Memory advice - 667 vs 800

[pepsi_max2k]

Hi, wondering if anyone here could help me decide which of these to use, taking in to consideration the currect system, price, and possible future uses.

I'm going to be using an AM2 4200+ X2, and could either get...

Corsair XMS DDR-800 (TWIN2X2048-6400) for around £32
Welcome to Corsair :: XMS2 Product Information

or

Corsair Value Select DDR-667 (VS1GBKIT667D2) for around £25.
Welcome to Corsair :: Value Select Product Information


On the 4200+, the DDR-800 would run at 733, and the DDR-667 at 629.

And from what benchmarks I've seen, there's not too much difference on an AM2 system between the two, deffinately not a 20% difference (so 667 would be best bang for the buck..er..pound).
MADSHRIMPS - Hardware Reviews ,Crazy Projects, Modding Tutorials and Overclocking

But there is on Intel systems...
MADSHRIMPS - Hardware Reviews ,Crazy Projects, Modding Tutorials and Overclocking


And if I ever needed some DDR-800 in the future, I could end up wishing I'd spent the extra £7. Is there anything in the current / upcoming AM2 / AM2+ lineup that would require DDR-800? Then again, the DDR-667 could OC (possibly) up to or near to 800 anyway.



So what do you all think? Get 667 now, see minor loss of speed but extra £s, and hope either 800 is never needed or I can oc the 667 enough, or... get the 800, and not worry about anything but the budget?

[staffsMike]

I'd spend the extra £7 personally.. and did. I didn't do any research into it which was unusual for me but since PC6400 was so cheap it doesn't seem worth getting PC5400

[pepsi_max2k]

>> since PC6400 was so cheap it doesn't seem worth getting PC5400

but with them both being so cheap, there's a 20%+ difference in price between the two, only around a 5% difference in speed in the planned system, and no current plans to use them in any other system.... I would get the 667 based on that alone other than the posibility of them being of use in the future, which i'm not sure as as I can't figure out what FSB / DDR speeds phenom AM2+ processors are gonna need.

[staffsMike]

AMD's benefit from tighter latencies as well so factor that into your purchase.

I think at the end of the day you will probably never going to notice the difference anyway. I have further plans for the PC it went into which will probably benefit from the extra speed but who knows.

[pepsi_max2k]

ok i check the timings again...

DDR-667 is 5-5-5-15

DDR-800 is 5-5-5-12

do you know how much difference there would be between the two? I know the 800 should be a little faster latency wise, but not much. And I think most of the benchmarks I've seen have had tighter 800 timings too, and the last one I saw only a 2.5% difference between the two.

[staffsMike]

I didn't say it was a big benefit

When things get to this sort of price difference you have ask yourself this question?

Chinese for dinner or faster RAM for my PC? It is that trivial lol

[pepsi_max2k]

Well I just noticed this 1GB Corsair XMS DDR266 @ 4-4-4-12 on Scan's deal of the day:
Computer hardware and software at amazing prices, available online from Scan Computers UK

only 50p more than the 5-5-5-12 value select version when getting 2 sticks, and like I said 20% cheaper than the ddr800 version (33% if purchased with scan). Also confirmed elsewhere that the 800 would only be max of 10% faster, average of about 5%.

So couldn't resist it really hopefully it's not too bad, and it should OC ok if needs be too

[Blackmage]

You got a single chip of ram so that means you'll running single channel?

[graysky]

http://forums.hexus.net/hexus-hardwa...vs-pc7100.html

[GSte]

Buy whichever you like the look of best, the performance, as others have said, will not be affected to the point where you could notice it.

[pepsi_max2k]

sorry actually bought 2 of them (cheaper than the single 2x kit).... actually... i may have bought 4, but can't tell until the scan confirmation comes through and i can cancel one pair

and thanks for that link graysky, although it does reference an intel system which I think make little use of anything running asyncronously with their fsb, whereas AMD systems are happy to use the full bandwidth available (well... technically...). although the results were the same; anywhere between a 2% (mostly real world) to 10% (mostly benchmarks) increase in speed for a 19% increase in price (and that's without shipping or petrol costs for the trip), so the reality would be more like a 26% increase in price. for 2% performance and no prospect of it ever being used for more (phenom apparently works even with ddr400) and the ability to oc even if it did, well.... I may as well got PC£9999 for all the good it would be

[graysky]

pepsi: you're right about AMD systems and ACh modes. Maybe you're too analytical about this. Just buy the faster stuff if you plan to keep the machine for longer than say 6 months.