iMac 2.8 Memory Question (Not a Display Post :-)!!

[colorspace]

I'm a bit baffled, the new iMacs (well at least the 2.8 extreme flavor) list the front-side bus as 800mhz, but yet they seem to come with DDR2-5300 RAM which is 667mhz speed. Am I missing, or have I missed something?

Does the memory bus run at a slower speed than the system bus? Is there anything to be gained by using DDR2-6400 memory which runs at 800mhz?

Would love to know.

Thanks

 

[CanadaRAM]

MR Guide to Understanding Intel Mac RAM

Sorry, but this question is getting really old. We've answered it at least 20 times in the last year. Please try the Search function of the MR site.

 

[Leon Kowalski]

MR Guide to Understanding Intel Mac RAM

Thank you, CanadaRAM. That guide is very helpful -- but it prompts me to ask one small question:

If I install 2x2GB (identical parts) in a white C2D iMac, does the "dual channel speedup" apply to any/all of the 3.3 GB visible to the CPU?

At current street prices, 4 GB costs only $50-ish more than 3GB. So, if there's any performance benefit, 2x2GB might be an attractive choice. (It already has some attraction in terms of "future-proofing" -- no tellin' what new hardware will appear in the coming year.)

TIA

LK

 

[vansouza]

apples and oranges

I'm a bit baffled, the new iMacs (well at least the 2.8 extreme flavor) list the front-side bus as 800mhz, but yet they seem to come with DDR2-5300 RAM which is 667mhz speed. Am I missing, or have I missed something?

Does the memory bus run at a slower speed than the system bus? Is there anything to be gained by using DDR2-6400 memory which runs at 800mhz?

Would love to know.

Thanks

I asked the same question some time ago... they are not related.