Question about DDR ram speeds - why higher than PC3200?

[Sean_Tudor]

I just purchased an ASUS P4C800-E nmotherboard and its specs state that it requires PC2100, PC2700, and a max PC3200 ram. I also purchased Corsair TWINX 1GB XMS3200 C2Pro ram.

What is PC3500, PC4000, and PC4400 ram used for ? Overclocking ? Should I have bought the higher specced ram ?

[Jakub]

Yeah, they’re mostly used for overclocking. If you have RAM that can handle higher clock speeds, you can increase the bus speed and overclock your computer that way, since most processors are now multiplier-locked.

[Sean_Tudor]

@Jakub

Yeah, they’re mostly used for overclocking. If you have RAM that can handle higher clock speeds, you can increase the bus speed and overclock your computer that way, since most processors are now multiplier-locked.

Thanks. I just checked the Corsair website and they list PC3200C2 for the “Enthusiast”, PC3700 for the “Overclocker”, and PC4000 for the “Extreme OC”. Well I am not planning on overclocking the 3 GHz chip so it shouldn’t matter.