Amd 64 3200+

[And_so_it_goes]

got a new one from pricewatch with an msi k8t 800 mobo on the way. set me back $395 with shipping. pretty good deal, i think. this processor should all out rock and i'm looking foward to seeing how gothic, and other cpu intensive games, will perform once i get it in. was thinking about getting a whole new system, but seeing as my graphics card is still pretty good, and it will now be able to take advantage of 8x agp, case, power supply, etc. are fine, i figured the biggest bang for the buck would simply be a faster processor, than my current xp 1800+, and more and faster ram, which i plan on getting next. i have 512 now at 266 mhz and i plan on adding one gig more at 400 mhz. the board supports both speeds (and has three slots for me to use) but i'm wondering if i can use all the ram, that is the 266mhz and the 400 mhz speeds, concurrently. if so, will all the sticks simply function at their current speeds, or will the whole gig and half be slowed down to 266 as a default? all the ram is ddr, but i'm not sure how different speeds would combine together. anyone have experience with this?

[Friend_Bear]

: DROOL : Me wanty! Personally though, i'm waiting until the 64bit gains more momentum before jumping straight into the market.

[Renzatic Gear]

It's all dependant on your FSB clock and what your processor has been rated at. I believe that an Athlon 64 is set to run on either a 333 or 400 Mhz bus, so chances are good that your 266 chip will end up running at speeds it wasn't designed for and might make your computer unstable...at the very least it won't perform as fast as an actual 333 or 400.

But you can put both types of ram in the same computer, you'll just have to accept that you won't be running the 400 at it's max rated speed. Personally, I'd recommend spending a little extra and getting rid of the 266 altogether.

[And_so_it_goes]

It's all dependant on your FSB clock and what your processor has been rated at. I believe that an Athlon 64 is set to run on either a 333 or 400 Mhz bus, so chances are good that your 266 chip will end up running at speeds it wasn't designed for and might make your computer unstable...at the very least it won't perform as fast as an actual 333 or 400.

But you can put both types of ram in the same computer, you'll just have to accept that you won't be running the 400 at it's max rated speed. Personally, I'd recommend spending a little extra and getting rid of the 266 altogether.

yeah, i may do that. i was just hoping that since i already have this 512 mb of old ddr, i could use that inconjunction with my new ram to up performance even more. thinking that one and a half gigs will be better than one gig regardless of speed. but if one gig of pure 400 mhz ddr will be faster than one and half of the 400 and 266 combined, assuming that would even work, then i'll just go with the newer ram. i may have to wait a bit though for that upgrade anyway. having just spent 400 bucks on the processor/mobo, i may have to hold of on the ram upgrade for a month or two. i know the msi board supports 266,so it should work fine with my current ram for the meantime. when i do get more and better ram, do you have an opinion as to what type is best? corsair and kingston are pretty hyped up and certainly pricier, but do they really perform noticeably better than lesser priced name brand ram?

[Renzatic Gear]

Not by a MASSIVE amount, but there is a little performance gain to be had with quality ram. Most Corsair and the upper echelon of Kingston ram is usually CAS 2.0 instead of the average 2.5, so you get better seek speeds out of it....among other things. There's alot of advantages in going with the big brand names.

It's not like it'll be the difference between suck and awesome framerate-wise, but it does give you a little extra oomph and in some cases it can make for a more stable system. Back when I first built this computer about 2 years ago I had a couple of generic name PC2100 sticks and they ended up crapping out on me, but when I upgraded to the Corsair PC4000 (with the nice heat spreader, it's cool looking) I haven't experienced any major catastrophies since. You don't have to get one of the big, expensive 3 (Corsair, Kingston, Mushkin), but getting a brand name never hurt beyond a having to spend a few extra bucks.