Exploring the performance impact of memory latency

Sidney · 1st November 2005, 14:14

THESE DAYS, SEEMINGLY every major memory module manufacturer is producing fancy low-latency DIMMs. These DIMMs are equipped with tricked-out heat spreaders and come in a variety of different colors, making them easy to pick out in a crowd. There's more to them than funky cosmetics, though. The most exotic low-latency DIMMs are rated to run at extremely tight 2-2-2-5 timings at 400MHz. Unfortunately, you'll pay a small fortune for the privilege. Low-latency modules cost close to twice as much as more pedestrian DIMMs, if not more.

Lower latencies are a good thing, of course, but how much can they really improve system performance? Are exotic, low-latency DIMMs worth the price premium? Read on as we explore the effects of memory latency on Athlon 64 performance in synthetic memory benchmarks, games, and real-world applications.

http://techreport.com/etc/2005q4/mem...y/index.x?pg=1

[M] review on the same subject -

http://www.madshrimps.be/?action=getarticle&articID=325

Sidney · 1st November 2005, 15:00

I found dropping from 1T to 2T using 4x512 has no noticeable performance impact except in Sandra bandwidth.

1st November 2005, 14:14	#1
Sidney Member Join Date: Mar 2004 Posts: 15,738	Exploring the performance impact of memory latency THESE DAYS, SEEMINGLY every major memory module manufacturer is producing fancy low-latency DIMMs. These DIMMs are equipped with tricked-out heat spreaders and come in a variety of different colors, making them easy to pick out in a crowd. There's more to them than funky cosmetics, though. The most exotic low-latency DIMMs are rated to run at extremely tight 2-2-2-5 timings at 400MHz. Unfortunately, you'll pay a small fortune for the privilege. Low-latency modules cost close to twice as much as more pedestrian DIMMs, if not more. Lower latencies are a good thing, of course, but how much can they really improve system performance? Are exotic, low-latency DIMMs worth the price premium? Read on as we explore the effects of memory latency on Athlon 64 performance in synthetic memory benchmarks, games, and real-world applications. http://techreport.com/etc/2005q4/mem...y/index.x?pg=1 [M] review on the same subject - http://www.madshrimps.be/?action=getarticle&articID=325 __________________ lazyman Opteron 165 (2) @2.85 1.42 vcore AMD Stock HSF + Chill Vent II

1st November 2005, 15:00	#2
Sidney Member Join Date: Mar 2004 Posts: 15,738	I found dropping from 1T to 2T using 4x512 has no noticeable performance impact except in Sandra bandwidth. __________________ lazyman Opteron 165 (2) @2.85 1.42 vcore AMD Stock HSF + Chill Vent II

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