I'm considering getting the Asus Maximus motherboard as part of my next upgrade. In case you don't already know, it comes in two versions; the DDR2 Formula and the DDR3 Extreme. Earlier this year, when DDR3 modules first appeared, the common consensus on it was "don't buy yet, unless you have more money than sense". Almost 6 months later, with quad core CPUs on the table, and more of them on their way, is DDR3 any closer to becoming a worthwhile investment? My upgrade cycle is about 3 years, and I'm feeling a little hesitant about buying a DDR2 motherboard right now. But, you can get 2GB of really good 800MHz DDR2 for under £100, whereas 2GB of 1066MHz DDR3 will set you back at least £200. Any thouhgts? Will DDR3 provide any kind of significant benefit in the next fews years? Will I regret in 18 months time having bought an expensive DDR2 board?
whilst the performance has increased significantly usng DDR3 its still rediculously expensive so i would say noim personally just going to get some high binned DDR2 once ive fiished my MOD
I have been thinking along similar lines, DDR3 just makes it difficult because you know that come the new year it will be the standard RAM for new boards. Sells at a premium of at least 2.5 times at the moment. I am tempted but I also know that the 4Gig I want to buy just does not make any sort of sense, so wondering about getting a board that supports both.
I ask in particular because my parents are off to the US in a couple of weeks, and I was considering taking advtange of the exchange rate and getting 2GB of 1333MHz DDR3 for about $400 == £200, which is slightly better than the prices here.
That might make it worth it I guess, I'm in the same boat as well, but think I'm gonna just accept it and get some DDR2, are there many boards that do both? I've only had a quick look
I reckon its just too expensive at the moment, if you've got money to burn then yes go ahead as it is the way ahead. But you're then back on the eternal upgrade merry-go-round of buying the cutting edge kit as soon as its out, personally I would stick to being one generation back from the brand new stuff but higher up the range - i.e. some really fast/good quality DDR2 kit.
well untill your passed 1600mhz, there is little performace gain over good 12oomhz ddr2, which is 1/3 of the cost for 2gb. ddr3 1800mhz low latency, cas 7-9 is faster but soo soo expensive, so is not viable IMHO at the moemnt. so get a blitz formula, it what im considering to replace my striker extreme i feel that its best to wait do the next gen of chipsets to upgrade to ddr3, nvidia 7 series... etc... as ddr3 prices should be lower by then.
There are several good P35 based boards including Asus and Gigabyte. The most interesting is an X38 board, the MSI X38 Diamond which has 2 DDR2 slots and 4 DDR3 slots, early days yet for X38 offerings. http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/2007/09/14/msi_x38_diamond_preview/1
i've got a gigabyte p35 board with 4xDDR2 and 2xDDR3 slots. i've got ddr2 in it right now, and it's a lovely board. would defo recommend it.
I would definitely wait for X38 or even X48 to see the potential of DDR3. At the moment, I can't see DDR3 worths spending money on as DDR2 is as fast!! Harry
If you want DDR3 support and DDR2 go for my mobo Gigibyte GA-P35C-DS3R it handles my quad core OC nicely! and the board is only £65!!! bonza!
The simple answer (at this present time) is "No", quite simply because of its high cost..... ________ LIVE SEX
It costs a lot today, but early in the new year prices should be much better. So, if you HAVE to buy now, and don't also want to replace your motherboard then - get one that supports DDr2 and DDR3; right ? Any downside ?
Well, I doubt even when it is cheaper the performance improvement is going to be enough to dump your DDR2 for DDR3. Assuming DDR3 prices halve by the start of next year, it would still be about 4GB of DDR2 = 2GB of DDR3 for cost, and 4GB of lower speed ram should still offer better performance then 2GB of higher speed ram.
