DDR2 vs DDR3: which RAM should you buy?

DDR2 vs DDR3
But just what are the pros and cons of DDR2 and DDR3? Is it desirable or even possible to upgrade from the former to the latter? The first thing to appreciate is that the two memory types are completely incompatible with each other. Everything from voltages to timings and signalling is different.
Fortunately, they're physically incompatible, too. A repositioning of the slotted groove on DDR3 sticks and sockets means you can't accidentally insert the wrong memory into you motherboard. Of course, a change of physical form factor also means the minimum requirement for changing memory types is a new motherboard.
However, you may need a new CPU, too. Some Intel CPUs for the LGA775 processor socket from the Core 2 era are compatible with both DDR2 and DDR3. Likewise AMD processors for the AM3 socket are DDR3 compliant and some will also drop into older AM2 boards and work happily with DDR2 memory. To find out whether you can hold onto your processor, check the product information at www.amd.com and www.intel.com.

nVidia GeForce GT 240 GDDR5

nVidia GeForce GT 240 GDDR5

Manufacturer:	nVidia
Series:	GeForce GT 200
GPU:	GT215
Release Date:	2009-11-17
Interface:	PCI-E 2.0 x16
Core Clock:	550 MHz
Shader Clock:	1360 MHz
Memory Clock:	1700 MHz (3400 DDR)
Memory Bandwidth:	54.4 GB/sec
FLOPS:	261.12 GFLOPS
Pixel Fill Rate:	4400 MPixels/sec
Texture Fill Rate:	17600 MTexels/sec

New Radeon HD 6930 set to crush sub-$200 market.

New Radeon HD 6930 set to crush sub-$200 market.

As if in response to Nvidia's latest offering (th

e limited edition GTX 560 Ti), AMD is reportedly prepared to release the HD 6930 just in time for last-minute Christmas shoppers. The HD 6930 falls just short of the HD 6950, and at the rumored $180 pricepoint may provide new competition for the HD 6870. It's curious why AMD would release a new card to compete with

their existing product in the same price range, though it's likely Nvidia's recent release was the impetus.

For those who appreciate having options (or Eyefinity), this reference card is expected to offer one HDMI, two DVI, and two mini DisplayPort outputs. Although the overall specs of this card are reduced from the HD 6950, it supposedly has an increased maximum power consumption of 225W, up from 200W on the HD 6950

The new GeForce GTX 560 Ti 448 cards are at Newegg.

Our Newegg parser (the thing the puts the price next to card) is not working so I had to craft these links by hand. If you want to help support this site by buying one of these new cards, please use the links below:

EVGA GeForce GTX 560 Ti 448 Cores Classified $299.99
EVGA GeForce GTX 560 Ti 448 Cores FTW $289.99
Gigabyte GeForce GTX 560 Ti 448 WindForce 3 $314.99
MSI N560GTX-Ti 448 Twin Frozr III PE/OC $309.99
Zotac GeForce GTX 560 Ti 448 $309.99

UPDATE:
All of a suddend the Newegg parser is working again. I can't wait to figure out what was going on with it.

AMD vs Nvidia: The DX11 era

AMD vs Nvidia: The DX11 era
Of course, graphics technology waits for no man and much has changed since the Radeon HD 4000 series and GeForce GTX 200 hit the market in 2008. Late last year AMD unleashed the Radeon HD 5000 series, the world's first family of graphics chips with support for the latest DirectX 11 multimedia API from Microsoft, as seen in Windows 7 but also av

ailable as an update for Windows Vista.

It took a little longer for Nvidia to respond in kind with the GeForce GTX 400 family. It eventually turned up earlier this year and since then its been these two pixel pumping graphics architectures fighting it out for top DX11 honours.

Topping the current single-GPU tables, therefore, are the ATI Radeon HD 5870 and Nvidia Geforce GTX 480. Thanks to AMD's greater emphasis on value, the GTX 480 weighs in around £100 more expensive at £430 or so.

For the money Nvidia gives you an extra billion transistors for a faintly ridiculous total of three billion. You also get a little more memory as standard, 1.5GB to the 5870's 1GB. However, it's worth noting that 2GB variants of the 5870 are now available for less than the 1.5GB GTX 480.

Anyway, what you don't get from the 480 is a huge performance advantage. Yes it's a little quicker than the 5870. But not nearly as much as it needs to be given the extra cost and complexity.