1Gb Micron Major, DDR2 PC2-6400 (800), 240 Pins, Non-ECC Unbuffered, CAS 5-5-5-12

[davidcrofter]

Hi, I am in the process of building a new rig and have a couple of components to purchase, can you tell me if this memory will be compatable with a Gigabyte DS3 motherboard (which I got rather cheaply from you guys) and a core 2 duo set chipset (probably e4300), looked the gigabyte website but a bit unclear as to whether this Ram will work ok.
thanks guys.
dc.

[iamtheoneneo]

well its ddr2 so i dont see why it wouldnt work

[Lee H]

Exactly. it should conform to the specifications of DDR2 and in theory should work, but if you want peace of mind of a lifetime warranty on the memory then the corsair series is ideal for this.

Best Regards,

[davidcrofter]

Thanks for that guys, I was gonna go down the Corsair route until I thought about the E4300 chip which seemingly doesn't rely on top rated memory, so might as well save a few quid or get 2 gig instead of 1.

[Richh]

It isn't really correct to say that the E4300 is either "more" or "less" reliant than premier rated memory than any of the other C2D's, so not quite sure where you saw that.

If you're ordering it with the intention of running at default clock speed, then to a large extent, you're correct - it won't make a lot of difference whether you use premier or "value" memory - but again this applies pretty much to all the Core2 range, not specifically to the E4300.

However, if you are planning on overclocking, then, just like any other C2D on 965-based system, you may well find you can push some of the premier stuff at higher bus speeds and with tighter timings than this more generic sticks will get you. Not sure where the overclocking limit of these processors is, but if your motherboard allows you to drop the multiplier, you'll find extra performance in boosting up the FSB and memory bus. This is where a few quid spent on some better RAM may bring you the benefits.

[Agent]

It isn't really correct to say that the E4300 is either "more" or "less" reliant than premier rated memory than any of the other C2D's, so not quite sure where you saw that.

I have a feeling he was refering to the higher multi of the 4300, allowing higher overclocking with a lower FSB

[Richh]

I have a feeling he was refering to the higher multi of the 4300, allowing higher overclocking with a lower FSB

Yeah, I figured the same thing, but when you think about it, it doesn't really apply. The E4300 has a 9x multiplier - which is the same as the E6600's.

Now the 4300 probably won't go as far as a 6600 in terms of ultimate core speed, but even so, David's still likely to be in the same sort of FSB ballparks, and as I mentioned, if he can manually drop the multiplier, he'll get better performance from running a faster FSB and memory bus anyway.

As such the old adage about higher multiplier meaning overclocking at a lower FSB doesn't apply in quite the same way with this CPU it has done with some of the other processor families. Not like the days when there were 400MHz FSB Celerons with a 26x multiplier, or whatever they had.

[Allaahu_Akbar]

This is my next upgrade path. Then a new monitor and I will be set.

[Agent]

Yeah, I figured the same thing, but when you think about it, it doesn't really apply. The E4300 has a 9x multiplier - which is the same as the E6600's.

Now the 4300 probably won't go as far as a 6600 in terms of ultimate core speed, but even so, David's still likely to be in the same sort of FSB ballparks, and as I mentioned, if he can manually drop the multiplier, he'll get better performance from running a faster FSB and memory bus anyway.

As such the old adage about higher multiplier meaning overclocking at a lower FSB doesn't apply in quite the same way with this CPU it has done with some of the other processor families. Not like the days when there were 400MHz FSB Celerons with a 26x multiplier, or whatever they had.

Fully agree with everything you've said mate, but lets just remember the price gap between a 6600 and a 4300 (around £90). For some people (like myself), thats a huge difference, and the exact reason that i'd be going for the 4300.

If money wasnt really an issue, im sure people would be buying above the 6600 anyway and not considering the 4300. But the 4300 has the potential to save people some cash over the higher CPU's, while getting simlar performace once overclocked

[davidcrofter]

I was really asking if this Ram was compatable with the motherboard, ie Gigabyte DS3 965p - impossible to tell from their compatablity checker on the Gigabyte site.

[Richh]

Well that's kinda a self-answering question. The reason you don't get a specific answer about generic unbranded memory from the compatibility checker is precisely because it's generic unbranded memory.

However, as a sweeping, broadly correct generalisation, all 240pin DDR2 sticks are electrically compatible with all 240 pin DDR2 motherboards and as such these sticks should work on your board.

Whether you'll get zinging performance out of the combination is impossible to predict, but that is a different question altogether. As has been said above, if you want the reassurance of matched pairs/tight timings/overclocking/etc then that's part of the reason why premier brand RAM is sold at premier prices.