DDR3 with Intel/AMD explained?

[Hyperviper34]

I had no problem working out the frequency etc of the dual/quad core intel to select the right DDR2 memory but AMD CPU’s, i5 (dual channal) and i7 (quad channel) are confusing me. What I need is a chart to study or an explanation if anybody can help?

The reason for asking is -

1) I have an i5 board I got cheap and need to make use of it

2) I what to build a budget gamer for a friend, a year ago I would have gone down the intel 5000 route but AMD seems to be the way to gone now but need to get my head round the memory versus FSB/HT frequencies etc.


cheers

[Ulti]

Basically, AFAIK i7 processors use TRIPLE channel DDR3 memory with voltages up to 1.65V usually. This means that it will use 3 modules (sticks).

i5 systems use dual channel DDR3 memory too with voltages up to 1.65V too as the memory controller is on the CPU die and therefore the CPU risks being burnt out with higher voltages.

AMD AM3 systems can use dual channel DDR2 or DDR3 memory of any voltages and you could perhaps say that they are the most versatile chips.

You can't really say that AMD is the way to go but they are brilliant for budget orientated enthusiasts as their price/performance ratio is pretty good. However, Intel systems nowadays (except i7 - way too overpriced) are generally pretty competitive too.

[Hyperviper34]

Basically, AFAIK i7 processors use TRIPLE channel DDR3 memory with voltages up to 1.65V usually. This means that it will use 3 modules (sticks).

i5 systems use dual channel DDR3 memory too with voltages up to 1.65V too as the memory controller is on the CPU die and therefore the CPU risks being burnt out with higher voltages.

AMD AM3 systems can use dual channel DDR2 or DDR3 memory of any voltages and you could perhaps say that they are the most versatile chips.

You can't really say that AMD is the way to go but they are brilliant for budget orientated enthusiasts as their price/performance ratio is pretty good. However, Intel systems nowadays (except i7 - way too overpriced) are generally pretty competitive too.

Cheers Ulti, but I was looking into an explanation on working out fsb/HT to frequency of RAM (AMD, i7 and i5) so I can select the right RAM versus CPU etc for default and over-clocking ideas.

The AMD reference was for a budget build that a year ago I may have gone down the E5200 build but now pricing versus performance indicates a move to AMD.

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

Cheers Ulti, but I was looking into an explanation on working out fsb/HT to frequency of RAM (AMD, i7 and i5) so I can select the right RAM versus CPU etc for default and over-clocking ideas.

The AMD reference was for a budget build that a year ago I may have gone down the E5200 build but now pricing versus performance indicates a move to AMD.

I would look at the Athlon II X3 435 or 425 as these are under £60 and offer decent performance.

[Hyperviper34]

Can anybody direct me to a chart showing FSB(intel)/HT(amd) and memory frequency and the calculations?

Or can some one explain it to me please?

This is in reference to DDR3 memory versus i5 (dual channel memory) and i7 (quad channel) and AMD 3.

Thank you in advance.

[Ulti]

I don't have an i5 system or an i7 system, however I do have AMD and 775 systems and I can tell you that Intel 775 processors all run at a certain FSB - which tends to be 200, 266 or 333 FSB. Your RAM would then run at a divider that you can usually manually choose to set the speed. E.g. You have a E5200 that runs at 200FSB, you also have some 800Mhz RAM, therefore you'll run the FSBRAM ratio at 1:2 as DDR2 speeds = twice the frequency you run it at.

AMD processors on the other hand always run at 200FSB default, it's the same as Intel really as you just end up choosing a 1:2 divider too. However, with Intel if you had a processor that runs at a quad pumped (Rated) FSB of 1066mhz (266Mhz FSB), you'd need to choose a ratio of 1:1.5 which is 2:3 to run your memory at 800mhz.

Basically:
If you look in CPU-Z, you'll see "Bus Speed", this is the FSB of your processor, you'll see "Rated FSB" too, this is the quad pumped FSB of the processor, the "Bus Speed" multiplied by the "Multiplier" = "Processor/Core Speed"

When you look into the memory tab, you'll see "Memory Frequency", this is determined by the ratio of FSBRAM, if your FSB is 200 and the ratio is 1:2, your "Memory Frequency" will be 400Mhz. The memory speed will therefore be twice the memory frequency and it will be running at 800Mhz. This applies to both DDR2 and DDR3.

For an AMD system you'll have the NB Speed which is essentially the same as the Rated FSB speed, however in terms of architecture, they are different but you can virtually treat it the same.