Question about DDR2 vs DDR3

Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast

  1. Posts : 7,466
    Windows 10 Home Premium 64bit sp1
       #1

    Question about DDR2 vs DDR3


    Hello everyone i got a quick question for you memory pro's .

    I am currently running ddr2 800mhz but my board can support higher ,would it be wise to upgrade to the higher speed ram ?

    Or should i stick with planing to buy a new board and new memory all together, meaning a board that supports DDR3.

    Im wondering if it would benefit me anything since im having alot of bsod issues now that have a higher stock chip and my ram is at the lowest mhz the board offers and my card always crashes playing left for dead 2.

    I have not tryed other games yet but im figuring i need to get higher ram to support the cpu better can someone give me a good opinion my specs are already listed .

    I am prepared to do either or but im thinking picking up 8 gigs of higher ram would be better like 1066mhz
    Last edited by Solarstarshines; 01 Feb 2011 at 16:26.
      My Computer


  2. Posts : 7,466
    Windows 10 Home Premium 64bit sp1
    Thread Starter
       #2

    also i would like to know would ddr2 1200 be better or 1066 would be better as terms of stability
      My Computer


  3. Posts : 8,375
    W7 Ultimate x64/W10 Pro x64/W11 Pro Triple Boot - Main PC W7 Remote PC Micro ATX W7 Pro x64/W11 Pro
       #3

    The maximum memory for the Biostar model board in your system specs is DDR2 533/667/800/1066(1066 by AM2+ CPU) according to details seen at newegg with a fast look there. 1066mhz being the fastest.

    For the BSODs however that may be from a bad dimm or other cause not the memory speed. A bad dimm or driver issue would be two likely causes. You should note the error information on any BSOD itself as well as seeing a good run of memtest.

    With this problem mainly being seen during a gaming session video and sound drivers are usually chief suspects for crashes. A bad dimm would cause various problems simply being at the usual desktop.

    As far as moving into a newer AM3 board that would be planning an upgrade of the case itself to some extent. You could still use the same cpu, video card, drives, etc. except for buying the new memory. Amd yes the clean install of Windows seen with the new hardwares would likely clean up some of the problems.

    Before spending however the first and best to find out is what is the cause for the game crashes. Hardware or software? Games are known to crash on any hardware combination when a software error is present such as a corrupt video or sound driver.

    As for system stability the faster memory speeds typically notice a small lift in performance not a tremendous deal. The correct memory type, speed, timings supported for the board you run free of defects are what insure stability.
      My Computers


  4. Posts : 258
    Win 7 Ultimate x64
       #4

    DDR3 can be "Faster" than DDR2 and it uses less Power.
      My Computer


  5. Posts : 7,466
    Windows 10 Home Premium 64bit sp1
    Thread Starter
       #5

    i was thinking software cause most of the time it runs fine .

    As of late AMD drivers have been shhhh if you know what i mean

    I always thought the drivers were the main cause of bsod i actually looked up my board and it goes up to 1200mhz ddr2 which is g skill ripjaws from newegg .com


    BIOSTAR :: TA785GE 128M :: Specification also this is my board and specs alltogether

    and this is the possible ram http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231283

    PS by the way you think my direct x might have something to do with the multiple crashes and bsod cause if i recall i have been installing older games that use the lower one ,and actually installed it .....Hmmmmm
    Last edited by Solarstarshines; 01 Feb 2011 at 21:31.
      My Computer


  6. Posts : 8,375
    W7 Ultimate x64/W10 Pro x64/W11 Pro Triple Boot - Main PC W7 Remote PC Micro ATX W7 Pro x64/W11 Pro
       #6

    If you installed 9c that wouldn't generally cause problems with any more recent 10x titles. The older 9c is required for the OpenGL support by the older titles mostly. The newer games out in the last few years are geared for the newer DX versions.

    Software? Yes all too often in fact. I haven't seen one pc game ever that wouldn't crash or freeze up at some time. Something in the game itself decides to load sideways and crash city even when everything else is all set.

    As for newegg's details they made some large changes from what was previously seen with direct links to the manufacturer which is always the best place to look up specs on anything. Newegg only upto 1066 listed being an obvious typo on their part. That's why I mentioned only having a fast look there. (preferred it when they had the manufacturer's product page links!)

    That should work. That will boost the present board somewhat for you.

    The alternative upgrade of case, depending on costs as well as your needs, if you decide to go that route, you could likely end up looking at even faster memory for a new board. You may end up picking out a board that supports DDR3 1600, 1800, 1866, 2000 or 2200 memory. But then you also pay out quite a bit more.
      My Computers


  7. Posts : 7,466
    Windows 10 Home Premium 64bit sp1
    Thread Starter
       #7

    Night Hawk said:
    If you installed 9c that wouldn't generally cause problems with any more recent 10x titles. The older 9c is required for the OpenGL support by the older titles mostly. The newer games out in the last few years are geared for the newer DX versions.

    Software? Yes all too often in fact. I haven't seen one pc game ever that wouldn't crash or freeze up at some time. Something in the game itself decides to load sideways and crash city even when everything else is all set.

    As for newegg's details they made some large changes from what was previously seen with direct links to the manufacturer which is always the best place to look up specs on anything. Newegg only upto 1066 listed being an obvious typo on their part. That's why I mentioned only having a fast look there. (preferred it when they had the manufacturer's product page links!)

    That should work. That will boost the present board somewhat for you.

    The alternative upgrade of case, depending on costs as well as your needs, if you decide to go that route, you could likely end up looking at even faster memory for a new board. You may end up picking out a board that supports DDR3 1600, 1800, 1866, 2000 or 2200 memory. But then you also pay out quite a bit more.

    My plans were to do that anyway since i have a second cpu psu and video card .

    This is begining to be my hobbie, but let me tell you i re-installed dx 11 and it didn't crash ... Left4Dead2 and Prince of persia both held thiere ground

    I already priced a few boards already and ram for 8 gigs and a fomula board i would probally spend 400.00 all together

    but im thinking just a better chipset for cheaper like a 890fx or something and throw 8 gigs or even 12 of ddr 3 probally 1866-2000 mhz
      My Computer


  8. Posts : 8,375
    W7 Ultimate x64/W10 Pro x64/W11 Pro Triple Boot - Main PC W7 Remote PC Micro ATX W7 Pro x64/W11 Pro
       #8

    I've been running well once I had the right memory in with an 8gb total. For most that is generally quite adequate over going overboard and simply ending up being an overkill where too much ram is wasted.

    You won't see any big performance boost once you are over 4gb for sure. A better video and sound setup and faster cpu, memory will usually do the job!
      My Computers


  9. Posts : 7,466
    Windows 10 Home Premium 64bit sp1
    Thread Starter
       #9

    yeah 8 gigs is enough i think too ... you think i should keep my current set up and just buy better ram or faster persay i have 2 options for ram FRYS.com | Patriot

    FRYS.com | PDP SYSTEM INC

    now my only thing would be latency i know lower is better which one would you chose or would you suggest just getting a better board better ram all together?
      My Computer


  10. Posts : 8,375
    W7 Ultimate x64/W10 Pro x64/W11 Pro Triple Boot - Main PC W7 Remote PC Micro ATX W7 Pro x64/W11 Pro
       #10

    Those are great prices for 4gb dimms I'll say that. DDR2 prices have been dropping lately but those are still worth looking at. First see what voltage range as well as type your board will run at however.

    I looked over the manual as well as the board specs and saw no reference other then DDR2 in matched sets of 512, 1gb, 2gb, 4gb dimms which doesn't help any on that. You may need to go over the manual settings in the bios if needed to tweak them a bit if set to manual as far as entering the dram timings manually.

    I ran into that on the last case running an AM2 board. For this one(AM3) the memory clock was brought up once I had replaced the first memory ordered for the one having the correct voltage. That was fun! The first OCZ Gold 1.9v was replaced by the Mushkin Enhanced 1.5v which also meant replacing the larger hsf!
    (The top of the OCZ dimms remained flat while the Mushkin has raised heat shields that pressed up against the first one)

    Since you already have Patriot performance dimms in use I don't see any problems with either kit except for the possible to set the dram timings manually to see what works best. If you can find similar memory like those that runs at a lower voltage the memory will run cooler however. The memory used here runs at the 9-9-9-24 for the slower Cas on the 1600mhx memory but never heats up. Just a thought to add.
      My Computers


 
Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast

  Related Discussions
Our Sites
Site Links
About Us
Windows 7 Forums is an independent web site and has not been authorized, sponsored, or otherwise approved by Microsoft Corporation. "Windows 7" and related materials are trademarks of Microsoft Corp.

© Designer Media Ltd
All times are GMT -5. The time now is 13:27.
Find Us