Ddr Memory

[gbfan]

Don't worry about it Jon cuz this one will make you sound like a f****in genius. Okay here it is, I'm running 256 ram and some of my newer games run real slow especially if i add max armies to a RTS games campaign. It slows down to almost a freeze. I would like to upgrade to 512 or 1024 but i don't know exactly what it will do if it will help. So this is why i am putting the question out. What exactly will upgrading the ram do? One more question, 2nd gen said no need for ram that operates above you cpu fsb. What is the cpu fsb?

[adamp2p]

CPU fsb:

FSB stands for "front side bus," in Intel's newest processors, that is, 200 MHz quad data rate = 800MHz, the system bus is the the bandwidth for the chip to the other components of your computer. Other Intel FSB speeds are 100 MHz and 133 MHz, quad data rate = 400 MHz and 533 MHz.

AMD's FSBs are slower, at 333 MHz (total) and (newest) 400 MHz total fsb speed.

Get the fastest ram you can put on your board, maybe 2nd gen is right, but I would give it a shot anyways, my RAM is 800 MHz (400 MHz dual channel). My fsb is 400 MHz too...

[2nd gen noob]

Originally posted by gbfan@16 June 2003 - 06:10
Don't worry about it Jon cuz this one will make you sound like a f****in genius. Okay here it is, I'm running 256 ram and some of my newer games run real slow especially if i add max armies to a RTS games campaign. It slows down to almost a freeze. I would like to upgrade to 512 or 1024 but i don't know exactly what it will do if it will help. So this is why i am putting the question out. What exactly will upgrading the ram do? One more question, 2nd gen said no need for ram that operates above you cpu fsb. What is the cpu fsb?

upgrading your ram will enable you to run more programs simultaneously, or to run a few programs at a higher performance level (which is what you want for your games)
basically adding more ram to your system is like getting a bigger engine for your car, you'll have more overall power.
your system will be noticably faster not only in games, but alson in general use.

adding ram is also one of the cheapest ways of improving system performance.

do you know if there are any free ram slots on your motherboard for more more ram?
if you're unsure, open your case and look for a set (usually 3) of long slots on your motherboard.

the total amount you should have is dependant on your operating system. if you have windows 98, then either 512 or 768MB of ram should be more than enough. if you have windows xp, you should be able to use 1024MB memory, but the gains of 1024 over 768 will not be huge.

as for the speed of ram you should buy, this is totally dependent on what you already have and your current cpu/motherboard setup.

what processor do you have currently?
what ram do you have?

the more details you can provide, (hopefully) the better the answer will be

as a rough guide, if you have an athlon up to a 2600+, you should buy 266MHz ddr ram, if you have a pentium, you may have to buy rimm.

post back with more details please, and we'll be able to tell for sure.

p.s. i hope i didn't confuse you with my cpu fsb comment. basically what i meant was that there was no point buying ram which is running at a faster rate than your cpu fsb. the cpu fsb is the rate at which the cpu 'communicates' with other parts of your system. there's no point, therefore, in having ram which is 'communicating' faster than the cpu can communicate bac. if this is happening, the ram is sitting about doing nothing, and is going through more use than it needs to

[gbfan]

See i told you . ne way i have an Intel Celeron 2.0 and 256 ddr and my specs sheet says i have one slot open. My front side bus is 400mhz so I could use 512 or 1024 but the extra wouldn't do much? How do i rise the fsb? Do I have to get a new processor for that? Thx for the help guys

[2nd gen noob]

Originally posted by gbfan@16 June 2003 - 06:36
See i told you  .  ne way i have an Intel Celeron 2.0 and 256 ddr and my specs sheet says i have one slot open.  My front side bus is 400mhz so I could use 512 or 1024 but the extra wouldn't do much?  How do i rise the fsb?  Do I have to get a new processor for that?  Thx for the help guys

sorry if i confused you with the fsb and the actual amount of ram.

when i mentioned 512, 768, 1024, i was talking about the amount of ram you would actually have.

the fsb is simply the speed at which that ram operates

sorry if i confused you

also, you can increase the fsb of your processor, by doing what is called 'overclocking' but it's a risky business and you may end up with a broken computer if you overdo it.

edit: for your celeron, the optimal ram would be 400MHz ddr ram, however, if you installed one stick of 400MHz ram while you had one stick of 333MHz ram in, the system would run at 333MHz.
do you know what your current ram is?
what speed?

sorry to ask so many questions

[gbfan]

Okay here's what i have:

2.0 Ghz Intel Celeron processor

400MHz front side bus

256MB DDR SDRAM

2100MB/sec memory speed

1 open DIMM slot (184 pin, DDR) 2 DIMM slots total

I would rather not overclock so I'm just stuck with the 400MHz fsb unless i get a new processor huh?

So how much ram should I get? Thx for n e and all help.

Edit: Why would it only run at 333 shouldn't it then run at 733?

[2nd gen noob]

ok, currently you have PC2100 ddr ram. PC2100 is 266MHz.
there are 2 ways you can go from here.
either you can buy another stick of 266MHz ddr ram (either 256MB of 512MB), or you can buy two new sticks of 400MHz ddr ram.

obviously only buying one stick of ram will be cheaper than buying 2 sticks of faster ram, however, if you're willing to pay a little more, i'd recommend you go for 2 new sticks of 512MB 400MHz ddr ram.

buying faster ram will speed up your whole system.
currently, your 266MHz ram is being a 'bottleneck' in your system. it is basically slowing things down.

if you're looking for sites that will sell ram, there's a pinned topic in the hardware section, here which should give you numerous places to buy your ram.

[adamp2p]

2nd gen, you give detailed, complete descriptions. Cheers to you.

[gbfan]

Oops i just realized my edit was stupid don't pay attention lol. So then if i get the 266 MHz 256 MB I'll have 512MB running at 266MHz and if i get the two 400MHz 512MB I'll have 1024 running at 400MHz so my fsb would already be sufficient, and i would have the 1024MB i was wanting right? Sorry if this sounds stupid, but i'm still very much a noob. Again thx 4 ne help.

[2nd gen noob]

Originally posted by gbfan@16 June 2003 - 07:26
Oops i just realized my edit was stupid don't pay attention lol. So then if i get the 266 MHz 256 MB I'll have 512MB running at 266MHz and if i get the two 400MHz 512MB I'll have 1024 running at 400MHz so my fsb would already be sufficient, and i would have the 1024MB i was wanting right? Sorry if this sounds stupid, but i'm still very much a noob. Again thx 4 ne help.

yep, you've got it absolutely right

i'd reccomend you buy two 512MB 400MHz ddr ram sticks. this will be the best solution to your problem, and shouldn't cost too much money.
remember to post back if/when you buy the ram and tell of any improvements

p.s. glad to help

p.p.s thanks adamp2p. i think i made the job a bit more difficult for myself by not explaining myself too well at the start, but hopefully i've helped in this problem