unnamednewbie13 Posted January 26, 2006 Share Posted January 26, 2006 I am running WinXP Pro 64-bit Edition on this machine: ASUS A8V Deluxe AMD Athlon 64 3500+ Corsair TWINX-3200XL 2-2-2-5-1T (2x512MB) BFG 6800 Ultra (AGP) CL Audigy 2 WD 74GB Raptor After having played Battlefield 2 (since its release) and used other memory intensive applications since late 2004, I keep running into the memory roadblock. While the Raptor is fast, it's just not fast enough...so I've decided it's probably time for a memory upgrade. I've considered the following options: A) an extra pair of Corsair TWINX1024-3200XL 2-2-2-5-1T (1x512MB) B) replacing the current TWINX-3200XL with Corsair TWINX2048-3200C2 2-3-3-6-(assuming 1T) (2x1024MB) C) replacing the current TWINX-3200XL with Corsair XMS-3500LLPro TwinX 2-3-2-6-1T (2x1024MB) Option A - Pros: This would cost me only about $200 dollars. Cons: But I've heard I wouldn't be able to achieve a 1T command rate with 4 DIMMS in this motherboard. I'm also not sure if I'm going to get 1.1 or 1.2 with ordering online, and the only local reseller charges $230 for what I know will be 1.2. Option B - Pros: I'd only have to run two modules in this system, maintaining a 1T command rate. At $236 from newegg.com ($196 after the $40 rebate), this would be slightly cheaper than what my local reseller offers for the TWINX1024-3200XL's. This is also the 2x1024MB memory package recommended by compatible.corsairmemory.com. Cons: The timing is a bit slower than the TWINX1024-3200XL, at 2-3-3-6. Option C - Pros: I've heard nothing but good reviews about the 3500LLPro. Cons: Its 2-3-2-6 timings are marginally slower than 2-2-2-5, and it's around $300. It also wasn't listed on Corsair's compatibility list for the A8V Deluxe. --- That being said, should I just buy another TWINX1024-3200XL and take my 2T beating, replace my current memory with TWINX2048-3200C2 and take the lower timings of 2-3-3-6 while retaining the 1T command rate (for almost the same price as the 3200XL's), or bite the bullet and buy into the 3500LLPro, if that'll even work with the A8V Deluxe? Or should I get something different? I am probably going to be building a new PC sometime in 2007 to bring me in line with socket AM2, DDR2, PPU's and PCI-e video cards, but for now I need something to tide me over. The memory-related crashes and stutterings are intolerable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jabberwok Posted January 26, 2006 Share Posted January 26, 2006 Option C all the way because you'd get 2Gb plus headroom to set them at 2-2-2-5-1T if you use em at 3200 speed... That's what I would do... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unnamednewbie13 Posted January 26, 2006 Author Share Posted January 26, 2006 They'll work on the A8V, and at 2-2-2-5-1T timing if set to 3200? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wired Posted January 26, 2006 Share Posted January 26, 2006 A8V yes, Corsair doesn't guarantee them @ 2-2-2-5 @ DDR400, but they're already close, so you've got a decent chance of trying it. Option D: TwinX2048-3200C2 (2-3-3-6 timings) Timings are close, but almost $100 cheaper than the 3500LLPROs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unnamednewbie13 Posted January 26, 2006 Author Share Posted January 26, 2006 I think I'll sit and stew on these possibilities for a few days. Perhaps by then, I'll see some rock-solid link, review, or suggestion that will sway me in a particular direction. I've established that I really would like to avoid having four DIMMS in my A8V, but at the same time I am trying to figure out if the performance on my machine would be tangibly smoother, without being crash-prone, with the 2GB 3500 pair than with the 2GB 3200 pair. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leeghoofd Posted January 26, 2006 Share Posted January 26, 2006 Go for the newer 2 x 1 gig dimms mate, try to get a good price for ya XL ram. Even if you could go for 2-2-2-5 but at 2T it will be only as fast ( but I think it will be slower than 2-3-2-6 1T). Also the more Dimms you have the higher the risk for instability. And depending on your CPU revision you could even be unlucky with being stuck at DDR333 and 2T. Also I tried to OC with my Corsair XL ram and I had to loosen timings ( rev 1.1) to 2.5-3-2-6 to get above 215 mhz ,the stock LL pro's do that with the same timings and even further.... And besides they just look cool tooooo go for option C or D as sugested by Mr Wired Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unnamednewbie13 Posted January 26, 2006 Author Share Posted January 26, 2006 Alright, I think I'm going to go with the LLPros. They may be about $100 more, but they'll be close enough to the timings I'm currently running. I'll take my existing TWINX's and stick them in my Athlon XP system sitting on the desk next to my 64. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corsair Employees RAM GUY Posted January 26, 2006 Corsair Employees Share Posted January 26, 2006 You will replace what you have now with one Twinx2048-3500LLPro? Right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unnamednewbie13 Posted January 26, 2006 Author Share Posted January 26, 2006 You will replace what you have now with one Twinx2048-3500LLPro? Right? Yeah. Since I saw PC4000's on the A8V list, I think I'm reasonably safe to assume that the 3500's will be accepted without difficulty. Now I can finally use this gift certificate that's been lying about for awhile... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corsair Employees RAM GUY Posted January 26, 2006 Corsair Employees Share Posted January 26, 2006 Yes XMS3500LLPro will run great in that MB. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unnamednewbie13 Posted January 29, 2006 Author Share Posted January 29, 2006 I haven't ordered yet, but I will soon... The 3500LLPro is rated at 2.75V. The A8V Deluxe only allows settings of 2.6V, 2.7V and 2.8V. Will this be an issue? If not, should I set it for 2.8V or 2.7V? If I decide to run it on DDR400, should I set it to 2.6V? If it's on DDR400, will it be able to hit timings of 2-2-2-5 instead of 2-3-2-6 without experiencing error? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wired Posted January 29, 2006 Share Posted January 29, 2006 run them at 2.7 or 2.8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leeghoofd Posted January 30, 2006 Share Posted January 30, 2006 the lower timings could work, some users can run them at XL speeds, but some cannot, a bit of luck involved, although you practically won't notice the difference when gaming. These are very fast rams and a small OC (217mhz)will increase ya overall speed more ( CPU and memory bandwith ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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