Slightly different thread from the usual "what kit should I get?" here, more of a general musing, so bear with me here.
One thing I've been thinking about lately, is that in the fast-moving world of performance PCs, most core components have a relatively short lifespan (in terms of being used by enthusiasts, not that they die!). Motherboards, cpus, graphics cards, and even PSUs frequently become practically obselete. This used to be true for memory, too, as even after moving from simms to dimms, speeds quickly ramped up through pc66/100/133 and then onto DDR, through pc1600/2100/2700 etc.
However, we are currently in a situation where (intel platforms aside), RAM which was available a couple of years ago is still practical to use today. PC3200 has been around a long time, and yet even the latest and greatest cpus like the FX-60 don't need anything faster. Even for overclockers, there is still a market for running low latency PC3200 on a divider if necessary.
I bought my 1gig Twinmos dual channel kit back in 2003, and I'm still using it today. That's pretty good going, since during that period I've changed mobo/cpu/gfx/psu/hd/soundcard, heck even my mouse. I'm sure there's plenty of others still running oldschool BH5 or whatever.
To be honest, on the A64 platform it seems to be the requirement/desire for 2gig RAM which is mostly driving the market right now, more than people looking for a speed increase. PC4000 has become more affordable of late, but only in the CAS3 variety.... hence there is still a market PC3200.
One thing I've been thinking about lately, is that in the fast-moving world of performance PCs, most core components have a relatively short lifespan (in terms of being used by enthusiasts, not that they die!). Motherboards, cpus, graphics cards, and even PSUs frequently become practically obselete. This used to be true for memory, too, as even after moving from simms to dimms, speeds quickly ramped up through pc66/100/133 and then onto DDR, through pc1600/2100/2700 etc.
However, we are currently in a situation where (intel platforms aside), RAM which was available a couple of years ago is still practical to use today. PC3200 has been around a long time, and yet even the latest and greatest cpus like the FX-60 don't need anything faster. Even for overclockers, there is still a market for running low latency PC3200 on a divider if necessary.
I bought my 1gig Twinmos dual channel kit back in 2003, and I'm still using it today. That's pretty good going, since during that period I've changed mobo/cpu/gfx/psu/hd/soundcard, heck even my mouse. I'm sure there's plenty of others still running oldschool BH5 or whatever.
To be honest, on the A64 platform it seems to be the requirement/desire for 2gig RAM which is mostly driving the market right now, more than people looking for a speed increase. PC4000 has become more affordable of late, but only in the CAS3 variety.... hence there is still a market PC3200.
