DDR2 RAM @ 1066 MHz .... No, wait?!

Okay guys. Listen, I'm currently putting money into another laptop, quite similar to my Qosmio. Exept one thing, it is running DDR2 RAM modules. Now, the CPU is a P8400 (Which is running @ 1066Mhz). I was going to buy new and faster RAM for this laptop, then did a search for DDR2 modules wich is running at 1066 Mhz, but what I then realized was there was no results/match.

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What I not can understand is, why, while my CPU is running at 1066Mhz, and my chipset is the same as my Qosmio, which uses DDR3 RAM it is not posible to upgrade to modules at 1066? The only reason why the other laptop runs on DDR2 modules is because the GPU, ... and can't be upgraded with new DDR3 modules at 1066Mhz?

I have done enough search to lear that the DDR2 modules at 1066 Mhz not existed but, what now? Is 'my' modules going to be stuck at 800Mhz?

Now, I know that a DDR2 can't be swiped over to DDR3, but in this case?

 

You have to find out what the motherboard/ram slots support. That's the only thing you should look at when getting the ram.

 

Okay, let me ask it diffrent then. Can a laptop run on DDR3 @ 1066 modules with a GDDR2 card (9650M)

 

DDR2 at 1066 MHz does exist, although I don't know that there are SODIMMs for it (maybe only desktop 240 pin memory). DDR2 and DDR3 are physically different; a DDR2 SODIMM has 200 pins, while a DDR3 SODIMM has 204. Also, the speeds of memory and CPU do not necessarily have to match. Besides which, the chances of you noticing the difference between RAM at 800 MHz vs RAM at 1066 MHz are slim to none in terms of actual utility.

If the card has its own integrated memory, like that one, then yes. RAM on a graphics card is run off of its own clock, not the one that runs the CPU/RAM.

 

Yep, I assume it is, cause it does not share memory with RAM.

 

It might also help if you actually tell us the model that you're looking at, unless you're already certain it takes DDR3.

 

Nothing special, based on a Asus with

- P8400 @ 1066Mhz
- 4GB of RAM @ 800Mhz DDR2
- 9650M 1GB version,GDDR2, does not share with system memory.
- Mobile Intel® PM45 Express Chipset

However, I even don't know, maybe the modules are DDR3. I have not seen the laptop yet, and there is so much random going on online. I have both, DDR2 and DDR3 modules. So I can test it when I get it.

 

For a discrete GPU, the video and system memory has nothing to do with each other. Also the video memory is not GDDR2; it is likely just DDR2. That is a common confusion.

If the laptop takes DDR2 or DDR3 is determined by the chipset and what the manufacturer chooses. The GM45 chipset for instance can use either one. But if the laptop runs one, it can NEVER run the other.

Also increasing the frequency of your DDR2 memory is not going to do anything. That is simply not a performance bottleneck for any laptop. If you have 4GB of even DDR2 533, there is no reason to upgrade to anything else.

 

Yep I also see that GDDR2 is not right there, thanks for correcting!

But yet again, can the same type of chipset be produced with booth DDR2 and DDR3 slots? (not in one ofc.) Because, that will actually tell us if this chipset supports DDR3 or not (in this case). Because this Asus laptop is running on same chipset as my Qosmio(!) (signature).

Booth is Mobile Intel PM45 Express

 

The chipset can support both kind of RAM means nothing. It is up to the motherboard vendor to decide which to use and once it is choosen, you cannot do anything about it. Let's forget about the electronic interface different for now, just the physical thing is already not compatible.

 

That was what I ment! Chipset, aka in my world motherboard , I was wondring if they never made PM45 with DDR2 slots.

However, at this point. I'm prettey sure it runs on DDR2. But, I'll check it out and raport back. It can take some days tou, and if any of you have anything, share it here please

 

The PM45 I've got runs DDR2. I think only the later PM45 based laptops used DDR3, most of the older ones using DDR2.

For the really geeky people I guess you might be able to take the 1066 DDR2 off the 240 pin DIMMs and re-flow them onto SODIMM. As for running at 1066 the problems are officially the chipset doesn't support 1066 for DDR2 but does for DDR3 so may be there is a good chance it could support DDR2 as well. Then there would need to be BIOS support. Seems way to much trouble for what it's worth.

If it wasn't for the key way on DDR2 & DDR3, changing over would not be too bad. Pin for pin compatible IIRC with the last 4 pins of the 204 pin DDR3 not being used. A quick hardware volt mod to change the 1.8V to 1.5V and again the PITA BIOS support, or lack of it. lol.

Of course the other good thing about higher clocked RAM is if you do any overclocking. I just got a new stick of PC2-6400 a couple of days ago and it seems to perform so much better than the older DDR2 SODIMMs I've had.




pretty good for Single Channel mode and CL5. Shame my other SODIMM isn't up to it. Still at lower mem clock in dual channel the performance difference is not worth buying another better SODIMM to match IMPO.

 

I see your point. And this is also why I want to have DDR3, overclock is going to be done on that card! Otherwise, how can I play my games on it?

 

If you're overclocking the graphics card, that won't have anything to do with your system RAM. They use separate clock generators.

 

Yeah. Also if you are overclocking the FSB, it still doesn't matter whether you have DDR2 or DDR3.

 

Well, When the 9650M is peaked out at max clocks I can get to stable, and the CPU is a T9600. Don't you think 800MHz, DDR2 modules will have an effect? Well, I think it will, btw it is also going to run on a SSD drive, this is why I don't want to put money in to a DDR2 machine.

Just take a look at my signature, have you ever seen another user wich can overclock a 9800M GTX in a Qosmio laptop that high?

Okayokay, so you guys mean that DDR2 and DDR3 will perform the same under a maxed out situation?

 

I don't overclock myself, so I have no personal experience with this, but the point was more that overclocking the 9650M won't overclock your system RAM. Your system RAM will overclock if you overclock your FSB (which will end up overclocking both your RAM and your CPU). In any event, since the card is so relatively weak, gaming will bottleneck on the card before it bottlenecks on the system RAM, i.e. if you had 2 identical computers, except that one had DDR3 1066 MHz system RAM, and the other had DDR2 800 MHz system RAM, I don't think you'd really notice a difference between the two.

 

Well, I'll not overclock the RAM. Or CPU in this case. A T9600 is allready enough powerfull for this the 9650M. And as you said, if I want to overclock the RAM, I must overclock both RAM and CPU. I agree with you while i disagree with you. I think the RAM will have some effect. But however, I might look in to other setups. As more I read about this card, less I want to pay for it. All those driver problems ect. a quick Google search brings up more then enough sometimes...

 

Memory speed will have 0% effect in any real life situations since it will never be the bottleneck, especially in games. The GPU memory bandwidth is the problem, which is separate from system memory.

 

IMHO DDR2 will become more expensive while DDR3 will become cheaper and higher densities will become available on DDR3. Just for those reasons I think DDR3 would be more appealing.

EDIT: That is if your deciding between buying a laptop with DDR2 or a laptop with DDR3.

 

While that's true, it's also useless, since if you have a DDR2 system, you won't be able to upgrade to DDR3.

 

basically bottomline is this... no point getting DDR2-1066MHz RAM as its pretty much useless... 800MHz is really more than enough... even with OC... look at Moral Hazards OC on his SP9400+ RAM.... that was with 800MHz RAM..