critique the following ram please

below we have all 2x512sticks, prices vary.

please advise on performance and potential. and contrast to value if possible.

of these what would you get?


Kingston HyperX Series 184 Pin 512MB DDR PC-3700
232$ total

Crucial 512MB PC3200 DDR SDRAM DIMM Memory
140$ total

Corsair Value Select Dual Channel Kit 184 Pin 1G(512MBx2) DDR PC-3200 - OEM
176$ total

Mushkin 184 Pin 1GB(512MBx2) DDR PC-3200 Level One Dual Pack
246$ total

Mushkin Blue Dual Pack 184 Pin 1GB(512MBx2) DDR PC-3200 - Retail
215$ total

Mushkin 184 Pin 1GB(512MBx2) DDR PC-3500 Level One Dual Pack
239$

I use Crucial RAM in my current rig - 1GB of non-ECC PC2100CAS.5 RAM. I have had 0 problems with this RAM, and I run it at CAS2 with no problems. I havent attempted to push this past 133/266MHz though, in my K7D Master.

ares350 said:

below we have all 2x512sticks, prices vary.

please advise on performance and potential. and contrast to value if possible.

of these what would you get?

Click to expand...

dude ram is application spec. . you will need to say how and in what it will be used.

with an AMD mobile proc.

its main need is for extreme gaming, graphics.

think games like farcry, doom2, halflife 2 ect.

I breifly considered if 512k of level2 would be better than 1gig of something with higher latency, but after considering that these games reccomend 512, id prefer to stay at 1gig total.

i know the various chips but not all the little particulars of each make. if i were u id check with speedmechanic .he has a very extensive knowledge of all the various makes and models of ram/and what is in each set , also what would suit ur needs best..

ares350 said:

Kingston HyperX Series 184 Pin 512MB DDR PC-3700
232$ total

Crucial 512MB PC3200 DDR SDRAM DIMM Memory
140$ total

Corsair Value Select Dual Channel Kit 184 Pin 1G(512MBx2) DDR PC-3200 - OEM
176$ total

Mushkin 184 Pin 1GB(512MBx2) DDR PC-3200 Level One Dual Pack
246$ total

Mushkin Blue Dual Pack 184 Pin 1GB(512MBx2) DDR PC-3200 - Retail
215$ total

Mushkin 184 Pin 1GB(512MBx2) DDR PC-3500 Level One Dual Pack
239$

Click to expand...

Of those six choices, I would recommend not purchasing any of them if you could.

If you made up your mind to go with one of the above, then I would list the virtues of the above and allow you to choose.

The Mushkin PC-3200/PC-3500 Level One are basically identical. They use the same chips, either Winbond CH-5 or newer Mosul/ProMOS -5B perhaps. It is good runner-up to Winbond BH-5/6, but at the prices quoted above it's a bit too expansive for what you get. Since the PC-3500 costs less then the PC-3200, I would recommend it above the PC-3200.

The Mushkin Blue-Line and Corsair Value-Select are similar products. Both companies usually would use the lowest cost memory chips they can get that will function at advertised ratings with complete stability. If your searching for complete stability from good companies at low cost, then this may be for you. But it won't usually offer best performance. Since the Corsair undercuts the Mushkin in cost by about $35, I would recommend it over the Blue-Line.

The Kingston PC-3700 should be using cheap high bandwidth chips. Since most KHX-3700 is assembled in US, this likely means it is using highly clocked Samsung chips. I wouldn't recommend this at all.

Crucial Memory is a subdivision of Micron Semiconductor, a memory chip maker. Therefore all Crucial memory uses Micron chips. Crucial memory would likely perform on-par with the above mentioned Mushkin Blue-Line and Corsair VS, with an emphasis on stability. Is that price you quoted, $140, for one stick of 512MB? If so, that is too high for what you get, and I'm sure you can find it for less.

the crucial was for 2. its the deal advertised from best buy at 90-20MIR per stick.

Im not set on those sticks at all. those were just some random sticks I picked off newegg. feel free to toss out a better value that gets you 1gig under 250$.

what about mushkin 2*512 pc2700?

can that be overclocked like the 3200? same chip? or not. their going for 224$(the same price as the PC3200 was 3days ago )

$140 for 1GB of Crucial is good for stable memory running decent clock-speeds with mid-grade to high timings. Micron chips can run over 220MHz while retaining a tRCD set to 3 with low rather low voltage.