High Fi Rams vs Value Rams

[gtoforce]

i dunno if this question had been posted before
but if it hasnt may i know whats the upper hand of the high performance rams against value rams?

if someone had already posted this, do reply with the relevant urls to the thread
thanx

 

[4Ryan6]

Overclocking headroom to the High end ram and faster CAS settings, value ram is really just stock speed rated and if you're not overclocking its just fine for a default system.

 

[rodney_ws]

I've never heard "High Fi" used in this context before. Why don't you just head on down to Buck's Super Stereo World and ask them about it?

 

[Mondoman]

Just like with most things in life, RAM comes in difference quality and performance levels. Here's a general idea, from most expensive to least expensive:

The premium-line modules most often discussed here are normally made from better-performing RAM chips, better-quality PCBs, and often have extra features such as metal heat spreaders. They can normally be overclocked to achieve higher performance by raising the voltage above standard levels. Most of these modules even keep their lifetime warranty up to a certain elevated voltage. Corsair XMS/XMS2, Crucial Ballistix, Kingston HyperX, OCZ Platinum, and many others fall in this category.

Mainline modules are normally made with quality-checked RAM chips and decent PCBs, do not have heat spreaders, and are designed to work well under standard (non-overclocked) conditions. They are often targeted at businesses or others that need rock-solid mainstream memory. Their warranty is typically voided if they are overclocked, and the manufacturers often guarantee compatibility with your system, not just generic specs. This is the class of memory that Crucial and Kingston built their companies on.

"Value" modules vary a lot in quality. The best are made with chips and PCBs that rival mainline memory in quality, but the worst aren't much better than "generic" RAM (see below). Product line reputation matters a lot here. For example Kingston's ValueRAM is considered quite good, while Corsair's ValueSelect line is just contracted out to the lowest bidder, and thus not much better than generic RAM. Prices are low, and lifetime warranties are typical, but chances of getting a bad stick are much-increased; getting a replacement module may only take a week, but may take longer, and may require a copy of your proof-of-purchase.

"Generic" RAM is the bottom of the barrel. No (recognizable) brand name, no warranty, low quality (possibly reject) chips, cheap PCBs. On the good side, many will work, and the prices are cheap.