RAM brands, does it really matter?

[Lord09]

Other than being froma reputable brand name, does it really matter what brand of ram I get? Like for mushkin, they have 3 differnent brands of memory ( value, blue, black ) and kingston has their normal and Hyper-X lines.

To be honest, I don't know much about memory, but does the performance between these different ram types that noticable?
Does it affect overclocking in anyway? I know you need the type to match the FSB speed.

Thanks all,

Dan

 

[Spacemonkey]

If you are not going to OC, any ram should do. Overclockers prefer the best.

 

[zabomb4163]

there is a huge difference between standard kingston and hyperx.

 

[DAGO]

Get the best RAM you can afford, because eventually you'll want to wring a little more out of your system and if you get the cheap stuff, you'll end up frying it and regretting your decision.

Memory is VERY important in terms of overall performance...I'd much rather spend a little more ONCE than go the cheap route TWICE...

 

[Evil_Eye]

Getting cheapo 3rd party ram is NOT a good idea. Remember, you get what you pay for and the cheaper the ram, the more likely it is that your compy will get problems in the future. Besides, most 3rd party brands ship out with no warrenty whatsoever so in the event where it does break, the company will not replace it.

 

[Lonely Raven]

True true.

Getting the higher end RAM (of the same speed) doesn't make
sense UNLESS you overclock or want that extra oomph that
better memory settings can give you.

STICK WITH NAME BRAND regardless of what you're using it for.
The Lifetime Warranty and quality controll as well as customer
support will be worth the extra few bux for a name brand stick
in the long run.

Honestly, think of it this way.

Just because the Speed-O-Meeter on your Yugo says 120MPH,
doesn't really mean that it's made for it.

Whereas I'm pretty sure the 120MPH on my Porsche isn't there
for show.

Same thing with memory.

IMHO, Hyper-X is the best bang for the buck currently.

 

[carmello22]

there are some things in a computer that you can go cheap on and ram shouldn't be one of them.

 

[Electraglide]

Ok, Ive been looking for new pc3200. everyone says get name brand. Which????, So far according to their claims, the 2 fastest seem to be kingston hyperx and the corsair twin matched sticks. Both sport CAS Latency 2-2-2-6-T1 <--thats from the add. Any others not worthy? Im pushing my samsung cheapo' pc2700 to 192 fsb and 2.7 v.with no problems, FOR NOW and barton @12.5 multiplier. Id like to get to 200x12.5 or over if this new bios works on the older a7n8x's. I was lucky enough to get my mobo a day before rev 2 hit.

 

[JPS]

Major vendors and name brands are the way to go. PCBs affect performace as do the overall engineering of the sticks. Granted the actual memory chips are key, but the total package is just as important. Besides, if something does go wrong a good warranty is worth its weight in gold!

 

[Wam]

Some of the cheap ram can turn out to be excellent, but I woulnd't risk it. You need to know that your motherboard is up to the job otherwise the better ram is a waste of money. Only worth getting the better ram if you plan on touching the top speeds of it's particular specification.

 

[zabomb4163]

if your already at 190bus, chances are that you won't get a whole lot higher regardless of how much you spend on ram. your already running pretty high.

 

[Electraglide]

Too late, after doing alot of searching. I chose the twin pairs of Corsair DDRAM 1GB TWINX1024-3200LLPT COR RT

I will hit 200 or better..

 

[Amino]

Good choice

 

[Lonely Raven]

Wow, really good choice!

Though I'm confused in the fact that you were looking for
inexpensive memory, and went with a HEFTY pair of one of the
more expensive brands. LOL

 

[Electraglide]

No, lol I currently have inexpensive memory. and have gotten quite lucky with it. But at this point, ive gone to water cooling and now the memory is holding me back. I cant get more than 192 in bios(191 post) but hey, its pc2700 samsung so no complaints, just want to crank it up a notch or two or three or four fastest setting i can get is 12.5x192(191post)2401.28 mhz wcpuid

And im starting to get minor memory erros on memtest. Sometimes i dont, lol

 

[Wam]

That memory should be able to do over 200FSB at the tigheset timings so you should be very safe. Fancy a trade with mine?

 

[Decaf]

Avoid Kingmax RAM. They claim a lifetime warranty for their tiny BGA but after having some problems with my pc2700 I contacted them by email numerous times and have not gotten a single reply back. This company sucks. Obviously beyond just the brands, ease of warranty returns should be a concern. I believe Corsair is highly regarded in this respect.

 

[Damian]

Too late, after doing alot of searching. I chose the twin pairs of Corsair DDRAM 1GB TWINX1024-3200LLPT COR RT

I will hit 200 or better..

I'm hitting 200 with my samsung...

 

[Electraglide]

samsung pc2700.and not the upgraded samsung either. Infact, Im not sure if the memory is samsung brand, but the chips are. I got them at TCWO for 51 $ a stick