C O R S A I R

[ACLerok]

which is generally faster: Corsair XMS3200 256MB Low Latency or Corsair XMS3500 256 MB RAM? one use for my computer is gaming so speed is mucho important.

[MLW]

i owuld say the 3500... do you use sdram or ddr?

[ACLerok]

ddr

[MonkeyBlitch]

I think its DDR SDRAM.

[MLW]

well i would i think the 3500 is better if it has ddr..
and i would jump to 512

[Floppyman]

What's the CAS rating on each?

[ACLerok]

Corsair XMS3200 256MB Low Latency - $82.00@newegg
2-2-2-6-T1
Corsair XMS3500 256MB RAM - $81.50@newegg
2-3-3-7-T1
which one is faster and better?

[Floppyman]

Seeing stuff like this makes me wonder. Could you run the pc3200 at the lower timings the pc3500 has? How about downclocking the 3500 and running it at the 3200 timings listed there? Being that they are similar in price makes me wonder even more.

I don't really know what to tell you. If you are planning on overclocking I'd suggest the pc3500, since you are guaranteed pc3500 speed. I would not be surprised however if the pc3200 could handle the 3500 timings listed there if you tried overclocking with it.

Sorry, I'm no memory expert. Hopefully someone else can shed some more light on this.

[TwoRails]

One main question is what CPU are you running?? It's best to match it. If you put "faster" memory in, then the overhead to run it out of sync typically eats up any (very) slight performance gains.

[MonkeyBlitch]

I'm shocked how much newegg sells the memory there, over here that would cost around $100+.

[ACLerok]

Originally posted by TwoRails
One main question is what CPU are you running?? It's best to match it. If you put "faster" memory in, then the overhead to run it out of sync typically eats up any (very) slight performance gains.

im getting a Pentium 4 2.8C Ghz cpu. so should i get the Corsair XMS3200 256MB Low Latency or Corsair XMS3500 256 MB RAM?

[Alienware_Dude]

If you're planning on overclocking, get the PC3500 memory. if not, the PC3200 will be sufficient.

[Ryan2318]

go for the 3200 with low latency. its of higher quality and faster timings so it'll probably be very overclockable anyway.

[Spyda]

i thought the low latency was rated at 2-2-2-5

[Naja]

What Mother board are you going to be using?

If its an Asus (especially P4C800 Deluxe) you may want to head to corsair's forums
Their Compatability forum:
( http://www.houseofhelp.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?forumid=130 )

and do some looking around. There are conflicts with the low latency and the Asus MB Bios. You will have to update the Bios just to gain stability, and still won't be able to use the low latency (2-2-2). Same with Hyper X. I'm using Kingston's Value Ram 3-3-3, because I have the P4C800 Deluxe MB and I didnt see the point in paying more for low latency that I cannot use. Your latency setting will end up something like 3-3-3-8.

Just a Thought.

[Ryan2318]

no corsair said that it'll be 2-2-3-5(or 6 not sure) so its not that bad

[LiGhTBoY]

Typically a lower latency ram can handle faster speeds so I would go with the 3200.

[Alienware_Dude]

I'm using the PC3500 memory in my P4P800 Deluxe right now, and it's completely stable.

[ACLerok]

Alienware dude, did you have to change anything in the Bios in order for it to run perfectly? What's it running at now?

[Naja]

"no corsair said that it'll be 2-2-3-5(or 6 not sure) so its not that bad"

I don't doubt those numbers, the 3-3-3-8 is from about 3-4 weeks ago and they are aware of and working on it. Give them another 2-4 weeks and they'll probably have it completely figured out.

"I'm using the PC3500 memory in my P4P800 Deluxe right now, and it's completely stable."

They were having major compatability problems with the P4-C-800 Deluxe and some other Asus MBs. RamGuy has been recommending the XMS PC3500 over the pc3200, but there were still stability problems with low latency. An Asus Bios update was one help. Additionally, if you haven't checked/set your latency yourself--then you may not be running as low as you think.

Bottomline at this time is: If your going with an Asus MB and you want to use low latency memory--you may want to look into it first and find out what the current status is and how much work/hassel you may have ahead of ya.

[Kov-Ice]

Naja refers to something I asked in another post here:

http://forum.pcmech.com/showthread.php?s=&postid=472957#post472957

What exactly is "low-latency memory"? Is the value Select PC3200 I bought considered low? Should I RMA my Corsair before I open it and get Kingston instead?

[glc]

Low latency memory is premium memory, the Value Select is not low latency. What is being discussed here is performance improvements that can only be detected by benchmarks, it's kinda like determining whether to use Mobil or Shell gasoline in your car and adjusting the tire pressures for least rolling resistance - and maybe replacing the wheel bearing grease with a super-slippery synthetic grease.

I'd just go ahead and put the ram you bought in, and let the bios handle the timings automatically, you will have a nice stable system. These guys here are going for every last nanosecond they can.

[Alienware_Dude]

No, but I didn't leave the timings at SPD. It's running at the Default anyway, I just set it manually.

[ACLerok]

what are the exact settings you had to set it at?

[Alienware_Dude]

I didn't *have* to set it manually, I just did. Let me get back to you on the exact timings, that requires a reboot.