Questions about Processor and Memory

[Keith Willcocks]

My son is contemplating purchasing this mobo:

http://tinyurl.com/32bgjr

and this processor

http://tinyurl.com/38smrm

Can some kind person confirm that, although the processor is 64 bit, it will
still happily run 32 bit Windows XP?

Also, the mobo states that it runs PC2 PC3200 DDR II SDRAM and above. His
old memory is PC2100, are we right in thinking that the new mobo will still
run it but suffer a bit on the speed side? I am a bit baffled by the PC2,
I have not come across that before?

Many thanks.

 

[Paul]

My son is contemplating purchasing this mobo:

http://tinyurl.com/32bgjr

and this processor

http://tinyurl.com/38smrm

Can some kind person confirm that, although the processor is 64 bit, it will
still happily run 32 bit Windows XP?

Also, the mobo states that it runs PC2 PC3200 DDR II SDRAM and above. His
old memory is PC2100, are we right in thinking that the new mobo will still
run it but suffer a bit on the speed side? I am a bit baffled by the PC2,
I have not come across that before?

Many thanks.

http://tinyurl.com/32bgjr

Gigabyte AM2 nForce 430 ATX DDR2 Audio Lan Graphics GA-M61PM-S2

http://www.gigabyte.com.tw/Products...ec.aspx?ClassValue=Motherboard&ProductID=2438

http://tinyurl.com/38smrm

AMD Athlon 64 X2 6000+ AM2 3.0GHz ADX6000CZBOX

A 6000+ needs F5 BIOS, at least for the Version 2.0 motherboard. There may
be other versions of motherboard, in which case, check the appropriate web page.

http://www.gigabyte.com.tw/Support/Motherboard/CPUSupport_Model.aspx?ProductID=2438

Yes, a 64 bit processor runs 32 bit WinXP.

No, DDR is not the same thing as DDR2. Different socket and different voltage.
His old PC2100 memory will now be retired. New memory is required.

The motherboard should flexibly be able to use a couple matched sticks of
DDR2 memory. For a machine of that class, and considering the price of DDR2
is pretty low, I'd go with 2x1GB DDR2-800 PC2-6400 memory. The cheap ones
will be CAS5 (5-5-5), with CAS4 (4-4-4) and CAS3 (3-x-x) being more expensive
and lower latency options. There is no reason to go overboard on the memory.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...8477+1052416064&Configurator=&Subcategory=147

You can check the customer reviews on that site, to see how many DOA sticks
are reports, and how many sticks died in early weeks/months. This package
is CAS5 (5-5-5) at PC2-6400, as a matched pair of 2x1GB sticks. And only
$75 at purchase, a bargain. I remember years ago, having to spend $600 to put
a decent amount of memory in a computer, so enjoy these low prices while
they last. The memory market will eventually correct the capacity problems,
and the price will go back up. If the price does not go up, a memory manufacturer
will have to close. The current oversupply problem is claimed to be caused by
the introduction of 12" wafers on the memory production lines, which makes a
lot more chips per wafer. Once some of those wafers are converted to making
NAND flash, the glut will be over. Solid state drives aren't far off, and
they will consume more NAND flash.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductReview.aspx?Item=N82E16820211066

Paul

 

[DaveW]

PC2 DDR2memory sticks are incompatible with PC3200 DDR sticks. The PC2
socket has a different number of pins and voltage.

 

[Keith Willcocks]

PC2 DDR2memory sticks are incompatible with PC3200 DDR sticks. The PC2
socket has a different number of pins and voltage.

--

Thanks Paul and Dave. That is exactly what I was concerned about. Many
thanks for the assist.

 

[ProfGene]

My son is contemplating purchasing this mobo:

http://tinyurl.com/32bgjr

and this processor

http://tinyurl.com/38smrm

Can some kind person confirm that, although the processor is 64 bit, it will
still happily run 32 bit Windows XP?

Also, the mobo states that it runs PC2 PC3200 DDR II SDRAM and above. His
old memory is PC2100, are we right in thinking that the new mobo will still
run it but suffer a bit on the speed side? I am a bit baffled by the PC2,
I have not come across that before?

Many thanks.

I have had trouble with different types of RAM on the 64 bit processors.
An Athlon 64 machine I built only worked good after I changed to
overclocking RAM whereas that same RAM messed up an Intel Dual Core
Machine which ran better with regular DDR RAM.