Memory Specifications and More
What its comes down to how much memory your gaming computer needs, you can never have enough. This article is here to help you understand the qualities of RAM modules used for gaming purposes and hopefully give you an idea about the type you should use.
Select a Manufacturer
If you do decide to upgrade you gaming computers memory supply, then you should start so by choosing a reputable provider. There are many companies out there competing for your business, but not all can give you the performance based memory your gaming system needs. I suggest finding a manufacturer that has a positive reputation to purchase from. We highly recommend TigerDirect.com because of their varitey of memory companies to choose from, competively competeing for the lowest prices.
These are the qualities to be aware of when shopping for memory, though they may be termed differently, so be aware.
Memory Capacity
The amount of data memory modules can hold is based off its capacity. The larger the volume, the more accessible data is when needed. For gaming, we suggest purchasing the minimal amount to play your preference of game, but also we recommend selecting a larger amount to help stabilize your system now and for future use.
Memory Type
After you have determined a suitable capacity, the type of modules selected play a crucial role in performance based gaming systems. Common types of RAM for gaming include DDR2 and DDR3 modules, though there is another variant known as RDRAM, which is considerably more expensive and is typically used by high-end computers to boost performance. We suggest DDR3 modules because they hold the best value / quality ratio and performance compared to DDR2 and similar types.
For gaming purposes:
DDR SDRAM
This type of module is necessary for gaming. We suggest this format as the bare minimum for gaming, though we recommend the DDR2 and DDR3 versions for the best results.
RDRAM
This is the other option that competes with DDR SDRAM. We recommend XDR and XDR2 DRAM modules for gaming. These are considerably more expensive and require a different type of connection interface.
Memory Frequency / Speed
The calculated time it takes to input data into the memory or output data from the memory is the frequency at which a memory module operates at. This is one of the major determining factors when it comes to selecting RAM, so we recommend an operating speed of at least 1000 MHz for gaming or for multi tasking / threaded computing in general.
FSB / Front Side Bus
This specification determines the primary memory's bandwidth in reference to the actual width of the data path and the memories operating frequency. This is the main data bus that connects the modules to the northbridge and from the northbridge to the CPU and in some instances, the PCIe buses that video cards use, though more modern expansion cards use their own dedicated buses to transfer data. For the purpose of gaming, a wider bus interface should be used, to accommodate the large amount of data that is transported through the FSB.
Ex. A FSB operating speed of 1066 MHz in conjunction with the processors core operating speed will provide adequate gaming speeds.
As technology expands, the FSB is becoming an aging mechanism. Two newer technologies have gained substantial acclaims in relation to the primary memory. For Intel based CPU's, they use a new technology that overrides access to the northbridge and directly communicates with the processor. This technology is known as “QuickPath Interconnect,” which competes against AMDs HyperTransport technology. Most gaming oriented motherboard support these two technologies, which is why we suggest that you take advantage of either.
What is QuickPath Interconnect?
What is HyperTransport?
Overall, memory shouldn't be that big of a deal with selection, because of its ease of purchase and installation. Just check the capacity and compatability and you should be ready to go.
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