Dual channel DDR2 - is it worth it?

I thought about what I would do in a tight budget situation. I could not get past getting a decent motherboard because it is the basis of the system, it is not really an upgradable part without everything else following.

You can get a low end CPU for the moment, you can get a modest amount of RAM at the moment (I agree about getting decent quality RAM) although more can be added later. You can upgrade and add more HDDs later.

Can you save anywhere else? Can you swap optical drives from your old system? Do you know of a case you can utilise? (I have my latest system in my old 1999 case, it doesn't impress people with looks, but it does with it's performance ). Power supply, if you get a cheap case you will get a cheap power supply bundled with it. I would not skimp on the PSU, avoid a no-name (generic) brand. Check if there is a website for the PSU..

SO...
If you go for powerful components now on a limited budget you will end up with a limited computer. If you go for some modest components now, then upgrade the "upgradable" parts, you could have a more powerful system later on.

I know I said "make a balanced system" earlier, but if are you prepared to upgrade after a while, you may want to live with some modest hardware now, in the anticipation of upgrading to a more "brutal" machine ... that should outlast many basic systems.

The GA-P35-DS3 seems to work well in my reading. Note that it does not have built-in graphics. An add-in graphics card may well out-perform a built-in chip easily.

Do your sums, what do you need now and what might you need later?

Matt

 

Thanks Mattman,
I certainly have learned a LOT from replies here and research on the internet some of that from prompts given in replies.
Yes I had resigned myself to buying a separate video card instead of relying on the onboard video and yes I had noticed too that the GA-P35-DS3L doesn't have integrated video.
Knowing what I know now I agree with you in spending a bit more on the motherboard and less of the ram and CPU. I guess buy the most expensive mobo that I can afford which supports the fastest RAM (so that I can upgrade CPU and memory later - right?)

I WILL be using existing (2) hard drives (plugged into the single PATA socket) and buying a new (SATA) optical drive - I guess I could retain the optical drive but then would have to buy a new SATA hard drive as most mobos only support 2 PATA devices.
I could use my existing case however had considered buying a new one as (it seems) most optical drives are now BLACK (as are most cases) AND most cases have USB sockets on the front which I would find useful as my tower sits inside a compartment of my computer desk and therefore has USB cables hanging outside the compartment.
CAN I ASSUME that you can use a SATA hard drive as the boot device? I assume that this is set up in the BIOS.

 

It seems like you are making good plans.

The difference is probably 1066 vs 800. The RAM is expandable, you can add extra later on, BUT, if you start with 800 Mhz modules, then add 1066 type, both sets will run at the slower speed. A plan I might use is to get a pair of 1066 modules, say 2 X 512MB if 1GB is enough, then look at adding another 2 X 512MB or 2 X 1GB modules later. You may need to download and read the motherboard manual for how to install the RAM, some motherboards have "special" requirements or limitations (for example, if you put modules in all four slots, the speed may automatically drop to a lower setting). Different motherboards have different setups/requirements/limitations.

I think our consensus on the type/brand of RAM would be to avoid an unknown or generic type. I buy Corsair Value RAM for the basic systems I set up and had zero problems. Gigabyte has a list of tested and "compatible" RAM for each of it's motherboard models. RAM manufacturers have compatibility lists for the motherboard models.

My situation is probably different to yours, I have no trouble connecting to the back USB ports. If I set up a system that only has back USB ports, I will consider installing a self-powered USB Hub, which is handy in any case. I can even get by using USB extension cables. Just some suggestions.

Yes, motherboard manufacturers are trying to dump PATA. The motherboard manual should tell you the default settings, it may be to boot to Drive 0 on the PATA controller. This can sometimes be a headache if the master on the PATA controller is an optical drive and not a HDD, but those problems may be in the past.

You are taking our suggestions and incorporating them into your plans. If we said "Get X motherboard, with Y CPU and Z RAM ", I think you would have wasted your time here. If something is not 100% perfect, you should be able to cover it on your next build

Matt

 

Thanks mattman
I have learned more again as I had completely forgot that usb hubs exist.

I might take your suggestion of using a smaller amount (1 X 512Mb) 1066 DDR2 and upgrade later and yes I normally only purchase ram which has brand names (Corsair, Kingston, Kingmax etc).

One thing I DID noticed with Gigabyte's list of supported ram for different but similar mobos is that the lists DIFFER between mobos even when they support the same speed ram. I wonder why this is? For exmaple the GA-G33M-DS2R has GEIL (brand) listed (for 800) yet the GAP35-DS3L does NOT have GEIL in the list of supports ram. Could this be just that they haven't tested GIEL or can it be that some mobos will run ok on some brands and others not?

I have also been comparing CHIPSETs and the mobo I now favor has a P35 which Intel lists as "Target - Performance PC ". This board also supports 1066 DDr2.
I assume that different mobos don't actually have faster processing, it's what is plugged into them and this is affected by the CHIPSET by what CPUs and RAM (speed) they support.
What I am getting at here is a motherboard which supports 1333 RAM and the top Pentiums will only run as fast as a cheaper mobo if BOTH have the fastest CPU and RAM that the cheaper mobo supports.

Is this correct?

 

I see GEIL with a listing on page 2 of the chart.

In the compatibility chart, note the heading for 1066 "Dual Channel Load (pcs) ". I suggest you read the motherboard manual about the RAM, there may be limitations on running 1066 RAM.

If you going to get the GA-P35-DS3L, check that it is the Revision 2.0. Bugs are ironed out in subsequent revisions.

Yes and no, from my reading. One Gigabyte p35 chipset model may have better performance (albeit slight) than another model, maybe because of the different features or a different BIOS, etc. There are many variables.

I do a websearch for the model number and check if lots of people are asking for help with problems about the motherboard. From a quick check, the GA-P35-DS3L does not seem to have many.

If you are going to get more RAM later, watch the prices occasionally, the price of DDR2 will go down until manufacturers ramp up the production of DDR3, the price will then start to go back up. Similarly, if you going to upgrade the CPU later, watch for when they might phase out the production of the model (socket 775), although the prices will drop until that model is "run out ".

Matt

 

WHOA DOGGIES!!! I've never heard that but maybe the 3% improvement I'm remembering is the improvement in total system throughput based on some benchmark.

Whatever the number, it was not a critical loss not to be running dual-channel.

Thanks, Rockster, but I'm just one of those guys who knows just enough to bamboozle the noobies!