DDR3 bandwidth still being wasted? DDR2 good enough?

[qubit]

I know I can google for these answers, but I want a hardcore techy discussion about this with you lot.

When DDR3 came out, the Core 2 Duos (and quads, I think) of the day couldn't use the doubled bandwidth, so there was no gain in performance from using it.

Is that still the case with today's CPUs such as the i5-750? Would my E8500 overclocked to 4.11GHz make good use of DDR3 with a new motherboard or would it be wasted?

 

[zsamz_]

if you run 1000mhz+ no big gains a waste
i5 n i7 different story
unless you run 1700 cas6 or 2000mhz+
but still for daily use its a waste of $ unless you bench

 

[qubit]

I reckon running Folding@Home should make a difference too.

 

[erocker]

With that CPU and the chipsets you are limited to.. Little to no difference at all. With Folding @ home there will be no difference.

 

[zsamz_]

I reckon running Folding@Home should make a difference too.

maybe 1-3% in games thats about it
save your $ for next platform

 

[RejZoR]

For new higher end systems (Core i5 or i7 and latest Phenom X4 and X6), DDR3 is a logical choice. If you already have older platform, then just buy extra sticks of DDR2.

 

[SUPERREDDEVIL]

DDR2 still rules. sometimes i get higher scores on benchs and games compared with a friend´s DDR3 Rig, i think the best choice is wait for DDR4 3200Mhz....

 

[Dent1]

DDR2 still rules. sometimes i get higher scores on benchs and games compared with a friend´s DDR3 Rig, i think the best choice is wait for DDR4 3200Mhz....

That is because DDR3 generally speaking has crappy latencies by default, luckily though the motherboards are getting more better for overclocking and high grade memory from the likes of OCZ Gold/Platinum, Kingston HyperX, Crucial Ballistix, G.Skills etc has meant that DDR3 users can enjoy the low latencies that DDR2 users have plus have high memory bus' too, so DDR3 is the better option for performance over DDR2 now.

However the difference between DDR2 and DDR3 is huge theoretically and it shows on benchmarks but in real life applications the difference is not noticeable unless you are using it for specialist applications. IMO the fact that DDR2 and DDR3 costs the same there is no reason not to have it.

 

[ShRoOmAlIsTiC]

if your gonna do a full system upgrade it will be worth for the long haul but if you already have lets say 4gb of ddr2 and just need more mem, there is no reason to buy a mobo, and say 8gb of ddr3 when you can save yourself a ton and just get the extra 4gb ddr2.

I was in the same boat. I wanted to upgrade to a 890fx so I can have all the latest bells and whistles. I did some benchies against my buddy who has the same setup as me just a ddr3 790fx vs my ddr2 790fx and my rig was winning just about all the benches. I couldnt justify spending 500+ for the mem and board after that.

 

[overclocking101]

with the rising price of ddr2 its NOT worth it anymore, but ddr3 is about the same bandwidth wise scaling, if you run 1600mhz ddr3 its about double 800mhz ddr2 or less

 

[ShRoOmAlIsTiC]

but buying 4gb vs 8gb and a board it still is worth it why spend up to 500 bucks when you only need to spend 150 tops and get just about the same performance