I'm ordering custom RAM, but need help with terminology and configuration!

Ghaleon4Ghaleon4 South Oklahoma
edited January 2005 in Hardware
I'm trying to order some custom RAM through my company's corporate account because it'll be dirt cheap, relatively speaking.

Here's a link to a Micron chips datasheet. The sales rep I'm talking to states that even though I won't be using Micron chips, that sheet is perfect because it sums up all of the configuration options that I have to choose from. However, half of it is greek to me:
http://www.micron.com/products/dram/ddrsdram/partlist.aspx?density=512Mb

It doesn't say anything about "PC3200, or PC2700" etc, etc...but DDR400 is what I'm after. Now, here is what I don't understand.

1. What configuration do I need to get?? I.E. 64x8, or 128x4, something not even listed?
2. What is 60-"ball"?? Never heard of it...
3. I wonder why there is no DDR400 with a CAS latency less than 3? Perhaps Micron simply doesn't offer it I wonder?
4. What is "Lead Plated", and "Lead-Free"??
5. I wonder what the acronyms under the "Package" column mean?

Anyone who is wonderful enough to answer these questions for me, please PLEASE if you use any OTHER terminology regarding RAM, remember that I'm more than likely going to need you to explain THAT too, lol.

(The guy has quoted that I'll be able to get Samsung chips on a 512 stick for about $70. Crucial is selling 512 PC3200 RAM with the chips on this data sheet for about $80. I know this is kind of doing it the hard way, but it's cheap, and I'm broke. If anyone knows where I can get quality like that at a similar price without the headache, let me know.)

My Motherborad, and Processor:
Asus A7N8X2.0 /w Athlon XP 1700 oc'd like the dickens.
P.S. This system is used for FOLDING!!!! (And gaming, lol)

Comments

  • edcentricedcentric near Milwaukee, Wisconsin Icrontian
    edited January 2005
    FBGA is Fine pitch Ball Grid Array. There are no leads on the chips, just little pins that mate to tiny balls of solder on the board.
    Thin Small Outline Package. Very flat chips and mounting. The contacta are along the outside edges (and hence outlline).
    Crucial 512MB are built 64x64, which is the same as 64x8 (bits vs words). These look like the most common.
    A lot of systems have gone lead free. I don't see how it would matter to the user.

    I haven't seen anyone use the name Micron and 'high speed' together recently. They are not in the low CAS, high speed race.
  • GnomeWizarddGnomeWizardd Member 4 Life Akron, PA Icrontian
    edited January 2005
    1st Crucial is Solid and works great but I never got sticks that oc'ed that good

    2nd Kingston is another great option. I run kinston hyper x which runs great and can be pushed.

    3rd Corsair is top of the line stuff. Ive had prolly 4gigs of it. It puches normally farther than kingston and is rock solid Plus u can get cool LED's on em!
  • Geeky1Geeky1 University of the Pacific (Stockton, CA, USA)
    edited January 2005
    http://www.newegg.com/app/viewproductdesc.asp?description=20-146-219&DEPA=0

    High quality, <$70/stick
  • muddocktormuddocktor
    edited January 2005
    I didn't see them listed on that page you linked but if you can, get them to use the chips in the pic I'm attaching. That is what Crucial (a division of Micron) is using on their Ballistix PC3200 ram, which overclocks pretty darn well.
  • Ghaleon4Ghaleon4 South Oklahoma
    edited January 2005
    The RAM I'm currently using will only run in single-channel mode on my Asus A7N8X2.0...that's a big deal to me (never have figured out why it won't go dual). Does anyone know about the requirements for the motherboard to use the feature that I got that mobo for in the first place? Has anyone gotten the RAM the Geeky mentioned above to run in dual channel? Looks like a steal, but one of the reviewers mentioned that he couldn't get it to run in dual-channel. (Of course, he might not have put them in the correct DIMM slots..)
  • muddocktormuddocktor
    edited January 2005
    To go dual channel in an A7N8X-Dlx mobo (1.xx or 2.0), you need to stick the ram in dimm slots 1 & 3 or 2 & 3. I have 2 mismatched sticks of PC3200 (Kreton PC3200 and Corsair Valueram PC3200) in my A7N8X-Dlx 1.04 running DC in slots 1 & 3 myself. I run at the spd settings on them and I also have the vdimm cranked up to 2.7v too, to make sure it stays stable since they are mismatched sticks.
  • Ghaleon4Ghaleon4 South Oklahoma
    edited January 2005
    I don't have the manual with me, but dimms 2 & 3 are the middle (blue) one, and the left (brown), right? That's where I've got my sticks at now, but alas...no dual channels. Next chance I get, I suppose I'll put the sticks in the far left, and far right banks and see what happens...(I can't imagine such a strange configuration working like that though...)
  • mmonninmmonnin Centreville, VA
    edited January 2005
    http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=20-150-619&depa=0

    Just as good as the RAM Geeky posted and cheaper. It uses CH-5 chips.
  • madmatmadmat
    edited January 2005
    If the configuration of your ram is mismatched it won't run in dual channel mode meaning if one stick is a 256mb but is 16mx8 with 16 chips and the other is 32mx8 with 8 chips it isn't going to work.

    The brand, speed (1xPC3200 & 1xPC2700) and CAS latencies can be mismatched because the board will just default to the slowest values but the architecture must be the same.

    I hope that helps explain why it's not working.
  • Ghaleon4Ghaleon4 South Oklahoma
    edited January 2005
    Hmmm...it definitely matches...Unless it's just so dang cheap, that the mobo THINKS it doesn't, lol. (Actually, I've overclocked the ever living gobstoppers out of this RAM, and it's pretty generic no-name stuff, lol).
    I'll just have to mess with it the next time I go home...(Sunday, grrr...stupid friends want me to drive halfway across the state to hang out with'em, and I've got HL2 that needs playing!!!!)
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