Member Avatar for zalakes

I was just wondering about ddr2 memory, is all the hype about this item true and correct that it improves speed of ur PC and processing is faster and so on?

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by Catweazle

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A quick, practical update that builds on what and have already said.

DDR2 was designed for higher sustained bandwidth and lower operating voltage (about 1.8V vs DDRs around 2.5V) and uses a 4n internal prefetch. That gives more headroom for throughput as module clocks rise, but it also typically requires higher CAS values (more cycles). Absolute latency is what matters in real use: latency in seconds = CAS cycles times the clock period. For example, DDR-400 at 200 MHz with CL3 is about 15 ns, and DDR2-533 at 266 MHz with CL4 is also about 15 ns, while the raw peak bandwidth moves from ~3.2 GB/s (PC3200) to ~4.2 GB/s (PC2-4200) and higher as DDR2 speeds increase. More detail on the technology is summarized at DDR2 SDRAM on Wikipedia.

Practical guidance:

  • Only choose DDR2 if the motherboard/CPU platform requires or supports it; the two are physically/electrically incompatible.
  • If building new and you expect memory-bound workloads (large video edits, databases, server tasks) or want lower power in laptops, DDR2 is the sensible choice; otherwise existing DDR is still fine for many desktop tasks.
  • Before buying, check the motherboard manual and QVL, update the BIOS, buy matched modules for dual-channel, and test stability with a tool such as MemTest86.

Cautions: do not mix DDR and DDR2, watch voltages and timings in BIOS if you overclock, and remember that for most everyday desktop and gaming workloads in this era, CPU and GPU upgrades usually give more visible benefit than moving memory standards alone.

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Member Avatar for Catweazle

DDR2 is not currently really any faster than DDR. DDR2 requires a special motherboard and cannot be used in a motherboard designed for use with DDR.

Unless you purchase a system which needs it, there's not really any point to purchasing it.

When DDR2 was designed, it was not envisaged that DDR modules would get as fast as they have. The DDR2 modules only go a little bit higher in clockspeed, but have much higher latency than fast DDR modules. Balances out a bit.

Member Avatar for zalakes

that is exactly what i thought, bcoz i work with these products every day i dnt dnt c much difference,

So ur final comment is stick to DDR or can people upgrade..........?

Member Avatar for Catweazle

DDR2 requires a special motherboard and cannot be used in a motherboard designed for use with DDR.

Unless you purchase a system which needs it, there's not really any point to purchasing it.

Kinda makes 'upgrade' a bit redundant doesn't it? I thought I made that clear. Here it is again:

You cannot 'upgrade' to DDR2 without also purchasing a motherboard or motherboard/processor bundle which uses DDR2. DDR motherboards do not!

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