DDRs, FSB,s, BSBs

[gulp]

Hi, :-)

Q1. Which one is better on the drive interfaces and which one the least ?
ATA ? ATA EIDE ? SATA ? IDE ? EIDE ? RAID ?
I know ATA goes from 100, 133, 150 but what about the rest ?

Q2. And how do you calculate these DDRs ?
ddr 266 = pc2100
ddr 333 = pc2700
ddr400 = pc3200

How are these calculated ? They are puzzling.

Q3. I guess pc2100/ddr 266 is slow.

Q4. Is ddr333/pc2700 fast to play 3d games ?

Q5. Also, does the fsb and ddr speed always be the same ?
I mean, if fsb on a mboard is 333mhz then does that mean the ddr is also 333 ?

Q6. What is a back-side bus ?
Q7. And when does this one play ?

Q8. Is bsb really important to take in-to account when shopping for a new system to be fast to play 3d games or do you just take the fsb and ram in-to account and of-course the mboard capability ?

Q9. To have a fast computer to play 3d games, what minimum specs do you suggest ?
I was thinking.....

hd speed 7200 rpm
interface ata 133

fsb 333mhz

ram 256mb @ 333Mhz (pc2700)

Any suggestions, comments ?

:applaudin

[Beonix]

A1: There`s no major difference, but the best ones are raid, scsi and sata(in beyond)

A2-4: DDR xxx, those xxx show the maximum frequency your ddr ram can operate on. DDR 266 means that ram frequency is 266 mhz, ddr400 means, that it is 400 mhz. Some ddr 266 modules(Hynix,Corsair) can run as ddr 333 or even ddr 400

A5: DDR and FSB speeds MAY differ if your motherboard chipset supports it.

A9: The more, the better.

[Daniel]

1. RAID = Redundant Array of Inexpensive Disks
PATA = Parallel Advanced Technology Attachment (or just ATA)
SATA = Serial Advanced Technology Attachment
IDE = Integrated Drive Electronics
EIDE = Enhanced Integrated Drive Electronics
EIDE ATA = Enhanced Integrated Drive Electronics on Advanced Technology Attachment

They're all the same really, the only differance is SATA and ATA, SATA offers lower voltage consumption and higher transfer rates.

2. DDR = Double Data Rate
DDR 266mhz = pc2100 = 2.1gbps memory bandwidth
DDR 333mhz = pc 2700 = 2.7gbps memory bandwidth
DDR 400mhz = pc3200 = 3.2gbps memory bandwidth

3. You won't notice a difference if you're not a heavy benchmarker/gamer.

4. Depends what games. PC2100 is sufficient to say the least.

5. Not always, but it's best that the CPU FSB corresponds with the memory FSB for best performance.

6. Not used anymore. Or atleast not really advertised in system specifications, so don't worry about it.

7. Rarely.

8. Stability is one of the major important factors in a motherboard, assuming you want stability. I suggest reading reviews on motherboards, and RAM to see which works best with what.

9. Atleast a 2ghz processor(P4 2.4ghz or Athlon XP 2500+)
A dual channel capable motherboard(Intel chipsets or nVidia nForce2 for AMD)
2x256MB PC2700 RAM in dual channel
A harddrive of 7200rpm would be alot better than 5400rpm - Doesn't matter over what.
A decent video card(Bare minimum, GeForce4 MX440)

[trenzterra]

1. SATA cables are shorter and is a newer technology, I heard it gives lower access times. There's SATA II coming though.

2. speed*8

3. Comparatively slower than 333 and 400

4. I think it depends on your system. For best performance get what the system wants. Eg. for P4 FSB800 get DDR400.

5. Not every time, eg there is no DDR800 for use on P4 FSB800.

6-8. Never heard of.

9. A64 3000+ with 512mb ddr400 ram and radeon 9500 pro, nForce2 chip, 7200rpm is a must-have now.

Or Pentium 4 Northwood 2.6C with the same stuff above, but get i875 for chipset instead or i865 with a mobo that allows enabling of PAT.

[Beonix]

1. SATA cables are shorter and is a newer technology, I heard it gives lower access times. There's SATA II coming though.

2. speed*8

3. Comparatively slower than 333 and 400

4. I think it depends on your system. For best performance get what the system wants. Eg. for P4 FSB800 get DDR400.

5. Not every time, eg there is no DDR800 for use on P4 FSB800.

6-8. Never heard of.

9. A64 3000+ with 512mb ddr400 ram and radeon 9500 pro, nForce2 chip, 7200rpm is a must-have now.

Or Pentium 4 Northwood 2.6C with the same stuff above, but get i875 for chipset instead or i865 with a mobo that allows enabling of PAT.

Athlon 64 on Nforce 2 ???:-)

[trenzterra]

I dunno I don't know much about Athlon chipsets.

[Dean]

Originally posted by Peo
If you don't know the answer to a question please don't reply. Thanks.

[trenzterra]

Originally posted by Phyxisus
Wwell I thought it WAS nforce2 and for some reason it wasn't? What is it then.

[gulp]

What I really wanted is how on earth did 266mhz = 2100
and how on earth 333mhz = 2700 and so on.
That is what I meant by how the calculations are done.
I already know 266 = 2100 and 333 = 2700 and 400 = 3200 but I want to know how one sum suddenly became another.

What do you reckon the fsb is on a 1300mhz cpu computer ?
What processors go to what fsb ?

This is what one seller told me :

" The FSB on the mainboard will be one suitable to match the processor

2200 - 266
2400 - 266
2600 - 333
3000 - 333 "

So, does that mean, if I get a processor below 2400xp then the fsb will be only 266mhz and never over that ?
And to get a 333mhz fsb, must I get a cpu 2600xp or over ?
I am talking about AMD Athlon XP.

[Daniel]

Trenz, there's no point getting an Athlon FX 64-bit processor if their's no 64-bit operating system(though Win XP 64 bit does exist, there's no drivers for hardware).


So, does that mean, if I get a processor below 2400xp then the fsb will be only 266mhz and never over that ?

2400XP has a FSB of 133mhz(which is 266mhz double pumped). You could set the FSB in the BIOS if you wanted.

As far as I know, all Athlon XP 2500+ and higher have a FSB of 166/333mhz, except the 3200+ which is 200/400mhz.


Wwell I thought it WAS nforce2 and for some reason it wasn't? What is it then.
nForce3, VIA K8T800, etc.

[trenzterra]

Originally posted by Daniel
Trenz, there's no point getting an Athlon FX 64-bit processor if their's no 64-bit operating system(though Win XP 64 bit does exist, there's no drivers for hardware).



2400XP has a FSB of 133mhz(which is 266mhz double pumped). You could set the FSB in the BIOS if you wanted.

As far as I know, all Athlon XP 2500+ and higher have a FSB of 166/333mhz, except the 3200+ which is 200/400mhz.


nForce3, VIA K8T800, etc. AFAIK there are some Linux operating systems that has 64-bit support. Besides, it would be good to have that support so that you won't need to change the processor for a while. Thanks for the info.

Gulp, the FSB does not depend on the speed, it depends on the architecture. By the way AMD64 or some Athlon XPs on nForce 2 (or is it 3?) doesn't use FSB, they use HTT.

And as I told you, approx speed*8. 266*8 = 2128 which is close to 2200.

[Daniel]

Originally posted by trenzterra
AFAIK there are some Linux operating systems that has 64-bit support. Besides, it would be good to have that support so that you won't need to change the processor for a while. Thanks for the info.



Still no drivers for hardware(videocard, soundcard, etc. require 64-bit compatible drivers).

[trenzterra]

Originally posted by Daniel
Still no drivers for hardware(videocard, soundcard, etc. require 64-bit compatible drivers). There should be some soon, or at least when XP 64-bit comes. But athlon 64, even if you're not using it for 64-bit, has better performance than P4s. (the 3000+ is worth)

[tandoc]

take a look at the whitepaper.. p4 and athlon64 are fairly even.. when tested on 32-bit applications.. Athlon64 FX is the winner.. but isn't worth the $$$.

Daniel.. you should be able to compile the driver from source.. i think? in linux neway...

either way.. 64bit won't catch on until there is a 'real need' for it...

[trenzterra]

But FX wins if compared against the EE. Damn I was an Intel-fanboy now I guess I'm an AMD-fanboy.

I like to be futureproof even though there's little apps for it.

[tandoc]

and FX still isn't worth the price diff...

always go with the next model down.. you still have a powerful system, at half the price

[trenzterra]

Originally posted by tandoc
and FX still isn't worth the price diff...

always go with the next model down.. you still have a powerful system, at half the price Yes the 3400+ is almost the same as the FX51.

[tandoc]

err.. no its not....

:confused2

[GregT]

Yea it is.

The 3400+ benchs the same/higher then the FX51.

[trenzterra]

Originally posted by CoRN
Yea it is.

The 3400+ benchs the same/higher then the FX51. Yeah occasionally it's even faster because FX51 requires registered memory which slows it down.

[tandoc]

o ok.. cool.. i better get one for my next upgrade ^_^

does ne1 know if it can go SMP? or would i still need an AthlonMP?