Wondering which memory to buy

[gupps]

I am getting ready to rebuild my system w/t an Intel 875pbz motherboard and
a 3.06 CPU at 800 MGH and was wondering if anyone had any ideas about what
memory to purchase. I'm currently leaning towards OCZ EL 512 EL DDR (part
number OCZ400512ELDC-K) but would appreciate any better ideas. Its going to
be a gaming rig and I'll (hopefully) be purchasing an ATI 9800 to round out
the system. I know Corsair is supposedly the king at screaming memory speeds
but I'm not interested in overclocking and its a bit out of my budget.

Thanks in advance
Gupps

 

[The 5th Quincunx]

You won't be able to overclock with the Intel board, so there's little point
in getting anything beyond basic PC3200 RAM. If you're after best
performance, make sure you get sticks in matching pairs (ie. 2 x 256Mb
rather than 1 x 512Mb) in order to utilize Dual Channel speeds. If I were
you, I'd be looking to save some money by getting a 2.4, 2.6 or 2.8 (the
3.06 runs at 533 not 800, you need the 3.0) and the Abit IC7 or one of the
other i875 boards which permit overclocking. These new 800fsb processors are
yielding great overclocks and you should be able to get at least 3Ghz from
even the 2.4C. With the money you save, you could get some Corsair PC3500
and you'd have a much faster, cheaper system.

 

[John Smith]

Go and buy the Asus P4P800 Deluxe which is the 865 board.

I have it and love it and many others do on the Asus NG where you will find
loads of information on how sensitive the 865 and 875 boards are. If you MUS
Thave the 875 then consider the Asus P4C800 Deluxe but, personally, I think
the 865 P4P800 Deluxe has better features, is more stable and gives better
performance.

Be warned, these 865 and 875 boards are INCREDIBLY sensitive about memory. I
personally would not buy the Intel make as, as has been pointed out, there
is no OC options and, frankly, I personally don't think Intel boards have
much of an upgrade path.


J.