Hardware Question - PC3200 RAM and a AMD64 3800+ CPU

Hi Guys,

I was just wondering if PC3200 RAM would bottleneck my AMD64 3800+ CPU. Both the CPU and the RAM run at a stock speed of 200MHz FSB... Im not too sure if that matters though. Would PC4000 RAM (250MHz) make my PC any quicker?

Thanks!

Depends on what the motherboard supports. Your CPU will always benefit from faster memory. If your MB supports the 4000, get that. Otherwise stick with the 3200 and save yourself some money.

Okay, I decided to go for PC3200 in the end. I found some that could support pretty aggressive timings.

Another question...
With thermal paste/grease/compound, you always get a specific 'curing time' before the compound is at its optimal state. Is it alright to use your computer whilst the compund is still curing? I just ordered some stuff that takes about 3 days to cure... not too sure if I can go without my PC for that long

Yeah, you can use it. Just don't go crazy with the overclocking. And even if you do, it just means you won't get your best overclock until after the paste has cured.

Okay, I probably should have started a new thread for this, but here's my next question never-the-less...

I have just bought some RAM that is built to run at pretty tight timings (2-3-3-6). However, my current mobo only lets me run the RAM at 2-4-2-8. I dont know why, but the mobo just doesnt have very good manual control over the RAM timings.

How much will this slow my PC down by? Is it a lot? Im kind of stuck with my current motherboard... I cant find any other socket 939 mobos out there that have an AGP slot.

Thanks!

It won't be noticable unless you're doing a bunch of synthetic benchmarks. You may have problems running it at 2.4.2.8 though, since the ram is only rated 3 for the tRP. You may need to run it at 2.4.3.8

Yeah I would like to, but my motherboard is crap as far as manual control goes. I have spent about 6 hours today trying to find a socket 939 mobo that has an AGP slot... other than the one that Im using at the moment (some ECS mobo). I'd really like either an Abit AV8 mobo or a Asus A8V mobo, but I cant find either of them anywhere (I live in the UK).

You could just leave it at "By Spd" and let it auto-configure.

If I do that it sets itself to 3-3-3-8 and runs at 166MHz (DDR333)

Ick.

May have to suck it up though. Have you tried the 2.4.2.8?

yeah i have and it seems okay, but I didnt notice any real boost from my old budget PC3200 RAM.

I recently installed a new CPU and Mobo (before: Athlon XP 2800+ after:Athlon 64 3800+), and I didnt notice any increase in performance (maybe a few points under 3DMark06 - but not much, like 100 or something). So I thought that my budget RAM was bottlenecking the system. So I bought this stuff, and there's still no improvement.

However, when I installed the CPU and mobo - Windows did not make me reinstall Windows, so I kept it and jsut installed the new drivers. Maybe a fresh install of Windows XP would be a good idea.