PC8500 or PC6400?

[Nelsaidi]

Hello all
Not asking about the speed, just capacity. Would i be better off with 4GB of PC6400 ram or 2GB PC8500 ram?

I know the problem with 32 bit, so hopefully i should be getting 64 bit a motnh or two after i build my pc from a friend whos currently on holiday :/

Thanks

[k0nigen]

if you're not worried about speed - then 4GB has greater capacity than 2GB :S
I'd certainly go for 4GB of PC6400 over 2GB PC8500

[Nelsaidi]

What i meant is i know which is faster, but which capacity would suit better, so would 4gb of fast ram do better than 2gb of even faster ram?

Thanks for the reply

[Yellowbeard]

4gb is the way to go in this case unless you plan on an extreme overclock.

[Nelsaidi]

Thanks mate - will keep a note of it.

Reason i selected fast ram in the first place its only £10 more expensive and i want this system to last atleast 3 years with a maximum of £100 on upgrades.

My system as it is :



The cpu will be e8400 or e8500, and i will be hoping to overclock it to the highest i can get it, hopefully over 4ghz as it can go there, wont be overclock ram.

By heavy overclock you mean o nthe CPU right? if so then i guess overclocking to the max counts as one.

[Yellowbeard]

You may want to look at a PC8500 4gb (2 x 2gb) kit.

[Nelsaidi]

I will definetley invest in a further 2 x 1gb kit once i have 64 bit, but i dont want to risk it just incase i dont, the 4gb pc6400 a=is about £10 more expensive than the pc8500 2gb kit, which is why im considering it.

[Tetras]

It is best to avoid mix and matching memory and using 4 modules (for compatibilities sake and minimising stress on the motherboard).

At stock settings you will get much more out of 4GB PC2-6400 than you will 2GB PC2-8500 but when overclocking it is a different story. PC2-6400 will only get you 3600 Mhz (9 x 400) with an E8400 while PC2-8500 allows for 4797 Mhz (9 x 533). Whether you would notice any difference between 3600 Mhz and 4797 Mhz in the real world is debatable (I'd say you wouldn't, outside of benching).

My money would be on the 4GB PC2-6400, every time.

[Arminas]

Go with the PC6400

[Dano]

I would go with 2GB PC8500 ram. And YES 4G does gives more but personally I think 2GB is already good enough for most PC games. Plus PC 8500 runs faster. (more doesn't = better; some times more means waste)