1.5gb of 400mhz DDR or 1.5gb of 333mhz DDR?

I'm running a p4 2.4ghz northwood 512kb l2cache and 533mhz FSB.

Now, when i bought my new motherboard I decided to upgrade my ram to a stick of 1gb 400mhz DDR. Its running pretty damn well. But, I have my old stick of 512mb 333mhz DDR laying in the pile of computers. If i add the 512mb stick then all the ram will run at 333mhz.

So, what would be more advantageous, to stick with my 1gb of 400mhz or throw in the 512mb stick and run 1.5gb of 333mhz?


I mostly sit on the internet all day but I also play a good bit of counterstrike so I'm torn between more or faster . . .

 

I'd stick with the 400mhz. Sell the old one to a friend or something, or hang on to it. I've got boxes of computer parts. Might come in handy in the future.


x

 

I'd keep the 1 GB 400 Mhz RAM.

 

I was in the same spot as you. I had a 2.0Ghz Northwood 533FSB in my old rig. Unfortunately, the mobo only ran at 333Mhz RAM max. I had to stick in a 333Mhz 512Mb stick and run my 400Mhz RAM at 333. I didn't have a choice.

To make this descision, open a hardware monitor and czech out just how much RAM your using during these sessions. If it maxes out, use 1.5Gb. Or, if you are using onboard video or other video card with shared memory, I recommend running your RAM at the highest speed possible.

Have you tried to overclock the 333Mhz chip?

 

I'm running an asus geforce 4 ti4600 video card, so the video is well taken care of.

Also, the processor runs ar 533mhz not 333mhz, i was just using the 333mhz as an example. I'm actualy considering overclocking it to 800mhz . . .

 

Geforce 4 is fine. I could make a recomendation if you ever want to upgrade though.

The processor runs at 533?... I think you mean the Front Side Bus (FSB) runs at 533Mhz. I'm pretty sure that is a socket 478 CPU with either 0.18 micron or 0.13 micron technology. You might want to check the compatibility for your motherboard/chipset and how it responds to an 800Mhz FSB.

I had an ASUS P4S533-E mobo with a 2.0Ghz socket 478 processor. I gave it to my girlfriend when I built my new rig and I just rebuilt and re-overclocked it. The thing about socket 478 is this...

Some socket 478's can run the FSB at 533Mhz or 800Mhz. You would be lucky if yours runs at 800Mhz. My old board would only run at 533Mhz FSB. If you post your board number I can refer you to a site that will tell you if your board can handle an 800Mhz FSB. I could also tell you what your respective upgrades could be and your overclockability.

-joe

 

Yeah, the fsb is 533mhz, thats what I meant. The clock speed is 2.4ghz, and its a northwood chip, which does make it a 478.

And the motherboard will run at 800mhz, thats why i bought it.