by NickN » Fri Sep 28, 2007 1:35 pm
One other thing I want to be quite clear about. When someone asks about a motherboard and what is best, if that person does not intend to go into the BIOS and set things up right there is not a heck of a lot I or anyone else can tell you to buy that will work best.
A 1333FSB CPU was designed to run on a DDR3 1333+ memory system, period.
The FSB of the CPU runs the memory at its max performance (stock and no clocking) at FSB/4 x 2 (1:1 ratio) so in the case of a 1333FSB CPU you get the most out of it by purchasing the memory that runs 2/FSB and manually setting the BIOS so the CPU is LOCKED at 1333 (STRAPED) and the memory will deliver a true 666.5MHz (DDR3 1333)
Most motherboard will default to a memory/CPU divider that is not 1:1 and it requires the user BUY the right speed/type of memory and set the BIOS to run 1:1 with no overclocking.
Some motherboards DO NOT ALLOW a manual STRAP of the CPU FSB and change that behind the scenes without you knowing! AND there is no software which shows what that value is being run at as you make changes. The only way to know you are indeed running at max default speed performance is to set it all up manually.
YOU MUST check out what you are purchasing (read the manual and do some research) and make sure the settings you need are available in the BIOS to make it work at its best. AND keep in mind that what is posted in the motherboard manual may be WRONG and settings in a BIOS update for the board are now available where when the manual was written, they were not. That is why it is important to reaseach the board, its BIOS updates, what they do and what they added or removed.. and how to set all up correctly.
Even the motherboards that allow manual STRAP settings, they MUST be entered manually. Allowing the STRAP to run AUTO means your CPU may DROP its FSB when certain memory dividers and system FSB is set. There is a scale for every motherboard based on its engineering and what the BIOS programmer designed for it.
The bottom line is the days of
Last edited by
NickN on Fri Sep 28, 2007 1:53 pm, edited 1 time in total.