AMD Athlon XP 2600+ compatible with PC133 Ram?

[pangea33]

Hi all, I am new to PCGuide, but I've seen so much good information that I had to sign up. Hopefully some kind soul will take the time to give me a little insight. This is pretty much a newb sort of question I think. I've been searching for days but haven't found any convincing evidence either way.

I have a Biostar M7VIG Pro motherboard with 768mb of PC133 SDRAM and a Duron 1.2ghz processor. I am not really a gamer, but during certain processes the cpu seems to be the bottleneck. Mainly this is during things like converting video files to different formats and such (i.e. avi to mpg)

My motherboard will support PC2100 DDRram (its got slots for both types), and obviously I'll eventually go there, but money is limited. My motherboard supports up to the Athlon XP 2600+ (266mhz).

It is obvious that I wouldn't experience the maximum benefit of the cpu without the DDR memory, I just don't want to order the new cpu and find out that it won't work with the memory that I have.

Can I go for the better processor and then just upgrade the memory if/when the time is right? I presume the answer is yes due to the fact that the 266 just comes from doubling clockspeed. Thanks in advance, you all seem so very helpful. System details follow:

Duron 1.2 ghz
768 mb PC133 Ram
Biostar M7VIG Pro
VIA KM266 / VT8235 chipset
ATI Radeon 9200SE 128mb

http://biostar-usa.com/mbdetails.asp?model=m7vig+pro

**Dunno if other similar types are available, but thought I should add that it is a Socket A type cpu**

[saphalline]

Welcome to the PC Guide Forums!! :D

Yes, that will work. You don't need to upgrade the RAM just to use a faster processor. Like you said, it would boost performance, but your rig will function just fine with a 2600+ and PC133 SDRAM.

[pangea33]

Thanks so much for the almost immediate reply. I was able to find a link that threw a monkey wrench into my decision.

http://archives.devshed.com/a/ng/369-35/Quick-question-can-a-333fsb-CPU-work-on-266-mobo

**start paste**
266FSB XP2600'sare virtually impossible to find as they were quite quickly
replaced by the 333FSB ones.

Yes, it will work at 266FSB but not as an XP2600+ - it will run at 1.66Ghz
instead of 2.08.
Better to get an XP2400+ & increase the multiplier (assuming your board lets
you).
**end paste**

Just wanted to mention the issue with fsb speed on the cpu in the event anyone searching the forums looks at this one.

Thanks again,
Ben

[Fruss Tray Ted]

That only means he has to set his memory to the slower speed and thusly his processor runs slower as a result. There are no replies to his post so we don't know if there is some workaround.

I use an 850 Duron (FSB100mhz) in a board with pc133 RAM installed. I've forced the board to run the RAM at 133 and presently I have the CPU set to 850 but have overclocked it in the past.

I say go for it. As you said, eventually you will get the DDR ram so if the CPU is hindered any, it'll only be for a limited time.