Buyer's Guide - Mid-Range, January 2005
by Jarred Walton on January 21, 2005 11:09 AM EST- Posted in
- Guides
Memory Recommendations
With the three basic platforms from before, we end up with two memory options. At this point in time, we cannot see any reason to recommend less than 1 GB of RAM. All the platforms support dual-channel memory configurations, so we will be going with a 2x512MB setup. We still have a basic and an enthusiast RAM recommendation, but DDR2 gets left out.
Click to enlarge.
DDR RAM Recommendation:
Corsair Value Select Dual Pack, 2x512MB DDR PC-3200 CL2.5Price: $145 shipped
Options for a more value oriented approach to system memory are pretty good, with most of the major brands being represented. We've gone with a Corsair Value Select Dual Pack, which includes two "matched" DIMMs rated at PC-3200 with CL2.5 timings. Tweakers might be able to get a little more performance out of them by increasing the voltage and lowering the timings, but gains are generally small enough that it's not a big deal.
If you can't find Corsair RAM where you live/shop, there are plenty of other options that can generally be trusted to run reliably. Mushkin, Crucial, Kingston, and OCZ top our list, but most of the major brands should work fine. In the mid-range sector, we would definitely steer clear of the generic "Name Brand!" memory that you can often find at lower prices, as compatibility and stability is dubious at best. If you can afford a $1250 computer system, there's no need to try and save $25 on the memory. In fact, for most people, we would recommend going the other way and spending a bit more for even higher quality RAM, but you should still be fine with our basic recommendation. There are a lot of good options in the $200 price range, with 2-3-2 and even 2-2-2 timings being available.
Click to enlarge.
DDR RAM Alternative:
Patriot/PDP XBL Dual Channel Kit, 2x512MB DDR PC-3200 2-2-2-5Price: $224 shipped
For our performance DDR configuration, we chose some of the best performing RAM available for the platform - in this case, the Patriot PC-3200 RAM that uses Samsung TCCD chips. Truth be told, any of the DIMMs based on the Samsung TCCD chips will offer a lot of performance and overclocking headroom, but we prefer the models specified to run 2-2-2 timings at DDR400 over the versions that are binned for maximum clock speed - at least, for a non-overclocking configuration. This Patriot RAM was the cheapest 2-2-2 TCCD RAM that we could find, solidifying the recommendation. As with many other TCCD DIMMs, Patriot uses the BrainPower PCB, so there's little difference between this RAM and more expensive alternatives. If you want some other options, you can find all of the other Samsung TCCD modules that we've reviewed in green in our recent memory performance charts.
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JarredWalton - Friday, January 21, 2005 - link
Rand - That doesn't surprise me too much, given our recent article showing that the NF4 Ultra and NF4 SLI are the same chip with a tweaked package. I would guess there's a reasonable chance the NF4 4X is the same as well, with other modifications to the package. As far as I know, what I put about their difference is the "official" NVIDIA stance. If the 4X is just the "validated" version... well, not a big deal, really. I'll modify the text a bit to reflect this.KristopherKubicki - Friday, January 21, 2005 - link
N3cr0: The nForce4 board you mentioned is not shipping yet.Kristopher
Jep4444 - Friday, January 21, 2005 - link
I think the Asus A8V Deluxe would of been a better motherboard recomendation than the MSI K8N Neo2 Platinum. The Asus board is pretty much the best 939 AGP board out and it costs less than the MSI aswell.Avalon - Friday, January 21, 2005 - link
'Samsung calls the 997DF a "perfectly visually flat" tube. What they really mean is that the surface of the glass is perfectly flat, but the inside of the glass is very slightly curved. Most people will never notice it, but we feel that in the interest of full disclosure, it should be mentioned'Yes. Thank you for pointing that out, Jared. I purchased this monitor about a month ago, and noticed it right upon powering it up. No matter how much you adjust the geometry, there is always a slight curve. I was so angry at one point I was either going to hit it with a bat or return it. Now I've just learned to deal with it, and I'm no longer really bothered by it.
Rand - Friday, January 21, 2005 - link
Slight addendum to my above post-I just tried nVidia's hardware firewall.. it's working fine.Apparently that also runs on the basic nForce4.
Rand - Friday, January 21, 2005 - link
Slight addendum to my above post-I just tried nVidia's hardware firewall.. it's working fine.Apparently that also runs on the basic nForce4.
Rand - Friday, January 21, 2005 - link
"The difference, if you recall, is that the Ultra has an unlocked HyperTransport multiplier and will generally offer more in the way of overclocking, while the 4X is locked at a 4X HyperTransport multiplier (800 MHz)."I believe that's since been proven false.
There are a couple threads in the Motherboards forum about overclocking on said board, and I haven't seen anyone comment on any difficulties adjusting the HTT.
My own board is running at 300x3 HTT (900MHz HTT) right now. (Adjustable from 2-5X), though it did need +0.2V to the chipset to run stable at 1000HTT.
The differences right now between the NF4 and NF4 Ultra would appear to be 3Gb/s SATA vs. 1.5Gb/s SATA, and official support for 1000HTT vs 800HTT.
As well as not supporting nVidia's firewall.
geogecko - Friday, January 21, 2005 - link
Where are all the nForce4 Ultra (non-SLI) boards? Really looking forward to ASUS A8N-E Premium, but no news, except that some have said this board will never exist?!Gage8 - Friday, January 21, 2005 - link
I don't know, this guide just confirmed for me that now is not the time to buy if you want stability and upgradability (new word?).Nforce2 taught me not to buy revision 1.x...so lesson learned, bring on Nforce4 revision 2.x.
N3cr0 - Friday, January 21, 2005 - link
Just curious why the MSI K8N Neo4 Platinum/SLI wasn't put in as an SLI board for the AMD choices. It seems to be lower price then the Asus board. I'm going to get one of the two boards and can't really figure out what the differences are aside from some networking items. (That and the HyperTransport which I dont get at all)