D9 Micron Chips vs. Others

TheOriginalSamoyed

Distinguished
Jun 6, 2007
36
0
18,530
Alright...So I had a pair of G.Skill 1 Gb sticks that had the Micron D9 chip in it. The key word there is "had." They both burned out on me after about 14 months. After reading numerous NewEgg customer reviews of this memory, I'm finding out that any stick that has a Micron D9 Chip in it will most likely live a short life. I also understand that the Micron D9 chip only comes in the 1 Gb flavor. They don't get any bigger. Still, I'd like to upgrade my total memory to 4 Gb's. As is, I've sent my memory off to G.Skill for an RMA but I'm still considering buying 2 Gb's more of the same memory or starting over and buying two 2 Gb's. I have budgeted $100 for the project. With memory prices being so low, it brings up an interesting dilemma. The current sticks on RMA cost $89.00. When I get them back, I could easily purchase two more and stay within budget. Or, I could purchase almost any 4 Gb's kit and still stay under $100. I guess the real issue is the Micron D9 chips. Can someone explain to me why they are considered so much better than everything else? What about the short lifespan? I've gone through the NewEgg inventory of sticks and have narrowed down my choice to these two:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231065

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231209


It really comes down to buying the Micron chip or not. I just don't know enough about it to make an educated decision. Can someone share some knowledge on the subject? Thanks!
 

V3NOM

Distinguished
Jun 18, 2008
2,599
0
20,780
haha xtremesystems has a whole thread dedicated to honouring the D9 :lol:

as far as i see it, D9's have vastly superior performance, but burn out quite quickly. HOWEVER, a (unique?) benefit of the D9 chip is that in 80% of cases (again xtremesystem threads :p), sticking it in the freezer will fix it :lol:

don't believe me? search around...
 

TheOriginalSamoyed

Distinguished
Jun 6, 2007
36
0
18,530
I read the thread and am pretty surprised by all of the results. Either a bunch of punks are misleading people into freezing or cooking their RAM or there might some insane reason why this works. Regardless, my sticks are already RMA'ed. I did read that some people over there believe that it is impossible to get D9 chips back from a RMA. They think that you get some sort of different replacement chip back. Is that really true? The G'Skill people told me that I would be getting back the same exact memory. Wouldn't they just discontinue my phu2's and send me another model if this was true? NewEgg still sells my current sticks and they cost more than most other memory sticks. Do you think this is a rip off or just another forum urban legend? Either way, I appreciate the "freezer fix" solution and will keep it mind. But, I still haven't found a list that tells you which sticks have the D9 chip in them...even on that "other" forum. And, I still haven't heard anyone chime in on the most important question. Shoud I grab another pair of the above-referenced sticks or start over with the second option?