DDR2 memory standard 5

[branchtom]

What is DDR2 memory standard? When shopping for a motherboard, it may list DDR2 800 "Memory Standard". I already have 2GB of DDR2 533, but I'm not sure if I can use it in these newer motherboards.

 

[irishz]

After reading up on memory this is what I can tell you. DDR2 800 is (PC2 6400) where as DDR2 533 is (PC2 4200) so it won't work.

 

[branchtom]

Thanks!
Then I will get one of the older boards, which are cheaper anyways.

 

[cdogg]

I would hold up just a second. What board(s) are you looking at? Give us some links.

~cdogg
"Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." - Albert Einstein
[tab][navy]For general rules and guidelines to get better answers, click here:[/navy] faq219-2884

 

[felixc]

Yeah, most motherboards will support different memory speeds. This may allow you to have a modern mobo while not thrashing your existing modules. So have a close look at the specs of the mobo that you want to buy. If the seller does not show them, go to the web site of the mobo maker.

 

[SteveLord]

Motherboards should be able to support the various DDR2 speeds out there.

Just be careful doing this with retail systems like DELL. Find reviews on the memory from people actually confirming it working before buying.


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[branchtom]

I don't really have any boards picked yet, but I have an existing computer that I want to salvage the IDE hard drive and ATX power supply from, in addition to the RAM. The other thing that I am basing the need for a new board on, is that it will support NVIDIA Quadro FX560 graphics card, because this will be an AutoCAD workstation. So I am leaning toward an Intel board with NVIDIA chipset, maybe an SLI, although I don't think I will ever get the second video card. Down the road, I may get a SATA hard drive, new monitor, etc.

Maybe something like this:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813135047

Thanks for all the help!

 

[felixc]

I'm just wondering up to which point these specialized cards are worth their extra cost with AutoCAD, versus a regular DirectX card. Do you know someone (not the card seller) who has compared both types of cards in the same system?

 

[cdogg]

felix,
There is a huge difference. The more you learn about OpenGL and its capabilities, the more you'll understand why.

Gaming cards such as Nvidia's GeForce line aren't well suited for 3D development. What you find on such cards is hardware that is tweaked to run specific functions within OpenGL and DirectX/Direct3D that are commonly found in games. Very little of each coding language is actually supported "in the hardware" compared to what a professional app such as AutoCAD would demand (mostly talking about OpenGL here).

So if you were to use a GeForce card instead, you would immediately notice a hit in "rendering" time, and in many cases, a loss in quality of the final result. When something is demanded that isn't supported by the hardware, it is then forced onto the CPU to process through emulation (which is very, very slow as you can probably imagine). And because it's like emulation, items can be skipped over to get to the final result which may sacrifice detail. Nvidia's Quadro as an example would eliminate that by providing more hardware support of each language, speeding up rendering time and enhancing detail.

This article might help you understand some of these differences:

http://www.3dprographics.com/workstationgraphics.pdf

___________________________


branchtom,
That's the reason why I asked for a link!

As you can see from this link I'm going to show you, that board can support DDR 533, 667, or 800:

http://www.ecs.com.tw/ECSWebSite/Pr...33&DetailName=Specification&MenuID=44&LanID=9

This makes sense because a lot of newer Intel processors still only have a 1066MHz FSB. So to get the memory to match exactly, you would want to run 533MHz DDR2 in dual-channel. Apparently, Newegg is only posting the "max" speed of memory supported. If you look in the lower left on any product page at that site, there will be a link like the one I gave you that takes you out to the manufacturer's website for the specs.

Just keep in mind that if you upgrade the processor that has a faster frontside bus, you will want to upgrade the memory as well to stay in synch.

~cdogg
"Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." - Albert Einstein
[tab][navy]For general rules and guidelines to get better answers, click here:[/navy] faq219-2884

 

[branchtom]

Thanks for the great questions and comments. I was wondering about the benefit of the $250 quadro myself. I just know that the CAD workstations in the advanced lab at school had them, and my teacher said that when he upgraded them last summer, it really helped in 3D.
What you said about the FSB was enlightening as well, and so that helps my decision to spend the extra $50 for the E6300 CPU as opposed to the E4300.
If I want to get faster memory someday, say 800 MHz, how will the motherboard deal with that?

 

[Kofy]

Branchtom, I just built a new system (ASUS P5N-E SLI w/Core 2 Duo E6600) And made several discoveries along the way. I had initially planned on using my 1 yr old power supply and found that it only had a 20 pin connector and not the new 20/24 pin connectors. Also it did not come with SLI power leads. ended up having to buy a new one. Im not a gamer but use mine for Photo editing, and mine screams now. Put in an SAPPHIRE Radeon X1950GT and now I have a rock solid screen that refreshes FAST!! spend wisely.. but look towards the future also.

 

[cdogg]

Good points from Kofy.

As for the memory, upgrading to 800MHz would only be useful if you plan on overclocking the processor. But since your new CPU's stock speed for the FSB is 1066MHz, then you'll want memory that runs at 533MHz in dual-channel if you're not overclocking. The reason is because an Intel processor "quad" pumps the real FSB speed. The 1066MHz spec refers to 266 x 4, so the true speed of the FSB is actually 266MHz. That just so happens to be the same bus speed 533MHz memory uses (266 x 2)! Keeping the FSB and memory bus in running in synch at a 1:1 ratio is important to help reduce latency.

800MHz DDR2 is better suited for Intel's upcoming Core 2 Duos that have a 1.6GHz FSB.

~cdogg
"Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." - Albert Einstein
[tab][navy]For general rules and guidelines to get better answers, click here:[/navy] faq219-2884

 

[branchtom]

Thanks again cdogg, it sounds like I accidentally bought the right memory when I thought I was just being cheap! I don't think I need to overclock.
The power supply I was wondering about, thanks Kofy for those details. I think I will avoid the SLI boards then. Do you do photo editing on an LCD screen? What kind?

 

[Kofy]

I picked up a Dell 2007WFP from their outlet store saved $100 and talked them into the normal 3yr warranty instead of the 1yr it came with. VERY pleased with the purchase. Thanks for the star also!