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Lower CAS Latency or more RAM?

2K views 8 replies 4 participants last post by  Gonzo1970 
#1 ·
I've been looking at RAM and am unsure which would be better:

1. Buying 3GB of PC3200 RAM with a CAS Latency of 3.0
or
2. Buying 2GB of PC3200 RAM with a CAS Latency of 2.0

I've been looking at RAM on Newegg and found 1GB sticks with 3.0 latency to be around $80, where as the 2GBs of 2.0 (split into 1GB sticks) is $240 which led me to think that I could get more RAM for the same price with a higher CAS latency.

What would be more important and why?

Thanks heaps in advance. :)

*BTW, the RAM is going to be used in extensivly in Photoshop and other Adobe products that seem to be rather RAM hungry, in my experience. (And maybe some gaming, too.) ;) That may be something to consider as well when you answer.
 
#2 ·
I would get the 2 gig kit, as a matter of fact, I would get this 2 gig kit.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820227210

With 3 single 1gig sticks your running the risk that they may not like each other, even if all three are ordered at the same time. With a 'kit' you`re guaranteed that the sticks will work together.
 
#4 ·
Thanks Rukee, having incompatible ram is something to consider.

SacsTC said:
CAS Latency of 2 is faster than CAS latency 3
Yes, but I've heard that the performance increase may not be that much. So I'm wondering if the extra $80 for 2GB (as I could get a 2GB kit of CAS3 RAM) is really worth $80 or if an extra Gig would be a better purchase.
 
#5 ·
if your motherboard has dual channel memory support, then running three sticks will force single channel mode, in which case the three sticks would be condsiderably slower then a pair running dual channel.
 
#6 ·
Copied from: dewassoc.com

--Snip--

The Bottom Line

In the real world, unless your system is up on the cutting edge of technology and you're pushing performance to the limit as do some over-clockers, or gamers, it may have some relevance. On the other hand, in everyday systems the relevance is nominal at best. CAS3 means that at 100 Mhz., the amount of time required for the first memory access in a burst is increased by 10 nanoseconds or less. Divide this figure by 4 to average the increased time across four bursts, and you have an improvement of less than 2.5 nanoseconds over CAS2. We need to underscore the term relevance as it pertains to CAS Latency and changing memory modules on the average system. If you had a Pentium III 600 to 866MHz. computer, as an example, and you used this for surfing the Internet, using Microsoft Office or Corel Office, Adobe products etc., and changed your memory modules from those having CAS3 to CAS2 latencies, you wouldn't be able to notice any difference. But again, if you are pushing your system to the limits, this could become critical.

--Snip--

Personally, I'd tell you to buy Memory that are "Matched Pair", and a Name Brand (Crucial, Kingston, Corsair). Unless youre running multiple applications, or memory intensive programs. I would say a patched pair of 1Gb CAS3 chips (for 2Gb Ram Total) would suit you just fine.

Personally, I run multiple instances of memory intensive games with 2Gb of matched pair CAS3 and I dont have any problems at all.

-Gonz
 
#9 ·
Gonzo1970 said:
Copied from: dewassoc.com

--Snip--

The Bottom Line

In the real world, unless your system is up on the cutting edge of technology and you're pushing performance to the limit as do some over-clockers, or gamers, it may have some relevance. On the other hand, in everyday systems the relevance is nominal at best. CAS3 means that at 100 Mhz., the amount of time required for the first memory access in a burst is increased by 10 nanoseconds or less. Divide this figure by 4 to average the increased time across four bursts, and you have an improvement of less than 2.5 nanoseconds over CAS2. We need to underscore the term relevance as it pertains to CAS Latency and changing memory modules on the average system. If you had a Pentium III 600 to 866MHz. computer, as an example, and you used this for surfing the Internet, using Microsoft Office or Corel Office, Adobe products etc., and changed your memory modules from those having CAS3 to CAS2 latencies, you wouldn't be able to notice any difference. But again, if you are pushing your system to the limits, this could become critical.

--Snip--

Personally, I'd tell you to buy Memory that are "Matched Pair", and a Name Brand (Crucial, Kingston, Corsair). Unless youre running multiple applications, or memory intensive programs. I would say a patched pair of 1Gb CAS3 chips (for 2Gb Ram Total) would suit you just fine.

Personally, I run multiple instances of memory intensive games with 2Gb of matched pair CAS3 and I dont have any problems at all.

-Gonz
I run Corsair ValueSelect - Dual Channel, DDR400, CAS3, 2X1Gb. Around $145.00 or so.

-Gonz
 
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