In general, you want faster/higher bandwidth/lower latency RAM. It all depends on how much you want to pay. Faster RAM w/low latency is where it gets expensive. At the very least you can get cheap PC3200, which will be better than PC2700.

2GB is all I install for 32-bit systems 2000/XP systems. If any more than 2GB is needed, it's time to start looking at a 64-bit Windows Vista/7/8.1/10 systems (and leapfrogging to a minimum of 8GB, heh...).

If you're planning to install Windows 9X, I'm sure the other good folks here can guide you to nirvana, but PC3200 recommendation should stick.

That's nforce board, which works good only when RAM in sync with FSB. So unless you overclock or have Athlon XP 3200 - 400 Mhz RAM is useless.

The Serpent Rider wrote on 2022-08-16, 18:14:

That's nforce board, which works good only when RAM in sync with FSB. So unless you overclock or have Athlon XP 3200 - 400 Mhz RAM is useless.

As with quite a bit of my old stuff, I actually have two 3200+ CPU's 😉

Meatball wrote on 2022-08-16, 18:07:

In general, you want faster/higher bandwidth/lower latency RAM. It all depends on how much you want to pay. Faster RAM w/low latency is where it gets expensive. At the very least you can get cheap PC3200, which will be better than PC2700.

2GB is all I install for 32-bit systems 2000/XP systems. If any more than 2GB is needed, it's time to start looking at a 64-bit Windows Vista/7/8.1/10 systems (and leapfrogging to a minimum of 8GB, heh...).

If you're planning to install Windows 9X, I'm sure the other good folks here can guide you to nirvana, but PC3200 recommendation should stick.

I'll go with the 3200 I already have then - a KVR400X64C3AK2/2G kit, and what is either a pair of HYPERTEC HYMDL9301G or Super Talent D32PB1GJ I just found in a drawer - seems to have two stickers on the heat spreader! Hey Meatball - what memory are you running listed in your sig btw?

Corsair TwinX Platinum PC4000/DDR500

That system was temporary for the Quake III contest, though. Outside of Windows 9X and possibly Windows 2000 for games before 2003, 512MB-768MB is not going to get me as far as I would like, heh...

Meatball wrote on 2022-08-16, 20:15:

Corsair TwinX Platinum PC4000/DDR500

That system was temporary for the Quake III contest, though. Outside of Windows 9X and possibly Windows 2000 for games before 2003, 512MB-768MB is not going to get me as far as I would like, heh...

I see! What are your thoughts on OCZ or Team Group? Just stick with the stuff I have? Just browsing eBay..

RETROKOMODO wrote on 2022-08-16, 20:28:

Meatball wrote on 2022-08-16, 20:15:

Corsair TwinX Platinum PC4000/DDR500

That system was temporary for the Quake III contest, though. Outside of Windows 9X and possibly Windows 2000 for games before 2003, 512MB-768MB is not going to get me as far as I would like, heh...

I see! What are your thoughts on OCZ or Team Group? Just stick with the stuff I have? Just browsing eBay..

OCZ was good. I have several 1GB sticks of their Platinum PC3200 2-3-2-5. You should still be able to find this RAM rather cheaply.

I have never used anything from Team Group as of yet (not that I am opposed, either).

As for sticking to what you have, I'm betting you have already made up your mind!

Struggling with 1gb OCZ platinum sticks but there seem to be plenty of 512mb sticks 🙁

RETROKOMODO wrote on 2022-08-16, 17:38:

Hello all, I have an abit nf7-s v2.0 motherboard on its way, and it supports either 3gb pc2700 or 2gb pc3200. My question to the collective is - which would be better for gaming? More slower memory or less faster memory?
Either way I'll need to hit eBay for sticks. Any recommendations also very appreciated!

Very simple:
More RAM doesn't make anything faster. Too little RAM leads to thrashing and terrible performance. So what are you playing and how much RAM does it use?

If you are thrashing at 2GB, you will have *much* better performance at 3GB. But I can hardly imagine games that will run happily on an AthlonXP 3200+ needing more than 2GB.

If you are not thrashing at 2GB, then faster RAM always beats slower RAM. As already pointed out, nForce2 really likes running RAM in sync too, so 166Mhz RAM (PC2700) would give you a double penalty.

BTW I don't recall any regular (buffered ECC memory is another can of worms) 1Gb PC2700 modules being manufactured at that time. Everything marked as such have DDR400 chips anyway. But if you want tighter timings on 1 Gb modules, your memory choice must be very specific.

RETROKOMODO wrote on 2022-08-16, 21:12:

Struggling with 1gb OCZ platinum sticks but there seem to be plenty of 512mb sticks 🙁

Keep an eye out. More than a few 1GB sets have sold over the past few months on Ebay. They will pop up again sooner rather than later.

dionb wrote on 2022-08-16, 21:53:

Very simple: More RAM doesn't make anything faster. Too little RAM leads to thrashing and terrible performance. So what are you […]
Show full quote

RETROKOMODO wrote on 2022-08-16, 17:38:

Hello all, I have an abit nf7-s v2.0 motherboard on its way, and it supports either 3gb pc2700 or 2gb pc3200. My question to the collective is - which would be better for gaming? More slower memory or less faster memory?
Either way I'll need to hit eBay for sticks. Any recommendations also very appreciated!

Very simple:
More RAM doesn't make anything faster. Too little RAM leads to thrashing and terrible performance. So what are you playing and how much RAM does it use?

If you are thrashing at 2GB, you will have *much* better performance at 3GB. But I can hardly imagine games that will run happily on an AthlonXP 3200+ needing more than 2GB.

If you are not thrashing at 2GB, then faster RAM always beats slower RAM. As already pointed out, nForce2 really likes running RAM in sync too, so 166Mhz RAM (PC2700) would give you a double penalty.

Playing a bit of everything, doing benchmarks for youtube videos, wondering how fast Crysis will run etc. Ok - going to try and find some pc3200 OCZ Platinum!

Meatball wrote on 2022-08-16, 22:17:

RETROKOMODO wrote on 2022-08-16, 21:12:

Struggling with 1gb OCZ platinum sticks but there seem to be plenty of 512mb sticks 🙁

Keep an eye out. More than a few 1GB sets have sold over the past few months on Ebay. They will pop up again sooner rather than later.

I have a lead! But it'll also require buying the motherboard they come in.. But hey - I can always use another motherboard!

Easier to find Patriot PC3200LLK/PC3500LLK.

The Serpent Rider wrote on 2022-08-17, 10:16:

Easier to find Patriot PC3200LLK/PC3500LLK.

Thanks for the suggestion! I've saved a search in eBay, as being in the UK i'd rather not be paying more for shipping than the cost of the sticks. Hopefully a kit of one or the other will show up in a local search at some point 😀

Got myself 2 GB of OCZ OCZ4001024ELPE DDR PC3200 Platinum. Of course the only way to do it was to buy a bundle on eBay - an ASUS P4C800E Deluxe Motherboard with a 2.8Ghz Pentium4 & Intel Heatsink, XP installed on a SATA HDD, and of course the ram..
£42.63 for the bundle.

RETROKOMODO wrote on 2022-08-27, 14:57:

Got myself 2 GB of OCZ OCZ4001024ELPE DDR PC3200 Platinum. Of course the only way to do it was to buy a bundle on eBay - an ASUS P4C800E Deluxe Motherboard with a 2.8Ghz Pentium4 & Intel Heatsink, XP installed on a SATA HDD, and of course the ram..
£42.63 for the bundle.

Honestly thats a killer backup for your Athlon XP and a fair price for the full bundle

You can always look for some value sticks (eg Kingston Value 400 MHz CL3) built with Infineon / Qimonda CE-5/CE-6/DE-5 or Aeneon C/D-die. They are usually very cheap and should do 200 MHz (DDR 400) 2-3-2 easily even on NForce 2 (and >230 MHz 2-3-2 on K8/s478).

Example ICS-es:

Another choice would be a 1 GB Elixir/Nanya CS-5T produced in 2009-2010, maybe later too. They are >230 MHz 2-3-2 capable on K8/s478. But Nanya produced a lot of different chips and you might easily get something significantly worse by mistake (eg there are old CS-5T 256 Mbit from 2006/7, which max out at around 240 - 250 MHz 3-4-4), so I would rather pick Infineons.

Thanks! I have a pair of KVR400X64C3AK2/2G and two sticks of Kingston KVR400X64C3A/1G. I think the ocz will be my go-to ram though 😉