pc3200 registered/ecc

TexTex Dallas/Ft. Worth
edited March 2004 in Hardware
I swore I didn't need the speed as I score 5500 with my pc2100 memory in my dual opteron but....

I took a flyer with a low eBay bid on 512mb (2x256mb dual channel) OCZ registered/ecc DDR and won it for 61 bucks. Wish I had known they would go this low as the other pair sold for 70 bucks. Not much reg/ecc pc3200 ddr on the market right now and its pretty pricey still.

Sandra says four sticks of pc2700 hits almost 10,000 on the memory bandwidth with this chipset. Wish I had gotten the other pair to see what four pc3200 would score now.

I need another pair of the same at least or a pair of 512mb to go with it anyway. 512mb isnt enough to do any more then play with.

tex

Comments

  • Straight_ManStraight_Man Geeky, in my own way Naples, FL Icrontian
    edited February 2004
    Next question, Tex, since you have an Opteron board and I cannot afford one yet... Does the CPU performance edge up a bit also??? It might, and I would not be surprised if it did do that a bit with Sandra.

    For me, the real kicker would be to see how the better faster RAM helps keep the CPU cache overuse(and collerative and implicit CPU slowdown) minimized and how much more effective the CPU is as a result. If you have a 3D or 2D\3D video bench handy and know before and after, that might also jump some(depends on card, but better cache maint by CPU as it waits less for RAM to cycle should carry over to some video bench improvement also).

    Please DO check if you have time. :D

    John D.
  • TexTex Dallas/Ft. Worth
    edited February 2004
    Ageek wrote:
    Next question, Tex, since you have an Opteron board and I cannot afford one yet... Does the CPU performance edge up a bit also??? It might, and I would not be surprised if it did do that a bit with Sandra.

    For me, the real kicker would be to see how the better faster RAM helps keep the CPU cache overuse(and collerative and implicit CPU slowdown) minimized and how much more effective the CPU is as a result. If you have a 3D or 2D\3D video bench handy and know before and after, that might also jump some(depends on card, but better cache maint by CPU as it waits less for RAM to cycle should carry over to some video bench improvement also).

    Please DO check if you have time. :D

    John D.

    It's a server board John. There is no agp slot for a video card. And if there was I would have a $15 card in it. I don't game so there is no advantage to me having a $400 card versus the built in 8mb ATI video. I had a 128mb Radeon in my K7D and when I switched back and forth on my KVM between it and the 8mb ATI while playing videos I couldn't tell any differance to my eyes so I sold the Radeon and won't be buying more high end video cards I guess... (grin) For MY use its a wste of money and system resources. I'll put my money in disk subsystems where I can really feel the differance.

    To me the more interesting question will be if Big Oracle databases that cache large amounts of data will show a benefit?

    Tex
  • TexTex Dallas/Ft. Worth
    edited February 2004
    Forgot to address the first part. When running 64bit apps the cpu's might show an edge but for 32bit apps I doubt you will feel much differance really against similiar speed 32bit CPU's. I'm running 64bit OS's but I'm hanging waiting on Oracle to get AMD 64bit versions of most their apps out. The only 64bit AMD app they have ready right now is their GUI app develeopment tool and not their database or application servers.

    Tex
  • TexTex Dallas/Ft. Worth
    edited February 2004
    Crap.. Jsut got another idenical pair. I guess I was a sucker for the copprr heat spreaders that lloked so slick....

    Tex
  • Straight_ManStraight_Man Geeky, in my own way Naples, FL Icrontian
    edited February 2004
    Tex wrote:
    Forgot to address the first part. When running 64bit apps the cpu's might show an edge but for 32bit apps I doubt you will feel much differance really against similiar speed 32bit CPU's. I'm running 64bit OS's but I'm hanging waiting on Oracle to get AMD 64bit versions of most their apps out. The only 64bit AMD app they have ready right now is their GUI app develeopment tool and not their database or application servers.

    Tex

    True. Unless the O\S can run its services on the "spare" pipe while you run Sandra (which is a primarily 32 bit benchmark app) on the CPU benchmarks using the "other" CPU (as far as Sandra is concerned, there should be TWO CPUs unless it cannot even recognize that, in which case it is benching on ONE PIPE of your Opteron). Since you have a server board, video benchmarking would be useless, agreed.

    So, to spread major 32 bit apps, easiest thing to do is give the the O\S one virtual CPU (as in Pipe) while the app uses the other. Spread the load, as it were. then compare spread load benches versus non-spread load benches (Sandra is not even fully 64 bit tiself). In the case of a board with 2 4-Pipe Opterons or 1 8-Pipe 844, well I do not know of an O\S that can do that yet, though stock XP Pro in the 1-2 CPU subversion can use two of the pipes, each as one CPU.

    The best way I know to get a good guess, is to load spread what is running through two or more pipes-- or to get the O\S using mostly one pipe, and then the app the other pipe. Then see how much the base benches for CPU go up, since benches are influenced by base O\S load at time of bench with a single piped CPU. So, to see how well a multipiped CPU works, run O\S on one pipe, bench OTHER pipe. Then see how much a 64 bit app adds to that setup, later, as you say.

    OOOPS! Passed over the statement that you are running 64 bit O\Ss. The idea of running Sandra on each pipe singularly might be difficult to do then. Do you have any figures on two 32 bit Xeons of similar speed versus the Opteron CPU benches??? If not, which model Opteron chip(s) are you running???

    John D.
  • TexTex Dallas/Ft. Worth
    edited February 2004
    240's

    Tex
  • TexTex Dallas/Ft. Worth
    edited February 2004
    And I just scored another pair os these and I'm working on 3'RD.

    appears since the mmeroy controller is on the chip that not all opterons correctly support pc3200 but are limited at pc2700.
  • Geeky1Geeky1 University of the Pacific (Stockton, CA, USA)
    edited February 2004
    how many sticks of ram are you buying?!?!?
  • TexTex Dallas/Ft. Worth
    edited March 2004
    I have four but intend to get one more matching pair to fill all six slots. The sticks are only 256mb so thats only 1.5gb total anyway adn 1gb total I have in hand now. The scores go up the more slots you spread the memory over to an extent. Then again Sandra says four sticks of pc2700 even will get close to 10,000 for memory bandwidth on their test so six sticks at pc2700 speed isnt chicken feed.

    Tex
  • pcscustompcscustom
    grumbles at nf7-s "watch tex and learn from it damnit!! i dont like getting 4600mb on sandra with what may be the same sticks..

    Trev
    Oklahoma
    edited March 2004
    grumbles at nf7-s "watch tex and learn from it damnit!! i dont like getting 4600mb on sandra with what may be the same sticks..

    Trev
  • TexTex Dallas/Ft. Worth
    edited March 2004
    Sad part is I was getting 5500 with old reg ecc pc2100 running with ecc on with the opterons.

    I sold the 6 sticks (1.5gb) of used pc2100 reg ecc for about what I paid for the current 4 brand new sticks (1GB) of reg ecc pc3200 with the cool looking copper heat spreaders. I didn't want to pay a lot for the upgrade but this made it pretty painless. Really don't have money for this kind of toys and most of the time it's almost a lateral move price wise. I sold the dual xeon MB and chips for like 90 bucks less then it cost me to scarf the dual opterons and MSI-K8D Master MB while I used the same old ram.

    And btw... A guy has been dumping a bunch of MSI-K8d masters like mine brand new on eBay and one sold yesterday for like $220. Thats friggin dirt cheap for this board. I think newegg has them a litle under a $400 and those are new from a reseller with a warranty etc... I have had a sh*t load of dual cpu boards and got my fanny burned a few times chasing new technology and so far I have been thrilled with how stable this board and platform in general have been.

    Tex
Sign In or Register to comment.