Windows 7: WEI - DDR2 vs DDR3

lehnerus2000 · 23 May 2011

This might not be in the correct section.

After a series of disasters I have just upgraded(?) my system.
I haven't adjusted my system specs info yet (so you can still see my previous setup info).

My new system:

AMD AM3 x6 Phenom II 1055T.
4 GB of DDR3 (1333).

My new setup seems smoother overall (although Firefox seems to take longer to shutdown).

I noticed something disappointing/strange after refreshing my WEI score:

8 GB of DDR2 ( 800) - 7.2
4 GB of DDR3 (1333) - 5.9

I was under the impression that:

DDR3 was faster than DDR2.
1333 was faster than 800.

I'm sure that my old system was using the default settings (i.e. no overclocking).

Is the WEI memory score actually based on capacity, speed and type?
Do I need to adjust my BIOS settings?

Also when I run System Information Tool:

XP SP3 CPU Power - 140W.
Windows 7 CPU Power - 70W.

According to AMD it is rated at 125W.
AMD Phenom
All other values (e.g. voltages and temperatures) seem to be basically the same.
The temperatures seem to be basically the same in Ubuntu as well.

cmd187 · 23 May 2011

It is faster, but you've halved the memory amount. Double to 8GB and it will shoot up to 7.8 or so.

Sardonicus · 23 May 2011

Yes, I'd suspect that you'd get a higher WEI core for DDR2 based on........

8 GB of DDR2 ( 800)
4 GB of DDR3 (1333)

lehnerus2000 · 23 May 2011

Thanks Guys.

So the WEI score is based on capacity, speed and type.

Unfortunately my new motherboard only has two slots and since I was short of cash, I had to choose a 4 GB kit.
Also my old setup refused to take advantage of the 8 GB, so I didn't think that I would lose out.

C'est la vie.

pantsaregood · 23 May 2011

DDR3 isn't inherently faster than DDR2. It is, however, capable of clocking higher.

DDR3 1066 and DDR2 1066 will perform near-identically at equal amounts. The DDR2 may very well have tighter timings, and therefore perform slightly better.

Phenom IIs are pretty poor at taking advantage of high memory bandwidth, anyway.

essenbe · 23 May 2011

If your board has onboard graphics, your bios will have a setting for sideport, UMA or Sideport+UMA. It will usually be default at Sideport+UMA. Change the setting to Sideport. Save and exit. Run WEI again.

Britton30 · 23 May 2011

Check with the RAM maker's site for a forum on overclocking the memory, timing, Bus frequency etc. An AMD platform supposedly won't support DDR3 1600, but it will, I have one (see specs), but will take some tweaking.
WEI memory rating, while not a real benchmark, will give a user an idea about THAT PC's performance when a change is made. The memory rating takes both its speed and amount available to get the score. My setup my set up gets 7.6.

pantsaregood · 24 May 2011

Running a K10's memory at anything above 1333 give sminimal benefit. 1333 doesn't really perform much better than 1066 most of the time, really. Even Sandy Bridge has minimal gains with RAM above 1333 MHz.

lehnerus2000 · 24 May 2011

Thanks for your input/suggestions.

Quote: Originally Posted by pantsaregood

DDR3 isn't inherently faster than DDR2. It is, however, capable of clocking higher.
...
Phenom IIs are pretty poor at taking advantage of high memory bandwidth, anyway.

I read something about that earlier today.
Someone posted an article about it on these forums.

Quote: Originally Posted by essenbe

If your board has onboard graphics, your bios will have a setting for sideport, UMA or Sideport+UMA. It will usually be default at Sideport+UMA. Change the setting to Sideport. Save and exit. Run WEI again.

My board must be too cheap.

It only has UMA or Disable.

Quote: Originally Posted by Britton30

Check with the RAM maker's site for a forum on overclocking the memory, timing, Bus frequency etc. An AMD platform supposedly won't support DDR3 1600, but it will, I have one (see specs), but will take some tweaking.

I'm too paranoid to overclock my system.
I've only had these new parts for a few days and I don't want to risk cooking them.

I reinstalled my NVIDIA GeForce 8500 GT card and disabled the on-board graphics.
My WEI memory score increased to 7.4 (from 5.9)

Britton30 · 24 May 2011

Glad to hear you have it sorted out!

Windows 7: WEI - DDR2 vs DDR3

WEI - DDR2 vs DDR3 problems?