I replaced all my FX530 memory with 4GB (4x1GB) of Patriot Extreme
Performance DDR2 Bladed Series 667MHz PC2-5300 memory. This memory
features low latency CL of 4, heat shields, can be overclocked, and
has a lifetime warranty. The price is good at NewEgg at $24.99 per 2GB
kit. I would have rather gotten a 2x2GB kit but NewEgg doesn't have it
yet but I did write them to suggest they do stock it. The part number
for the 2x1GB kit is PDC22G5300LLK. The part number for the 2x2GB kit
is PDC24G5300LLK. I think the 800MHz version would work too but it
would auto-clock down to 667MHz which is the maximum memory slot speed
the FX530 OEMD975XBGG1 motherboard supports.
With my original Samsung 2GB memory and Kingston 2GB memory that I
added to it. My <Auto> memory timings at 667MHz were 5-5-5-15 and
<Auto> voltage of 1.8V in BIOS under Performance/Memory. My Windows
Vista Experience Index for memory was 5.4 with 4GB of regular 667MHz
memory installed.
With the Patriot memory, I'm using 667Mhz 4-5-5-15 timings at 1.8V.
The memory is actually rated as low as 4-4-4-12 at 1.8V but in my
system that proved unstable at those low latency settings so I had to
change it somewhat.
When you first install this Patriot memory, the BIOS will use auto
detect settings of 5-5-5-15 just like the old slower memory. So change
it to Manual settings of 4-5-5-15 at 1.8V. It has been running very
stable on my (Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 CPU) system at those settings. I
experimented with different timings, voltages, and frequencies but I
can't get any better performance than with those settings. My Windows
Vista Experience Index for memory improved to 5.5 with 4GB installed.
For testing I ran Super PI 1M tests, Prime95 blend CPU/Memory stress
testing, and Futuremark's 3DMark06 benchmarking utility. I also used
Windows Vista's Memory Diagnostics Tool (under Start Menu/Admistrative
Tools or from the Search bar) just to verify that i didn't have any
defective modules installed.
In case you are wondering about the timing numbers, the first and last
numbers are the most important. The first tCL number (I'm using a
value of 4) is for low CAS Latency and is the most important for
memory performance. The last tRAS number (I'm using a value of 15) is
for higher stability and doesn't affect performance. The second tRCD
number in combination with the tCL also affects performance. I had
wanted to make this number 4 too but it was unstable and failed a
memory stress test so i had to make it 5 instead. But at least I did
get a performance gain over using the regular DDR2 667MHz memory.
I think the FX530 with the 1066MHz Front Side Bus (FSB) can't handle
any lower latencies than what I ended up with. But I'm curious to know
what those lucky CPU/FSB overclocked FX530 owners get out of their
memory timings though. The worst part about my FX530 is having those
BIOS performance settings locked out, because if i could adjust the
FSB and CPU I could probably take full advantage of this Patriot
memory and maybe would be able run it at 4-4-4-12 or 4-4-4-15 and
still be stable if I could only get a 1:1 FSB to DRAM ratio. By the
way, I also tried changing the memory frequency to 800MHz to do a pure
memory overclock which worked at 5-5-5-15 and 2.1V but when I tried
just changing the first tCL value down to 4 and rebooted all I got was
3 beeps and a non-booting system! Luckily the BIOS maintenance mode
jumper position allowed me to fix it so I just changed it back to
667MHz 4-5-5-15 at 1.8V since that seems the sweet spot for me.
To those lucky CPU overclocked FX530 owners, do you know what makes
your BIOS unlocked to get to your CPU and FSB performance settings? Do
you use a different version BIOS than the rest of us or is your OEM
motheboard different? Plese check your motherboard part number with
the free CPU-Z utility and BIOS version and let us know!
Gateway FX530S - Windows Vista Ultimate 32-bit SP1, Intel Q6600 2.4ghz
Core 2 Quad CPU, 1066mhz FSB, 4gb Patriot Extreme Performance DDR2
Bladed Series 667mhz PC2-5300 RAM, 500gb RAID-0 HD, Dual DVD/RW,
Vantec ATA133 Rounded IDE Cable, 700w Power Supply, Nvidia 8800GTX
768mb GPU (OC), Antec VCool Slot Cooler, 22" Widescreen 1680x1050 LCD,
Asus/ViXS Combo-210E TV Tuner, Creative SoundBlaster X-FI Audio,
Logitech X-230 Speaker System, Logitech Precision PC Gaming Headset,
Logitech G15 Gaming Keyboard, Logitech MX518 Gaming Mouse, Rocketfish
Gaming Mouse Pad, Iomega Prestige 500gb USB HD, Line-6 TonePort GX
Steve Mavronis
Maryland, USA
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