Confused about RAM types and Athlon64?

Hey there guys

First post here! I haven't bought a desktop puter since my Thunderbird
800 MHz in 2000 - now I'm gonna build a wicked kickass Athlon64

Only thing is, being out of the game for so long, I'm deeply confused
with the memory situation. I've got my heart set on the Abit KV8-MAX3
motherboard, and I want to stick two 1-gig DIMMs in it.

I know the modules have to be 184-pin and that speeds up to DDR400 are
supported. So I've found these very nice (for the price) modules that
are PC2700 333 MHz DDR CL2 184-pin DIMM SDRAM. The info (which is in
Danish, and this is a direct translation) furthermore states that it's
"dual memory". From the picture I can see one side of the module, and it
has 8 chips on it (I'm guessing the other side would reveal another 8
identical chips).

Okay, so I've downloaded the KV8-MAX3 manual and it has this list of
what seems to be the possible ways to combine sizes and types of memory
modules to satisfy it. Problem is, it talks like this, "x8 single rank
or x16" and "x8 double rank", to describe the module types.

I have no idea what these descriptions mean in reference to the modules
I've been looking at, as described above... And as far as I can tell by
the chart, then if the modules I've been looking at turn out to be what
the manual refers to as "x8 double rank", then they have to be DDR400 to
work in the motherboard...

Can anybody clarify this?

Thank you very much,
Daniel

I know the modules have to be 184-pin and that speeds up to DDR400 are
supported. So I've found these very nice (for the price) modules that
are PC2700 333 MHz DDR CL2 184-pin DIMM SDRAM.

Sdram is the older standard (Pc133 being last SDRAM). PC2100+ are ddr ram.

The info (which is in
Danish, and this is a direct translation) furthermore states that it's
"dual memory". From the picture I can see one side of the module, and it
has 8 chips on it (I'm guessing the other side would reveal another 8
identical chips).

Yepp, since they're DIMM (dual inline mem module).

Okay, so I've downloaded the KV8-MAX3 manual and it has this list of
what seems to be the possible ways to combine sizes and types of memory
modules to satisfy it. Problem is, it talks like this, "x8 single rank
or x16" and "x8 double rank", to describe the module types.
I have no idea what these descriptions mean in reference to the modules
I've been looking at, as described above... And as far as I can tell by
the chart, then if the modules I've been looking at turn out to be what
the manual refers to as "x8 double rank", then they have to be DDR400 to
work in the motherboard...

Can anybody clarify this?

No idead there.. Sorry.

On Tue, 17 Feb 2004 18:53:30 +0100, Daniel wrote:

Can anybody clarify this?

Yes. if you want a "kick ass machine", forget the PC2700 ram and get
PC4000 DDR500 or faster. Iff you can't afford that, then PC3200 as a
minimum and hope it will actually run 200MHz (DDR400).

--
Abit KT7-Raid (KT133) Tbred B core CPU @2400MHz (24x100FSB)
http://mysite.verizon.net/res0exft/cpu.htm

On Tue, 17 Feb 2004 18:53:30 +0100, Daniel wrote:


I know the modules have to be 184-pin and that speeds up to DDR400 are
supported. So I've found these very nice (for the price) modules that
are PC2700 333 MHz DDR CL2 184-pin DIMM SDRAM.

Forgot this. PC2700 ram is rated at 166MHz DDR333, not 333Mhz.

--
Abit KT7-Raid (KT133) Tbred B core CPU @2400MHz (24x100FSB)
http://mysite.verizon.net/res0exft/cpu.htm

Wes Newell wrote:
On Tue, 17 Feb 2004 18:53:30 +0100, Daniel wrote:


Can anybody clarify this?


Yes. if you want a "kick ass machine", forget the PC2700 ram and get
PC4000 DDR500 or faster. Iff you can't afford that, then PC3200 as a
minimum and hope it will actually run 200MHz (DDR400).


Well, I don't need 500 MHz since max on the board is 400. And in my
world, 2 gigs of 333 MHz RAM will still be kickass Don't want
Godzilla here, just an elephant

Cheers

On Wed, 18 Feb 2004 10:36:05 +0100, Daniel wrote:

Wes Newell wrote:
On Tue, 17 Feb 2004 18:53:30 +0100, Daniel wrote:


Can anybody clarify this?


Yes. if you want a "kick ass machine", forget the PC2700 ram and get
PC4000 DDR500 or faster. Iff you can't afford that, then PC3200 as a
minimum and hope it will actually run 200MHz (DDR400).


Well, I don't need 500 MHz since max on the board is 400. And in my
world, 2 gigs of 333 MHz RAM will still be kickass Don't want
Godzilla here, just an elephant

So you're going to spend a bundle of money on the CPU and MB, then slow it
down with 1gig of PC2700 ram when 1gig of PC4000 ram is only about $26
more. Hmmm... OK. Good luck. Hope it boots.

--
Abit KT7-Raid (KT133) Tbred B core CPU @2400MHz (24x100FSB)
http://mysite.verizon.net/res0exft/cpu.htm

Daniel wrote:
Hey there guys

First post here! I haven't bought a desktop puter since my Thunderbird
800 MHz in 2000 - now I'm gonna build a wicked kickass Athlon64

Only thing is, being out of the game for so long, I'm deeply confused
with the memory situation. I've got my heart set on the Abit KV8-MAX3
motherboard, and I want to stick two 1-gig DIMMs in it.

1GB modules are overpriced and usually overkill. I have 1Gig and have never
needed more than that.

I know the modules have to be 184-pin and that speeds up to DDR400 are
supported. So I've found these very nice (for the price) modules that
are PC2700 333 MHz DDR CL2 184-pin DIMM SDRAM. The info (which is in
Danish, and this is a direct translation) furthermore states that it's
"dual memory". From the picture I can see one side of the module, and it
has 8 chips on it (I'm guessing the other side would reveal another 8
identical chips).

Is there a manufacturer or timings for that? I would get at least PC3200 so
you can run 200MHz, something like Corsair would be ideal.

"Dual memory" hmm, not sure what that means...

Ben
--
A7N8X FAQ: www.ben.pope.name/a7n8x_faq.html
Questions by email will likely be ignored, please use the newsgroups.
I'm not just a number. To many, I'm known as a String...

"Ben Pope" wrote in message
...
Daniel wrote:
Hey there guys

First post here! I haven't bought a desktop puter since my Thunderbird
800 MHz in 2000 - now I'm gonna build a wicked kickass Athlon64

Only thing is, being out of the game for so long, I'm deeply confused
with the memory situation. I've got my heart set on the Abit KV8-MAX3
motherboard, and I want to stick two 1-gig DIMMs in it.

1GB modules are overpriced and usually overkill. I have 1Gig and have
never
needed more than that.

I know the modules have to be 184-pin and that speeds up to DDR400 are
supported. So I've found these very nice (for the price) modules that
are PC2700 333 MHz DDR CL2 184-pin DIMM SDRAM. The info (which is in
Danish, and this is a direct translation) furthermore states that it's
"dual memory". From the picture I can see one side of the module, and it
has 8 chips on it (I'm guessing the other side would reveal another 8
identical chips).

Is there a manufacturer or timings for that? I would get at least PC3200
so
you can run 200MHz, something like Corsair would be ideal.

"Dual memory" hmm, not sure what that means...


Maybe an obtuse reference to "dual channel"????



--
callsignviper


The truth is out there. You just have to look in the right places and ask
the right questions.

callsignviper wrote:
Maybe an obtuse reference to "dual channel"????

Could be but memory isn't dual channel, chipsets are.

Ben
--
A7N8X FAQ: www.ben.pope.name/a7n8x_faq.html
Questions by email will likely be ignored, please use the newsgroups.
I'm not just a number. To many, I'm known as a String...

"Ben Pope" wrote in message
...
callsignviper wrote:
Maybe an obtuse reference to "dual channel"????

Could be but memory isn't dual channel, chipsets are.


I know.....but the original information came from a translated Danish
website. Something may have been lost in the translation. :-((


--
callsignviper


The truth is out there. You just have to look in the right places and ask
the right questions.