Case & memory suggestion

pillar

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Feb 14, 2008
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So right now I have ddr2 memory & I am looking to upgrade to ddr3 memory. I already have GSkill ddr3 1600 memory picked out (8gb 2x4gb). They are the top rated memory for their bus speed. My question is, should I stick with this memory or should I go with something else? Newegg recently put some Corsair memory w/ the same bus speed on sale, but its only $4 less than the GSkill & it has half as many ratings to it.

Also I have a CM Storm Scout case & am looking to switch out the case for something that allows me to do more customization case fan wise. My current case has all the pre-installed fans all taken care of air flow wise, so it makes it a hassle to pull em out (which im not gonna do). I have been looking into the HAF series (spec the 912 since its a decent price). My question is would the 912 be a good case to switch to in order to get better customization? Maybe you know of a case that is within the price range of the 912, but has better features. Im all eyes. Give me your feedback.
 
I have a question that might be stupid, but I wanted to be sure to clear things up: are you asking about the DDR3 because you've got a new motherboard lined up to pair it with? Otherwise, like Predator said, there's no way you're gonna be able to interchange them if your motherboard is still stuck at DDR2.

If you're looking for some good DDR3 sticks for a compatible mobo though, I believe Samsung is still the king of the market with these babies (correct me if I'm wrong). Order a couple of these and you've got eight gigs of butt-kicking for under $40!
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820147094

As for case: I think a lot of cases come down more to personal preference of features and material and construction as well as budget -- since usually, features are pretty clearly labelled on each case, but you could consider one of the cheaper Carbide-series cases from Corsair, or a Lian-Li. I dunno why you wanna ditch the Storm Scout, though. It's not bad and I prefer my Storm Scout over the HAF 912 my friend owns (which I guess is kind of an example of personal preference here).
 
Ok let me clear some things up. I know that the memory isnt interchangeable. This will be a completely new build. I am slowly working on getting the i5-3570k, ddr3 memory & a fresh motherboard (mobo might be last to order tho). Also that Samsung memory has been repeatedly mentioned, but the big problem with it is the fact that it doesnt have heat spreaders & I do plan to overclock the cpu, which means that this memory wont work for my purpose.

Also to clarify on the case, they built 3 fans into it & it would be a massive hassle to get rid of them. 1 fan in the front, 1 in the back & 1 up top (the top 1 I dont have an issue with tho). I like the idea of keeping the cables separate so that I can personally arrange the cables, this way I know how to pull out the fans if I want to upgrade them.
 
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So upon further review of cases, the CM HAF 912 is very comparable to the Corsair 300R, not to mention the HAF 922 is very much alike to the Corsair 500R. The good news bout all 4 cases is that the wiring for the fans isnt aligned to the top of the case like my fans are (main reason I want to switch to another case).
 
Corsair and Coolermaster both make high quality cases, it really comes down to how much you want to spend.

If you're looking for pure performance, the HAF 932 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119213 is one of the best performing cases ever, but some people find it to be a little ugly and it is a wee bit more pricey than the ones you were looking at.

Antec also makes quality cases similar to what you're looking at, the 902 seems to be a little closer to the 300R or 912 in price if you want another option, http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129097&Tpk=antec 902

As for RAM, as long as you're going with a mainstream manufacturer you're fine (Corsair, GSkill, Patriot, PNY, Mushkin, GeIL, Kingston) it really comes down to price and stats.

The GSkill RAM you have looks fine. I'm currently using Corsair - http://e.newegg.com/servlet/cc6?gLm...Gf84eqSSTRSTqXqpgKLzfqXqblLuqXqTRqSWYqUTWVXLX which happen to be on sale. If you want the slightly higher performance ones, the Vengeance model is also reasonably priced right now.
 
I had a 4gb of DDR3 GSKill recently go bad... Computer wouldnt POST at all, no graphics whatsoever.. Took it out, everything was fine. Im not buying theirs again
 
I have the HAF 932. Love it. Does a great job cooling overall; just be sure to clean out the fans and case of dust every once in a while. Other options to consider (but they'll be more expensive) would be the HAF X 942, NZXT Phanton, and the Corsair Obsidian. NZXT is the only cheaper one at about $120; Obsidian is $275, HAF X is $180.

Just because you had one set of RAM go bad, doesn't mean the company give out bad pieces. Corsair, GSkill, Geil, Patriot, and Kingston are all great brands to buy from. Just do your homework to find which stick works best for you, performance and price wise. Stick with the model you find; there's a good reason why they're rated so highly.
 
I appreciate the feedback on the cases mentioned. Im definitely not gonna spend $120 on a case. Im looking to keep that cost round $100, if not less.

Also bout the complaint bout GSkill memory; ive never had a single issue w/ their memory & ive been using them for at least 5 years. One thing most people dont take into account is the warranties. Most (if not all) companies put a lifetime warranty on their memory sticks, so if anything happens (outside of overclocking the cpu & memory) then all you gotta do is call em up & have em send ya a replacement set. Some people think of this as a bit of a hassle tho. However, if you pay the s&h fee to send the memory back to them, they should be more than happy to send you a new pair. That s&h fee definitely is far less $$ than to get another set of memory from another company.
 
Ya Snipeye, the 1st set that you posted is the set I already have saved in my upgrade wishlist. Since Ive had such great luck with the current GSkill memory I have now, I dont mind continuing my business with them. Besides I dont mind spending $3 more, especially when the GSkill memory has over 2x more ratings than the Corsair memory does. The only reason I posted that Kingston memory was the $10 discount. I think I will indeed hold off for the GSkill memory.
 
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820147096

That original memory you posted is 1.65 V. This samsung ram is 30nm leading to much lower power consumption, low voltage, and highly overclockable. Also extremely low profile which is good for larger heat sinks. I got in on a deal for 16gb worth for $61 shipped. Haven't had the chance to overclock yet, but definitely looking forward to tweaking it a bit :)
 

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