333MHz DDR: It's Not Soup Yet

Engineers have tested combinations of several 333MHz-capable motherboards and memory modules with mixed results. Some combinations halved anticipated system performance, others produced unstable systems, and still others failed to boot.

It is hard to determine whether the problems lie with the motherboards, the memory modules or both. However, past transitions in memory architecture, such as the move from 100MHz to 133MHz memory, were marked by fits and starts as vendors scrambled to make modules and motherboards compatible.

In the past, it has taken about two months for compatibility issues to be resolved. The CRN Test Center advises VARs and systems builders to wait a little longer than that before investing in the new architecture. The longer the wait-and-see period, the better the odds that problematic devices are no longer in circulation.

Cutting-edge systems builders are urged at the very least to launch extensive interoperability tests such as plug fests. Selecting the most device-friendly, specification-tolerant solutions will be key to generating systems that will be serviceable after the shakeout settles down.