Is the Kingston DDR2 667Mhz Memory good enough?

[TaskTool]

I recently built a new computer and stuck one Kingston 2gb 667mhz memory stick into the motherboard and havent had any problems, although my games are slow at times and some are so slow that I question my hardware.

When I was telling everybody the hardware I had gotten before, when I mentioned the 667mhz memory somebody was like "why such slow ram?"

So i'm wondering if the ram speed has something to do with the slow game performance, because I have the cash right now and was going to buy another 2gb stick for a total of 4gb, but before I did so I wanted to ask and get an opinion.

My computer:

Intel Core 2 duo E8400 3.0ghz
2Gb Kingston DDR2 667Mhz
XFX Geforce 9600 GSO 768mb


I assume those are the main things that matter in determining performance. So what do you guys think? Is the ram slowing me down? Could it be the slightly outdated video card? Would another 2gb 667mhz stick do me any good for speed?

 

[philbar71]

you need more and faster ram, go with something like this,

Newegg.com - OCZ NVIDIA SLI-Ready Edition 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model OCZ2N800SRC44GK - Desktop Memory

 

[TaskTool]

you need more and faster ram, go with something like this,

Newegg.com - OCZ NVIDIA SLI-Ready Edition 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model OCZ2N800SRC44GK - Desktop Memory

So I'm definitely going to need the 4gb of ram and it needs to be 800Mhz?

I'll go ahead and bookmark that ram.

 

[philbar71]

does not need to be 800MHz but for a nice performance increase 800MHz ram will do you good, as long as your mobo supports it.

 

[trekkie00]

That memory looks good, but if you want to be cheap 2gb is probably enough for most games - especially if you're running a 32-bit operating system, which will only recognize ~4gb total for the entire system. Just make sure you take out the 667mhz memory stick, or it'll slow down the rest of the memory too! If you want to be cheap, you could always get something like this.

If it's only games that are causing problems, you'd probably be better off getting a newer graphics card. The 9600 GSO, while much better than anything integrated, is a very midrange card. A 9800GT or GTS 250 or GTX 260 would probably provide a noticeable increase in frame rate.

I went from a 7600GT to a 9800GT, and went from "playing" Crysis at lowest settings at 1024x768 (lousy CRT) to medium settings at 1920x1200. You probably won't see that large of a jump (your 9600GSO is a better card than the 7600), but it'll still be worthwhile.

 

[philbar71]

^ PNY for me is a no no. i have had a graphics card of thiers fail on me as well as 2 different DDR-667 kits fail.

this is what you go for is you want cheap,

Newegg.com - G.SKILL 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F2-6400CL4D-2GBPK - Desktop Memory

 

[Nubbleet]

Also with DDR2-800 and that E8400 if you want to OC to an everyday 3.6GHz with 400FSB*9 it puts the FSB ratio to 1:1 which makes it nice. I have this RAM. 4-4-4-12 @ 1.9V.

 

[TaskTool]

I really want the 4gb total, and I only have 2 ram bays, and my motherboard only supports 4Gb of ram, and it probably will not let me overclock anything.

Ditching the 667mhz is a must? Or is the 4gb total a must? Or is 2gb of 800mhz a must? I really dont know what to do.

 

[philbar71]

a good 4GB (2x 2gb) set of 800MHz is a must. ditch the DDR2 667 stuff and pick up the OCZ kit i mentioned earlier.

 

[trekkie00]

With only two ram bays, 4GB @ 800mhz would probably be best. It'd probably last the longest and save money in the long run. Not sure how much of an improvement it would really be - like I said, I suspect the graphics card - but it'd undoubtedly be better. I mean, hey, bigger numbers!