How important is RAM speed?

SenseiSteve

SenseiSteve

HD Moderator
Staff member
When I was a Purchasing Agent, I knew every spec concerning RAM modules, but recently the only question I ever see is about RAM capacity, and not speed. Obliviously you need to match RAM to your motherboard, but aside from that, how often does the topic of RAM speed surface?
 
I never get this question. You've made a good point, and perhaps I'll publish such hardware specs to clients & potentials. Speed & Timing are very important IMO.
 
I suspect it would on dedicated services, but I don't offer dedicated(yet) hence me "suspecting". I always get these details from the DC if I'm leasing servers, so must many others I guess.
 
I asked this because I rarely hear any questions related to RAM other than "How Much?" And it certainly can affect your server's performance.
 
Most dedicated server providers don't show that information since nobody asks about it, or wouldn't know what it ment. And I have a feeling that most providers buy the cheapest ram they can get since most people only look for xGB's of ram.
 
Occasionally our customers will ask about the RAM speed, but that has never been a factor in their purchase. Majority of the servers out there use DDR2-667 or DDR3-1333 for the i7 boards.
 
Peekay-Systems said:
Occasionally our customers will ask about the RAM speed, but that has never been a factor in their purchase. Majority of the servers out there use DDR2-667 or DDR3-1333 for the i7 boards.
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You're absolutely right - the majority do. But I see the topic of desktops being used for servers from time to time, and wonder about their performance and stability.
 
Server boards have different functions than desktop boards, however if you don't plan on utilizing those additional function you can stick with a desktop board. It all depends what you want to do with the machine. We prefer using Supermicro in all our servers since they seem to be the most reliable and power efficient.
 
SteveBloemer said:
You're absolutely right - the majority do. But I see the topic of desktops being used for servers from time to time, and wonder about their performance and stability.
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Ask http://joesdatacenter.com/
He uses many desktop components. I had a nice talk with hima while back were he explained that although he may have to replace desktop components more, in the long run it's cheaper, hence his prices.

If was enough for me to try out a server with him.. No complaints.
 
This is great

This is great! Now I want to see your ways for us readers to become more involved! Expect an email later today.
 
I have never received a question about the speed of our RAM. We used to display it on our site but we decided to remove it in the end. It doesn't seem to be in the front of people's minds really.
 
sevenl said:
I have never received a question about the speed of our RAM. We used to display it on our site but we decided to remove it in the end. It doesn't seem to be in the front of people's minds really.
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Yeah, hardly worth the space in FAQ, as it's not a FAQ, but I'd still like to put it somewhere.
 
We don't publish it either as its never asked about. Strange because it can make a difference in performance.
 
to be honest the only time as mentioned it would matter is more with dedicated server, i have before noted that those who use their server for games, central database or media servers tend to ask but its not common.

the ammount is almost always the question, that said there are scripts such as the one we use called status2k that are very popular and can show the mem, cpu and swap usage in real time as well as the server info (cpu, bus speed, ram, os etc)

which usually answers most questions off the bat
 
We don't publish the ram speed, mainly because we never get asked... However I always like to be prepared so have a full spec sheet in whmcs which myself and staff can access if the question gets asked :)
 
Much like everyone here, the speed of the memory is hardly ever asked when we're configuring servers, but when we deliver the welcome email on signups, all that information is provided to the user as to what is in the system etc. Like with Rob, we have all the information posted in WHMCS so staff can quickly answer questsion should they come up.

It's like the question of the transfer connection on a server. MOST of our machines are setup with 100MB/s connection, but a few of our older Celerons still run on 10MB/s conenction, and some of our NEWER ones run at 1000MB/s - it's extreemly rare that anyone ever asks about that part, but it can be vital in performance of a busy site.
 
We do a fair bit of content delivery, audio and video streaming so actually get asked about uplink connections a lot ... which is funny as you would think RAM and BUS would crop up as well... Oh well :)

We DO state the port speed on our site as so many people were asking about it...
 
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