Opinions please... best one to buy, sale ends today so I have to think fast

[s_mack]

I know next to nothing about today's ram when it comes to brands. And I can't really say I know what the CL numbers mean. All of the following are DDR2-800 2x1GB Dual Channel sets. But which one?

$30 - OCZ Platinum XTC REV.2 CL4-4-4-15
$32 - OCZ Gold XTC CL5-5-5-12
$31 - Corsair XMS2 TWIN2X2048-6400 CL 5-5-5-18
$40 - Buffalo Firestix FSX800D2C-K2G CL5-5-5
$40 - Patriot Extreme Performance CL4-4-4-12
$43 - Mushkin HP CL4-5-4-11
$49 - Corsair XMS2 TWIN2X2048-6400C4 CL 4-4-4-12
$49 - G.SKILL F2-6400CL5D-2GBNQ CL5-5-5-15
$50 - Mushkin EM CL5-5-5-18
$57 - Corsair XMS2 DHX TWIN2X2048-6400C4DHX CL 4-4-4-12
$65 - Crucial Ballistix CL4-4-4-12
$78 - Crucial Ballistix Tracer PC2-6400 CL4-4-4-12 W/ LEDs (huh?)


Thanks!

- Steven

 

[deeppow]

No sure where you're buying from but I dislike pressure buys.

If I look at the G.SKILL 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 for example, I can buy it from Newegg for 34.99 so I'm not sure how much of a bargin you're getting.

 

[s_mack]

Not all of them are necessarily great deals... I guess that wasn't the point. I should clarify.

I'm buying a bunch of stuff from this store because the CPU and video card are on great sales (ends tonight). I also need ram. I'm not going to bother getting the ram from somewhere else and deal with 2x shipping. So, these are the PC6400 sets that are currently on sale at the same store. I guess I'm just wanting advice on the brand and latency vs. the prices.

I mean, to me the OCZ at the top looks like the best deal. Its not only the cheapest, but it has among the best latency numbers (if I understand correctly that lower is better). But is OCZ a reliable company? Or is it better to get the Corsair for $1 more but with worse latency... or slightly better latency but $19 more? Or maybe Mushkin is the best?

If brand doesn't matter, should I focus on the latency figures? Or maybe latency isn't a big thing and I should concentrate on the brand? Or just get the cheapest because I'll never know the difference anyway?

Thanks!

- Steven

 

[deeppow]

I've had great success (they solved problems I've had plus are recognized as good companies) from OCZ, Corsair and Mushkin. Plus I'm currently running G.Skill. I would expect reasonable results from any of these companies. I can't attest to any of the sticks you noted in particular.

Hope that helps a little.

Oh ya, latencies aren't a big deal on DDR2 but if it came down to a tie I would pick lower latency.

 

[s_mack]

If OCZ is considered a good brand, then the first one on the list seems like a no-brainer. Thanks! If anyone else has any opinions, post away!

- Steven

 

[s_mack]

Crazy! I just found this review from October '06: http://www.sharkyextreme.com/hardware/article.php/2691_3636576__6

Spoke quite highly of the cheapest OCZ in this list... the "crazy" thing is its talking about how 2GB of 800 DDR2 ram costs around $300... and here I am looking at $30 to $60 only 18 months later.

 

[deeppow]

The prices on DDR2 have dropped significantly. Enjoy them while they last.