Don't Back Down

A while back, I purchased some CORSAIR Dominator 2GB Dual Channel Desktop Memory for a computer I was building.

The main reason I bought was because they just looked cool, and then because the reviews on Newegg were pretty decent. While I have mentioned before that I often shop at Amazon, I'll usually read the reviews at Newegg because they are just better. This was no different. This CORSAIR Dominator 2GB Dual Channel Desktop Memory was a bit more expensive, but they seemed to do the trick for me at the time, and ran well - unfortunately I kept running into a problem where I'd be running along (on my overclocked E6300) and something would lock up. This was invariably at the least opportune moment.

I never really figured out what caused it, but usually something like that has to do with memory issues, and I'm trying to hold off on the April price cuts before I upgrade to a new CPU, so I figured I'd see how the memory was doing. I'm glad I did, because I found deal on Crucial 2GB Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory at Newegg for just $67 - with free shipping and a $35 rebate. That's just $32 for 2GB of RAM, a pretty sweet deal! Of course, I already had memory, but I like shiny new things, so I splurged. I even bought 2 kits, which brought me to 4GB. And yes, I know that 32-bit Windows XP doesn't recognize it all. I'm preparing for the future here.

If you want to take a step farther, you can also find a good price on the Crucial Ballistix 4GB Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - just $110 (no rebate, but the end price is actually just a few dollars more than buying two of the other kits).

Once received, I had to break down and install the memory. That's always a bit of a pain, but it really wasn't too bad. Without thinking, I didn't reset any of the settings on my motherboard, which was probably a mistake. Instead, I popped out the two previous chips, and replaced them with the sleek new ones. The one problem was that the new chips weren't recognized at the proper timing, so I dropped it from the 5-5-5-15 to 4-4-4-12 (actually, I reset it first to "auto", then realized it wasn't recognized properly, and then I dropped it back down - but it all works out). Then I noticed that I had set the timings manually. Once I reset it to "auto", they picked up right where they should.

Then I read a few reviews where people had mentioned problems overclocking their chips, so I decided to stick it out at 800. I was also curious to see how it performed at the stock settings. It turns out that it works really well. I'm showing 2.5GB of memory right now (a disappointment, since 4GB is installed, but I knew it was coming). With no changes to timings, and no changes to the voltage, , my overclocked Intel Core 2 Duo E6300 seems to be running much faster. Of course, it's not - the little 1.86Ghz processor that could still is bumped up to 2.8Ghz, but the point is that the whole system seems faster, and it is definitely running cooler, because now the temperature inside the case is reporting 40° celsius, where it's usually about 42 or so (at idle).

I can only attribute this last point to the fact that the new memory is running at the stock speed, where the old memory was overclocked. Since they were so much larger (physically), the old memory could have also been taking up some space in the case to obstruct the airflow too. Whatever it is, I am happy to see the cooler air in the case, and the improved response time as well. Now I just need to keep an eye on it to see if the lock ups stop. Unfortunately this is a pretty sporadic event, so I'll have to watch it for a while. I doubt that I'll switch back regardless. I've watched a few videos, and no problems so far, but I'll keep an eye on it.

I'll also need to figure out what to do with these old memory sticks. Maybe I'll give 'em away. Anyone interested? If you are, leave a comment and let me know about your own experience with overclocking, especially if it has anything to do with memory - if there is at least some response, I'll give the chips away next week (so make sure you leave a valid email address so that I can contact you). Also make sure to tell someone else about it, in order to drum up some comments - the whole point is to stimulate conversation, and if one person does all the work, it's nice and all, but it misses the whole point, you know?