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When SDRAM is better the RDRAM
While it is true that RDRAM is faster than SDRAM, would having twice as much SDRAM as RDRAM compensate more than adequately for its slower speed.
For instance, for 2 identically configured computers, same processor speed, same video card, etc. but one with 128MB RDRAM but the other with 256 MB SDRAM, would the latter score higher on the benchmarks due to the fact that it has twice as much memory?
For instance, for 2 identically configured computers, same processor speed, same video card, etc. but one with 128MB RDRAM but the other with 256 MB SDRAM, would the latter score higher on the benchmarks due to the fact that it has twice as much memory?
186
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Posted December 5th, 2001 21:00
Thanks UMassRob for the explanation.
If you are running a Pentium 4 system with the SDRAM running at 133 MHz, does that mean that your system front side bus would not be at 400 MHz also? Do those two go hand in hand so to speak?
Thanks in advance for your input.
Mike
186
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Posted December 5th, 2001 23:00
Basically, with RDRAM ... you would have a 400 MHz FSB and the memory would also be 400 MHz.
With the SDRAM, you have a mismatch of communication between the main components.
With all systems, the hard drive is the bottleneck that slows things down.
This link has a picture to help explain things better:
http://developer.intel.com/design/chipsets/850/index.htm?iid=PCG+devleftnav&
Hope that clears things up a little.
- Rob -
Dimension 8100
Pentium 4, 1.7 GHz
2048 MB PC800 RDRAM
64 MB GeForce3
20 & 30 GB Ultra ATA/100 HDs (7200 rpm)
60 GB external IEEE 1394 HD (7200 rpm)
Turtle Beach Santa Cruz sound card
Altec Lansing ADA885 THX speakers
Samsung 16X DVD-ROM
NEC 16x/8x/40x CD-RW
Dell P991 monitor
Windows XP Professional
Latitude LS
Pentium 3, 500 MHz
256 MB SDRAM
Windows 2000 Professional (SP2)
Message Edited on 12/05/01 08:55PM by UMassRob
Message Edited on 12/05/01 08:55PM by UMassRob
UMassRob
349 Posts
186
0
Posted December 5th, 2001 20:00
SDRAM runs at 133 MHz while PC800 RDRAM runs at 400 MHz.
The Pentium 4 was designed to work with RDRAM at 400 MHz. When they offered SDRAM with it, the goal was to make cheaper pcs ... but this hurt the performance. Basically, they went backwards to make the SDRAM work with the P4.
I have used RDRAM and SDRAM systems with the P4, the RDRAM has a noticable speed advantage in certain things.
Just my opinion ....
- Rob -
Dimension 8100
Pentium 4, 1.7 GHz
2048 MB PC800 RDRAM
64 MB GeForce3
20 & 30 GB Ultra ATA/100 HDs (7200 rpm)
60 GB external IEEE 1394 HD (7200 rpm)
Turtle Beach Santa Cruz sound card
Altec Lansing ADA885 THX speakers
Samsung 16X DVD-ROM
NEC 16x/8x/40x CD-RW
Dell P991 monitor
Windows XP Professional
Latitude LS
Pentium 3, 500 MHz
256 MB SDRAM
Windows 2000 Professional (SP2)