# Intel Atom N450 + DDR2 800?



## Rikusaki (Feb 7, 2011)

Would an N450 work with DDR2 800 or will it just underclock it to 667Mhz?

If so, I will just pick up a DDR2 667 with tighter timing (CAS Latency of 4).

And just incase this might be a motherboard related issue, my netbook is an Acer Aspire One 532h. 







This is the RAM I'm gonna get:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231264

Thanks!


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## Bo$$ (Feb 7, 2011)

chipset limitation of 667mhz, it will clock down


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## TeXBill (Feb 7, 2011)

google it and it says that it will work with your Acer netbook. The only thing is it might clock it down to ddr2 667. I would just go with the ddr2 667 memory.


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## Completely Bonkers (Feb 7, 2011)

Get a stick of 800 with tight timings at 667. When you upgrade your machine you will be glad you have memory you can reuse. Choose your (online) supplier well: there shouldn't be a price difference worth talking about


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## Rikusaki (Feb 7, 2011)

Bo$$ said:


> chipset limitation of 667mhz, it will clock down



Really? So many N450 netbooks come equipped with DDR2 800 memory...

I guess I will go with this then:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231153


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## Bo$$ (Feb 7, 2011)

Rikusaki said:


> Really? So many N450 netbooks come equipped with DDR2 800 memory...
> 
> I guess I will go with this then:
> 
> http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231153



most arcticals online say 667 with this netbook, so ok maybe not a chipset limit 

Nice ram


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## Rikusaki (Feb 7, 2011)

Bo$$ said:


> most arcticals online say 667 with this netbook, so ok maybe not a chipset limit
> 
> Nice ram



Thanks. Will that be comparable to the DDR2 800 in the first post?


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## 95Viper (Feb 7, 2011)

The memory speed is a limitation of the integrated memory controller on the N450's processor die.
Intel Atom fact sheet press release
Intel® Atom™ Processor N450

You can use either.  However, I agree with Completely Bonkers, in that, get the 800, especially, if it is around the same price point.
Better resale later, if needed.

Get the lowest latency you can afford.  
And, definitely, google around, like  TeXBill said, as, some memory is finicky with the different netbooks and will refuse to work or give errors.

If you netbook manufacturer has a forum... check there and see what others have used and not used.


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## Rikusaki (Feb 7, 2011)

95Viper said:


> The memory speed is a limitation of the integrated memory controller on the N450's processor die.
> Intel Atom fact sheet press release
> Intel® Atom™ Processor N450
> 
> ...



Wow! Are manufacturers not aware of this? So many N450 netbooks come equipped with DDR2 800 memory!


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## Completely Bonkers (Feb 7, 2011)

... because 800 sounds better. And also because 800 usually has tighter timings at 667. And it also costs the same OEM.  So it isnt madness, it's the right thing to do.

BTW an Atom on ION chipset does run the memory at 800. But it make no practical difference. I have both. The Atom isnt fast enough to be memory starved.


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## Rikusaki (Feb 7, 2011)

Is this even better than that DDR2 667 ram posted above?

Kingston HyperX 2GB 200-Pin DDR2 SO-DIMM DDR2 533 ...


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## 95Viper (Feb 7, 2011)

Completely Bonkers said:


> ... because 800 sounds better. And also because 800 usually has tighter timings at 667. And it also costs the same OEM.  So it isnt madness, it's the right thing to do.
> 
> BTW an Atom on ION chipset does run the memory at 800. But it make no practical difference. I have both. The Atom isnt fast enough to be memory starved.



Agreed

Yep the Atom processors can run ddr2 or ddr3 and @ 533, 667, 800, etc. depending on which Atom processor it is.



Rikusaki said:


> Is this even better than that DDR2 667 ram posted above?
> 
> Kingston HyperX 2GB 200-Pin DDR2 SO-DIMM DDR2 533 ...



Latency is low, but that is a result, I believe, of the lower bus speed.

So your answer, from me is, no... get the 677 or 800 mhz memory.


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## Rikusaki (Feb 8, 2011)

Someone over at the Overclock.net forums (yeah, I posted the same thread there too )
told me that the Acer Aspire 532h supports DDR2 800 memory.

http://www.overclock.net/intel-cpus/935045-intel-atom-n450-ddr2-800-a.html#post12297623


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## TeXBill (Feb 8, 2011)

> Someone over at the Overclock.net forums (yeah, I posted the same thread there too )
> told me that the Acer Aspire 532h supports DDR2 800 memory.


When I googled it I found the same thing it supports either the 667 or the 800. So I would get the 800, the most it will do is down clock it to 667 speeds.


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## 95Viper (Feb 8, 2011)

Rikusaki said:


> Someone over at the Overclock.net forums (yeah, I posted the same thread there too )
> told me that the Acer Aspire 532h supports DDR2 800 memory.
> 
> http://www.overclock.net/intel-cpus/935045-intel-atom-n450-ddr2-800-a.html#post12297623



Well, I myself will take the thread you link to with a grain of salt.

They may well come with 800mhz memory; and, I believe that was addressed here.

The motherboard does not contain the memory controller... the Atom N450 processor does.
And, the N450 will run 800+ memory at 667.
If you have look at the link I posted you will realize this.

Quote from Intel:  "Plus, Intel Atom processors include integrated graphics, video, and memory controllers built right into the die."

The different processors can use different memory.

The older Atom processors used a Southbridge chipset that controlled memory... newer ones don't.

Here are a couple of links that may help:

List of Intel Atom microprocessors
Intel Launches Pine Trail Technology for Atom Netbooks
How to Upgrade the RAM Memory of the Acer Aspire One 532h Netbook- Tutorial

Happy 'Puting


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## Rikusaki (Feb 8, 2011)

95Viper said:


> Well, I myself will take the thread you link to with a grain of salt.
> 
> They may well come with 800mhz memory; and, I believe that was addressed here.
> 
> ...




Thanks. I guess I'll get the 667 with tighter timings then.


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## cdawall (Feb 8, 2011)

you can just use spdtool to flash the memory faster thats what i did to my netbook


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## Rikusaki (Feb 8, 2011)

cdawall said:


> you can just use spdtool to flash the memory faster thats what i did to my netbook



Ooh! That sounds awesome!  So I can just hack my current ram to make it have tighter timings as if I could do it in BIOS on a high-end motherboard?


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## cdawall (Feb 8, 2011)

Rikusaki said:


> Ooh! That sounds awesome!  So I can just hack my current ram to make it have tighter timings as if I could do it in BIOS on a high-end motherboard?



yes look up spdtool its free and on TPU just be VERY CAREFUL with it


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## Rikusaki (Feb 8, 2011)

It appears that my SPD is not flashable. 

I guess I will have to get new ram anyway.


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