So Rochelle fetched me another 256 MB stick of Samsung DDR 333. I can now benefit from Dual Channel DDR. Instead of the normal 64 bit single channel mode, using two sticks of memory, I can utilize the Dual DDR feature of my nForce2 and enable the 128 bit mode, effectively doubling the bandwidth for my RAM. This is important in my computer since I’m using integrated video. Yea, yea, integrated video has a bad reputation, but the onboard on the nForce2, shoot, even the original nForce, is way better than what I’m upgrading from, a 3dfx Voodoo3. So after plugging in that 2nd stick of RAM, I got a 40% increase in my 3DMark scores. I’m quite satisfied with the performance gain. Since the RAM came from the computer show, I was a little scared about the quality. I’ve heard of vendors taking slower RAM and overclocking it and passing it as faster RAM. But after some benchmarking, I’m convinced that the RAM is good.

The moral of the story: $35 for DDR333 is a bargain, and integrated video isn’t so bad.

Posted on February 18, 2003 in Uncategorized.