HOWTO: FSB vs. Memory Speed

I'm sure alot of people had have difficulties understanding the difference between FSB (Front Side Bus) and Memory Speed when building their own computers. Well, here is somewhat of a explanation.

The FSB is a bus where the CPU (Central Processing Unit, either INTEL or AMD) communicates to the rest of your computer. One main component that the CPU communicates through the FSB is memory (DIMMs). For example, a Intel processor has a QUAD PUMPED FSB that means the 1066MHz or 1333MHz is divided by FOUR (4), FSB running at 266.5MHz and 333.25MHz respectively.

Now Memory Speed is determined similiarly. For DDR2 (Dual Date Rate) memories, the memory speed is a division by TWO (2). For example, for DDR2-800MHz memories, the memory speed for each DIMM is 400MHz. DDR2 memory Multiplies the FSB by TWO (2), DDR2 533 for FSB 1066MHz processors and DDR2 667 for FSB 1333MHz processors.

Now, the ideal situtation is the have a 1:1 ratio between the FSB and Memory Speed. This ensures top performance and low errors. For example, for a processor with a FSB of 1333MHz, the ideal Memory Speed recommended is 667MHz. This example here is if you want to run your computer STOCK. For OC (Over Clocking), the CPU Bus mulitplier can be increased to encompass higher Memory Speeds.

I hope that helps!
for any clarification, visit this link:
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/243758-30-processor-asus-striker-extreme

cheers,