Memory Questions!

[Hundasport]

Hello, need help with a few things:
1. pc3200 (400mhz) compatible with KT266a (266mhz)? downward compatible?
2. what's the best name brand 256MB DDR or 512MB DDR you can get bang for the buck?
3. what places besides newegg, mwave to get good prices on good memory?

Thanx!

Phil

 

[DuronClocker]

PC3200 is compatible with the KT266A chipset, but it will only run at whatever speed the bus is running at. If you run 100MHz FSB, then it will run at 100MHz (PC1600, or 200MHz DDR). If you run at 133MHz, it will run at 133MHz (or PC2100, or 266MHz DDR). To run it at full 200MHz (PC3200, or 400MHz DDR), you need a KT400 chipset or nForce2 or SiS645DX.

Good memory for overclocking would be either Samsung or Corsair. Corsair seems to have the best right now if you spend the cash for their high-end PC3200...

 

[Shinma]

1. Yes.
2. Likely Crucial Technology.

 

[Hundasport]

that sucks that I can't oc the fsb for pc3200

what about pc2700 on the kt266a? or any other higher than pc2100, can i oc the fsb on those?

thnx

 

[DuronClocker]

Well, you can OC the bus quite a bit depending on which KT266A board you have. Probably not much past 160MHz though since that would put hte PCI bus at 40MHz. PC2700 would probably be a good idea to get unless you feel a motherboard upgrade coming soon, in which case I would recommend you to spend the extra buck and pick up some PC3200 RAM for an upgrade path to the next board..

 

[Hundasport]

that's sound like a good plan, but I already bought a stick of 512MB Crucial PC2100. I got it today! ...ordered it yesterday at Crucial.com I prob should have bought pc3200, but I don't plan to upgrade until there's a dramatic performance gain in next generation's mobo's and chips. By that time, there's going to be new and faster ram.

I think next upgrade will be my vid card to ATI 9700 Pro AIW and then upgrade chip to 2000XP+ then wait...

My computer right now is at a content level, it's just that my 256MB stick of Mushkin is now only 128MB. My computer is bogging down big time. I don't know what happend to it, but blue screens of death every boot up time, now it's stable, but with 128MB.

Phil