Looking at some more RAM...

gildron

gildron

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Feb 6, 2008
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So, I've been looking around and I have pretty much settled on some Corsair XMS2 2gig DDR2 ram from Newegg. I know from past experience that Corsair is a reliable brand, and this particular kind has gotten good reviews. However, I was wondering if anyone here could point me in the direction of another type to consider. (Comparison shopping is good.)

Thanks!

~Gildron
 
I'm running 4GB OCZ in my rig, and I put 4GB of it in a friends laptop. Haven't had any issues and it seems to get excellent reviews.
 
Check your mobos QVL list first. Like on my board OCZ memory is a no-no, but the corsair and kingston stuff worked just fine.
 
Yes, check the MoBo QVL first, though my MoBo MFG ASUS doesn't list Patriot Memory on the QVL (when I last checked at least) but I did post on their forums prior to purchasing the memory and they told me that it would work, and it did. I've had no concerns from my Patriot memory as of yet.
 
[quote1208281674=-nocturne=-]
It most cases memory is just memory, unless you plan on overclocking...
[/quote1208281674]

If you can say that with a straight face you are not a geek!!
 
Come on guys... it's pretty obvious that the majority of memory chips are an 'anything goes' type affair. They just solder some chips on a board -- if it works, it works; if it doesn't, it gets sent to emachines...

There are only so many companies that actually manufacture memory, and for the most part it is all the same. As far as brands go, the only differences are testing procedures and quality control methods, but I haven't seen a memory chip in a decade that wasn't covered by a lifetime warranty.

If you're talking enthusiast models, though, what you're basically paying for are hand-picked chips that are tested much more extensively for stability and performance.

If the OP is talking about the 2x1gb Corsair kit that has been $24-34AR for the past 9 months, it's just 2 plain ol' sticks of ram. It'll run at it's stock speed/timings without a problem, but it's not quite 'enthusiast' grade (not that it matters, if you're not o/cing).
 
I bought some nice PC6400 OCZ Platinum ram... the box said overclock it, the warranty said overclock it, the website said overclock it, and the special heat spreaders said overclock it, so I overclocked it >:)

But yeah if you are going to buy new ram, just try to get the best stuff your mobo can handle. If you are ADDING more ram to your computer, make sure the new ram your are buying is the same speed as your current ram (i.e. 800mhz ram with 800mhz ram. If you have 533mhz ram right now, make sure you buy 533mhz ram and not 800mhz, or your old 533mhz won't run :P)

Other than that, brands really don't make a difference to me. I shop for ram based on price and warranty. If one brand has 1 year warranty and costs 5 dollars less, but another offers lifetime and has a friendlier warranty for modification, then I'll pass on the 5 dollar cheaper ram. But if they have the same warranty and same specs, I will buy the 5 dollar cheaper ram, regardless of brand. That ram that you listed there seems fine to me.
 
For most situations with RAM, quantity is more important than quality. Quality's only an issue once you've filled your board or if you're overclocking. 4GB of RAM that just works (no errors) will give you better performance than 2GB of high quality RAM. 8GB of cheap RAM does wonders when you can disable your page file and stop your hard drive from constantly working, which is a far bigger bottleneck for system performance than RAM speeds will ever be.

However, if you're going to be overclocking or if you're filling up your motherboard (most only support 8GB max), then you could begin to worry about quality. From benchmarks I've looked at, in the DDR2 range, OCZ and Corsair have the best performance, closely followed by Mushkin, Patriot, and Geil. In the DDR3 range, Mushkin is pretty much the hands-down winner (but good luck finding it), with Corsair and OCZ immediately after. These differences are really only apparent in synthetic tests, however. The difference between passable RAM and excellent RAM, outside of overclocking, are about a 1 FPS difference on average, if that.

And, if you're curious about overclocking, we'd need to know a LOT more about your system before recommending anything, as RAM is the most finicky thing when overclocking.
 
To be specific (Possibly to such a point where it becomes pointless...) CORSAIR XMS2 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model TWIN2X2048-6400PRO. (Copy paste, ftw.)

It has gotten entirely good reviews on Newegg, and was currently twenty dollars off. (Normally $89 dollars, I got it for $69) It sounds like it is incredibly overclockable, and seeing as I plan on doing that, memory that can handle it is a good thing. (Liquid cooling, thank you very much.) I did check the QVL list and it looks like everything will work. I'm not getting four gigs, entirely for one reason. I don't have a 64 bit OS. Which is stupid, because I have a 64 bit processor.

All well. Life goes on, I'll upgrade the OS eventually. Maybe.

Thanks for you recommendations and help everyone, I haven't yet made the purchase, so say anything you want to before I do!

Finally, to Nocturne, you make me cry. One of my favorite hobbies is adding new things to my PC, so I am quite knowledgeable about these things. Two things I know, lots of Mobos will only run certain kinds of ram (PC2 5300, 6400, whatever.) And also, asking fellow geeks for advice is good. Because a lot of them are probably smarter then you. :P (Last bit wasn't pointed at you. So don't get offended. The Mobo one was.... But not insultingly....aww, whatever.)
 
Well, if you want to see just how much (or little) of an impact RAM has on FPS, here you go:

http://www.tomshardware.com/2008/04/09/toms_ultimate_ram_speed_tests/page8.html#3d_games

They're measuring the differences in timing here, not brand, but you can see that even the highest overclocking level timings and such are only making small differences here. The only differences between brands, other than reliability and such, are who can produce the fastest RAM with the lowest timings without breaking it, and that varies like hell, though my last post mentioned the brands to look to, as they're always fighting for the best.

Most of this post is for the benefit of others coming along and reading this thread to get ideas, gildron seems to have made a fine choice within budget and OS limitations. Good luck with it.
 
Thank your for your help. Yes, I have made the purchase (Of the type I posted above.) And I am very happy with it, fit my budget perfectly, has some excellent specifications. I'll get some real world play time in and then I'll post up any complaints/praises that I have.

You've all been a great help! Hopefully some future member can make use of this. (As Ephyu said.)
 
You mean these, right?
link

I've boughten about a dozen of these pairs for various builds, and they run perfectly stable. I never put them in a 'o/cing' rig, but they do have a little room for tweaking the timing.

Edit: (compressed the link)
 
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