Alienware weird RAM description

[Flanker]

Hey dude, chill, I'm not trying to argue with you. I was just confused about something I'd never seen before. I just started learning about this stuff from scratch a month ago, gimmie a break. Hell, 3 weeks ago I didn't even know what overclocking was...

 

[Tro1086]

Well if you look at the RAM options for the Alienware Aurora 7500
it lists the "1GB Low-Latency Dual Channel DDR PC-3200 at 400MHz - 2 x 512MB" just like you said, but if you pick the "2GB Low-Latency Dual Channel DDR PC-3200 at 333MHz - 4 x 512MB" option you some how get PC3200 thats only running 333MHz? WTF.

I dont know much about ram but I understand the whole DDR is acting as double the actual frequency of the RAM thing. But I always thought if it was PC3200 it HAD to be DDR400/200MHz. So if thats true(im not sure, someone please let me know!) and its just a typo, then I wonder if your really getting PC3200 RAM and they ment DDR400 instead of 333MHz of if your really getting DDR333 ram and they ment to type PC2700 instead of 3200?

If there putting PC2700 RAM in there highend Aurora 7500 systems then thats just stupid. Especially if they make you choose between 1GB of PC3200 or getting 2GB and DOWNGRADING to PC2700.

 

[Nubius]

put it this way....when you load CPU-Z what's it show....it shows the true MHz.....

I don't care how many freakin brands have it listed as 400MHz....it's not actually 400MHz....it's actual MHz is 200 and the way the structure is, it's DATA RATE is at 400

 

[Flanker]

put it this way....when you load CPU-Z what's it show....it shows the true MHz.....

I don't care how many freakin brands have it listed as 400MHz....it's not actually 400MHz....it's actual MHz is 200 and the way the structure is, it's DATA RATE is at 400

THANK YOU. Yes, thats what I've been talking about.

 

[Flanker]

Well if you look at the RAM options for the Alienware Aurora 7500
it lists the "1GB Low-Latency Dual Channel DDR PC-3200 at 400MHz - 2 x 512MB" just like you said, but if you pick the "2GB Low-Latency Dual Channel DDR PC-3200 at 333MHz - 4 x 512MB" option you some how get PC3200 thats only running 333MHz? WTF.

I dont know much about ram but I understand the whole DDR is acting as double the actual frequency of the RAM thing. But I always thought if it was PC3200 it HAD to be DDR400/200MHz. So if thats true(im not sure, someone please let me know!) and its just a typo, then I wonder if your really getting PC3200 RAM and they ment DDR400 instead of 333MHz of if your really getting DDR333 ram and they ment to type PC2700 instead of 3200?

If there putting PC2700 RAM in there highend Aurora 7500 systems then thats just stupid. Especially if they make you choose between 1GB of PC3200 or getting 2GB and DOWNGRADING to PC2700.

If you have all four RAM slots running RAM, then the performance gets downgraded to DDR333 from DDR400. Don't ask me why, but thats what happens. I'm guessing the reason they're calling it DDR400 is because they know it gets downgraded. if they said DDR333/PC2700, then some clever person might thing that the RAM was being underclocked more.

 

[PP Mguire]

Wrong again, its super low latency so they down clocked to tighten the timings on the ram. They are using 2 sticks of 1 gig. Also, cpu-z shows the frequency of the FSB, not the ram.

 

[Flanker]

If they underclocked it, then they shouldn't have but DDR400.

 

[PP Mguire]

Well for users that know what they are doing they should mark DDR400 (pc3200) because maybe we dont want tighter timings and we want to make it the speed its supposed to be and run it Dual channel.

 

[Flanker]

Good point.

 

[Tro1086]

So is it true that having all four RAM slots full would downgrade the performance from DDR400 to 333? If so dose that mean it would be better to keep some RAM slots empty and acheive 2GB by using 2x1GB sticks instead of 4x512Mb sticks?