whatever. I'm not saying this will definitely happen, just don't be surprised if it does.

the raven

urm... nope, just the one stick of 512 at the mo...

cheers for the advice btw

Gerry

sorry, I meant to say "add 2 sticks, making 4 altogether". Same principle though, if you go from 1 to 2, more work for the controller.

unkel

Originally posted by the raven
would it be best to buy the exact same memory?
and can i just throw it into the overclocked system?

Best would be a matched pair, you can buy these in kits. You can buy a matched pair and sell your current stick. If you don't want to go that route, than no, you don't need to have the exact same memory - but it is advisable to use another 512MB stick with the same timings, i.e. 2.5,3,3,7 or whatever you have

Oh, and you'll see a significant improvement in performance either way, but especially with the matched pair, because of the dual memory functionality of the chipset :cool:

Before you buy memory, check out some reviews. A good site for buying is here. They're based in Celbridge, Co. Kildare and ship for free

Col_Loki

You really should be looking at Pc4000 Memory, especially if your CPU temps and voltage is low (or unchanged) ...... the "C" chips overclock like mad, and 250mhz x 4 = 1000mhz FSB . Just a thought.