Performance RAM

[SirBenn21]

I've never really taken notice or really looked at performance RAM. Is it worth the $$$ in terms of performance enhancement?
Could someone please give some advice on this. Also what RAM to get?

Thanks

Ben

[SirBenn21]

Hi

What you think of these?

Corsair Dominator TWIN2X4096-8500C5DF 4GB DDR2 RAM

10443 :kilroy:

Ben

[David_L6]

Is it worth the $$$ in terms of performance enhancement?

Thanks

Ben

If you overclock it's worth it. If you run default settings it's not.


Hi

What you think of these?

Corsair Dominator TWIN2X4096-8500C5DF 4GB DDR2 RAM

10443 :kilroy:

Ben

That should be some good stuff. I've heard good things about Corsair memory but I've never tried any. Personally, I use G.Skill RAM but I have two of those Corsair fans.

[SirBenn21]

Thanks David

I know that some might find the next question a no brainer, but should I get the 800 MHz or the 1066 Mhz.
I've heard some actually say 800 MHz. For what reason I'm not sure.

Cheers

Ben

[David_L6]

Thanks David

I know that some might find the next question a no brainer, but should I get the 800 MHz or the 1066 Mhz.
I've heard some actually say 800 MHz. For what reason I'm not sure.

Cheers

Ben

You got me there. I have no clue why someone would chose the 800 over the 1066. :confused:

[ryanbatc]

Because if you get the 1066 and you have more flexibility during overclocking.

[David_L6]

Because if you get the 1066 and you have more flexibility during overclocking.


Why would someone recommend 800 over 1066 though?

[SirBenn21]

Why would someone recommend 800 over 1066 though?

This what I saw on another site.

"P5Q says 1200 but i can tell you from experience it dont run OC well with 1200, especially with 8g. 1200 ram equires to much voltage and this board dont like it. And with 8g you'll have to bump voltage even more.

800 ram is the sweet spot.

400x9
450x9
500x9 with water cooling. "

But it does not really make sence!?! :kilroy:

Ben

[harleyman]

If it were mine...

Did you say 8 gigs???

your specs show 4 gigs..

I would run 1200, 2X2 gig kit...Set the voltage where it needs to be (by the specs)



Whats your PSU ?

[SirBenn21]

...


Whats your PSU ?

500 Watt

I know I should up it to at least 650 Watt

And 4GB will be fine for now.

Ben

[David_L6]

You should be OK with 2X2GB. I think the problem the quoted person was talking about had to do with how much RAM he had more than anything else. I'd still go with the 1066 RAM.

You probably should get a larger, high quality power supply. I like PC Power and Cooling PSUs.

http://www.pcpower.com/power-supply/silencer-750-quad-black.html

http://www.pcpower.com/power-supply/silencer-610-eps12v.html

[SirBenn21]

Hi

I finally got some G.SKILL

10609

SPECIFICATIONS
VERSION 1.0. G.SKILL
- 240-PIN DDR2 SDRAM DIMM
- DDR2 1066 / PC2 8500
- Latencies
- 5-5-5-15 (CAS-TRCD-TRP-TRAS)
- Voltage 2.0-2.1v
- 4096 Megabytes of DDR2 memory
- Two matched F2-8500CL5S-2GBPK
- SPD programmed at
- JEDEC Standard latencies 5-5-5-15 at DDR2 800
- 8 Layers of PCB
- Lifetime Warranty


From what I saw on the Internet is Cheap Good RAM with little OC potential.

Ben

[David_L6]

Hi

I finally got some G.SKILL

10609

SPECIFICATIONS
VERSION 1.0. G.SKILL
- 240-PIN DDR2 SDRAM DIMM
- DDR2 1066 / PC2 8500
- Latencies
- 5-5-5-15 (CAS-TRCD-TRP-TRAS)
- Voltage 2.0-2.1v
- 4096 Megabytes of DDR2 memory
- Two matched F2-8500CL5S-2GBPK
- SPD programmed at
- JEDEC Standard latencies 5-5-5-15 at DDR2 800
- 8 Layers of PCB
- Lifetime Warranty


From what I saw on the Internet is Cheap Good RAM with little OC potential.

Ben


I have that exact same RAM in my XP Pro computer. It's been running just fine - 24/7 - for a couple of years now. I think that you'll be happy with that choice.

[harleyman]

Thats nice Ram....


And has a very low CAS which FSX loves...


I bought some tracer ram for my shop rig, its pretty cool...LOL

[SirBenn21]

Just a question

If I have already over-clocked my CPU should I first put it to default clock before I put in the new RAM.

At the moment I have the Buss speed at 440 (333 default) and have forced the multiplyer at 7.5 which is at default if CPU is working hard (Normally steps down to 6.5 if CPU "rests")

So my stock speed is 2.5GHz which at the moment is running at 3.3GHz.
Do you think I could push it any harder as at the moment if I go over 3.3GHz, she craches?

Comments would be welcome.

Ben

[SirBenn21]

^ ^ ^

harleyman what you think?

You always got good advice.

Cheers

Ben

[harleyman]

You will need to default the bios first....

Then set the new rams voltage correctly

Then set the new rams timings

Then push your FSB to what you want

Then set PCI to 100

Then adjust your Voltage to the CPU a tad if needed for stability

[harleyman]

OR...


You can just try the ram on AUTO !

[SirBenn21]

Thanks

[harleyman]

Just wondering which way you went and what your results are...

[SirBenn21]

Just wondering which way you went and what your results are...

My RAM finally arrived today! Installed it and left Ram settings on AUTO, but it only ran on 800MHz so I did Manual settings. The timnings were already correct.
I get a whopping 10 FPS extra now. I flew over Tamworth and Avalon with absolute pleasure, so I decided to be brave and install Melbourne YMML, but unfortunately it still runs like $hite!
Had a two blue screens so I upped my CPU voltage to 1.3V. Ran PRIME95 and still got some errors on one of the cores. The temps only got to 60 C.
I'm now going to set the RAM voltages (to Stock as it's still in AUTO) and see if that might help and maybe the CPU to 1.325.

Any other suggestions?

Ben

[harleyman]

If it was stable before adding new ram, I would back down the CPU voltage some...

You may need to UP the ram voltages some..(little at a time)

[SirBenn21]

If it was stable before adding new ram, I would back down the CPU voltage some...

You may need to UP the ram voltages some..(little at a time)

It was stable with the old Kingston RAM (400MHz).

I've left the CPU Voltage and set the RAM voltage from 1.8v to 2.0v and Prime95 and passed.

I'll play a few other games this weekend and see how it goes. I'm really happy with the extra boost in performance.

ATI Catalyst 9.9 also made a significant improvement overall. Games like Crysis I can now play in all it's glory. Well almost and much better than in the past.
Will keep you updated.

Ben

[harleyman]

:ernae: :wavey: :applause:

[SirBenn21]

Okay I ran Prime95 over night with no errors. :jump:

Now I'm keen to see if I can bump my CPU up a tad. I was just wondering what would be the best way. Would I increase the multiplier or the Buss speed?

My Q9300 stock is 7.5 X 333. Now it's at 7.5 X 440.

The only voltage I have set manually is CPU Voltage (1.3125v) and my RAM voltage (2.02v)

Your help would be appreciated

Ben

[txnetcop]

Ben, Intel played a mean trick on enthusiasts when preparing their Core 2 Quad Q9300 and Q9400 CPUs from the same family for launch. This may totally ruin overclocking attractiveness of the Q9300 and Q9400 solutions. The thing is that Yorkfield processors, unlike their predecessors from the Kentsfield family, work with 333MHz FSB. And it automatically lowers the default clock frequency multipliers.

Thus, Core 2 Quad Q9300 with the nominal frequency of 2.5GHz featuring a 7.5x clock multiplier. It means that you will have to significantly increase the front side bus frequency in order to achieve any noticeable results during overclocking. For example, in order to clock Core 2 Quad Q9300 at 4GHz, which seems to be quite attainable for this processor theoretically, the FSB should be increased to unreal 533MHz. I said unreal, because only a few of the existing mainboards can work with quad-core processors at super-high FSB frequency like that.

Numerous overclocking experiments show that the maximum FSB frequency contemporary mainboards can reach when working with quad-core processors and traditional cooling systems is 460-470MHz. That is why the typical overclocking result for Core 2 Quad Q9300 will be around 3.4-3.5GHz. Further frequency increase will be limited by the mainboard and the chipset, but not by the CPU that can definitely do better.

Overclocking quad-core processors by raising front side bus frequency is slightly different from the same overclocking approach for dual-core CPUs. It is in fact much more complicated. It is not enough to increase processor Vcore to ensure that it will run stably at high FSB speeds. To ensure stability you need to increase other voltages, too: CPU PLL Voltage, FSB Termination Voltage and NB Voltage.

By manipulating secondary voltage settings, you can push the maximum FSB frequency a little bit higher. Depending on the quality of the mainboard (Rampage Extreme etc) it could be really good if the mainboard allows increasing CPU PLL Voltage, FSB Termination Voltage and NB Voltage significantly. There is one thing you have to keep in mind during overclocking like that through: increasing these voltages will inevitably lead to higher heat dissipation of the chipset North Bridge. You must keep the Northbridge and southbridge cool.

Warning:
If you intend to use quad-core processors at over 460-470MHz FSB frequencies, you need not only to carefully pick your mainboard, but also modify the chipset North Bridge cooling system. By the way, this is when you could really use the mainboards where chipset heatsink can be connected to the liquid-cooling system, such as ASUS Maximus or ASUS Blitz, for instance.

In other words it really takes a great board to exceed 480 x 7.5 and as good as the ASUS P5Q PRO is, it is not the greatest overclocking board for a quad core with a 7.5 multiplier. Try incrementally moving up to 480. If it gets unsteady raise your CPU voltage not your memory, but make sure your Northbridge is not reading too high. Curious is that the PRO Turbo by chance? That would be a better OCer and more stable at speeds of 480 and higher
Ted

Almost left this out. This is the ASUS P5Q PRO OC Guide http://www.computerlounge.co.nz/forum/Default.aspx?g=posts&t=50

[SirBenn21]

Thanks txnetcop

I really appreciate you input.

Well luckily I'm not too greedy. I would be quite happy if I got 3.5GHz for the time been.

If say in a month or two I wanted to upgrade my CPU, What would you suggest? I know my P5Q-PRO is getting a little old, but surely there is something out there I can get to 4GHz?

Anyway thanks again. I'm going to have a look at the OC guide you posted.

Cheers

Ben

[David_L6]

4GHz? I doubt that's possible without some exotic cooling.

[OleBoy]

I've never tried overclocking. Interesting thread. Maybe it will help. I'll start a new thread in the Tweaks area.

[txnetcop]

Speaking of cooling that CPU this is a great place to find out what coolers work best for which application. Now that 1156 socket and 1366 socket are the latest comers on the CPU front this is a great article:

http://www.frozencpu.com/resource/r28/Best_CPU_Cooler_Performance_LGA1366_-_Q2_2009.html

Ted

[SirBenn21]

4GHz? I doubt that's possible without some exotic cooling.

I've got the same cooler as you David.

I'm looking at maybe also getting the Intel Core 2 Duo E8500 [3.16GHz/1333FSB/6MB/LGA775] [BX80570E8500]

11155

Which is only going for about $230 AU and according to the guide seems quite possible to get to 4GHz

Ben

[harleyman]

The E8600 is going for $270.00 and free shipping...Comes with a free Intel Bunny too ! LOL

Great chip ...

[txnetcop]

I've got the same cooler as you David.

I'm looking at maybe also getting the Intel Core 2 Duo E8500 [3.16GHz/1333FSB/6MB/LGA775] [BX80570E8500]

11155

Which is only going for about $230 AU and according to the guide seems quite possible to get to 4GHz

Ben


Hey Ben I am not implying that there is anything wrong with your Q9300. You can OC it but you won't reach 4Ghz without liquid coolant. Besides FSX does not require 4GHz to run great-proper unrestricted bandwidth will get you what you want in FSX.

If you just have to upgrade make it the Q9550. I have an E8600 and it's great for quick high OCing, but I also have a E0 stepping Q9550(two different cores) which is the most versatile Penryn Quad made by Intel, lower cost than the Q9650 and just as powerful and easy to OC. It will be a long time before I need to move to Nehalem core. I don't game as much as I used to but it plays all the latest very well especially FSX.
Ted

[SirBenn21]

Hey Ben I am not implying that there is anything wrong with your Q9300. You can OC it but you won't reach 4Ghz without liquid coolant. Besides FSX does not require 4GHz to run great-proper unrestricted bandwidth will get you what you want in FSX.

If you just have to upgrade make it the Q9550. I have an E8600 and it's great for quick high OCing, but I also have a E0 stepping Q9550(two different cores) which is the most versatile Penryn Quad made by Intel, lower cost than the Q9650 and just as powerful and easy to OC. It will be a long time before I need to move to Nehalem core. I don't game as much as I used to but it plays all the latest very well especially FSX.
Ted

No Probs

Is it possible to get the Q9550 to 4GHz easily? I was pricing and found the Q9550 cheaper than the E8600. I also noticed that the Q9550 stock is only 2.83GHz while the E8600 is 3.3GHz. I was about to push the buy button on the E8600 till I read your post.
Now I'm unsure again!?! :isadizzy:

Ben

[txnetcop]

No Probs

Is it possible to get the Q9550 to 4GHz easily? I was pricing and found the Q9550 cheaper than the E8600. I also noticed that the Q9550 stock is only 2.83GHz while the E8600 is 3.3GHz. I was about to push the buy button on the E8600 till I read your post.
Now I'm unsure again!?! :isadizzy:

Ben

There is nothing magic about 4 GHz in FSX. What you are looking for is clean stable system that runs FSX smoothly and does not fluctuate all over the place when flying-not that some areas in FSX will not drive your CPU nuts trying to compensate. I have found with the Q9550 3.4 to 3.5 are just great. I run mine much higher because my cooling system will let me and I play CRYSIS Warhammer and some other heavy duty games.

I will be glad to help you OC your Q9550 like you said it is cheaper than the E8600 and does accomplish more. I honestly don't see why you can't get what you want as far as smooth operation out of your Q9300 but that is up to you.
Ted

[SirBenn21]

There is nothing magic about 4 GHz in FSX. What you are looking for is clean stable system that runs FSX smoothly and does not fluctuate all over the place when flying-not that some areas in FSX will not drive your CPU nuts trying to compensate. I have found with the Q9550 3.4 to 3.5 are just great. I run mine much higher because my cooling system will let me and I play CRYSIS Warhammer and some other heavy duty games.

I will be glad to help you OC your Q9550 like you said it is cheaper than the E8600 and does accomplish more. I honestly don't see why you can't get what you want as far as smooth operation out of your Q9300 but that is up to you.
Ted

I agree mostly with you. As for smoothness in FSX. 85% of the time I don't have any problems, but like I've mentioned somewhere before I have performance problems in some situations like heavy overcast weather and also with add-on's like ORBX YMML. My PC runs at a craw which drives me crazy when I see the demo movies run like silk! Now I would imagine the makers of those movies must have "MONSTER" machines.
Obviously I've tried to tweak my settings to get to that stage, but to no avail. So I assume it's raw horse power I am lacking. :kilroy:
Anyway I'll do a little more research before I spend my Money.

Ben

[harleyman]

The Quad(Q9550) will go a long way to helping run those weather textures.

The E8600 has built in HP, but the Quads fill in most texture gaps lacking in the dual cores I think...


And yes..The Q9550 at 3.4 - 3.6 is easy to reach and rocks FSX well...