Which memory should I buy?

[devilboy9944]

Hello I have 2 questions!

I am trying to decide which memory to buy for my setup because mine is really bad atm. Also, I need to decide on what quad core processor i should buy.

For the Ram no higher then $100.
must be:
DDR2 800
4GB

For the processor no higher then $350.
Must be:
Quad core

The websites must be Tigerdirect.ca or Newegg.ca


My current System:
750i SLI
9800gt ( upgrading to gtx 300 series when they come out)
E8400 @ 3.6GHZ
Tuniq Tower 120
1000 Watt psu
Win 7 32Bit Ultimate

Must be good for Gaming!

 

[Maziar]

Hello and welcome to the forums

If u want to game then i say keep the E8400,an E8400@ 3.6 is very good for today's games and apps,if u are using your PC only for gaming then keep your CPU otherwise if u will doing heavy rendering... then a Quad Core would be good.

For RAM,brands like OCZ,Corsair,Geil.... are all good(If u want to OC then get a RAM with CL4 timings)

 

[Onus]

For the least potential difficulty, get DDR2-800 that will run at its advertised timings on the JEDEC standard 1.8V. If it needs more, it's a factory overclock that will actually have worse timings (or be unstable) on 1.8V. Personally I like Mushkin.
You can always OC it yourself on more voltage if you like. Actually I was running my Mushkin at DDR2-960 for a while on 1.8v.

 

[devilboy9944]

thanks for the replys! I ve been looking at a couple RAM upgrades and these are what ive found to be potentials:


http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=2882686

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227267&cm_re=4-4-4--_-20-227-267-_-Product

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148214&cm_re=ballistix_tracer-_-20-148-214-_-Product

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148212&cm_re=crucial-_-20-148-212-_-Product

I don't know, I like the looks and performance of all of these and to me looks matter but i think the timings are good.Hit me back and let me know what you think

Thanks- Mark

 

[devilboy9944]

Hello and welcome to the forums

If u want to game then i say keep the E8400,an E8400@ 3.6 is very good for today's games and apps,if u are using your PC only for gaming then keep your CPU otherwise if u will doing heavy rendering... then a Quad Core would be good.

For RAM,brands like OCZ,Corsair,Geil.... are all good(If u want to OC then get a RAM with CL4 timings)

Well What about games like GTA IV? and aren't there going to be lots of games that are optimized for quad core? Now that the Core I7 has come out

 

[Onus]

No to those. The first wants 2.2V. The second wants 2.1, and the others want 2.0.
At the low end, there's this A-Data for $63: http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820211188 that I've used before in cheaper builds. They don't have the Mushkin I've used, but a few months ago you would have seen a lot of people around here (including me) also using this G.Skill, now $66: http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231209 which has good timings and runs on 1.8V-1.9V.

 

[devilboy9944]

No to those. The first wants 2.2V. The second wants 2.1, and the others want 2.0.
At the low end, there's this A-Data for $63: http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820211188 that I've used before in cheaper builds. They don't have the Mushkin I've used, but a few months ago you would have seen a lot of people around here (including me) also using this G.Skill, now $66: http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231209 which has good timings and runs on 1.8V-1.9V.

Why should I get a 1.8v? I wont be overclocking it if that makes any difference.

 

[Onus]

Long answer: 1.8V is the JEDEC default for DDR2 RAM. That is the voltage your mobo will provide by default, and after any BIOS reset. If your RAM needs more than that, you'll need to manually set it each time (i.e. overclock it to settings the factory guarantees will work). If you don't, RAM that needs more than 1.8 to operate at its advertised timings may still work, but will have worse timings, e.g. CAS6 or even CAS7. The RAM that runs just fine on 1.8V will always be at CAS5, although you might get CAS4 out of it if you want to give it more than 1.8V. The lower voltage RAM will also use less energy and add less heat to your case.
Short answer: Read lots of RAM-related forum threads where this has already been discussed in great detail.

 

[Maziar]

Well What about games like GTA IV? and aren't there going to be lots of games that are optimized for quad core? Now that the Core I7 has come out

Well although some games are QuadCore optimized but your CPU is pretty fast for every game.
Yes GTA IV is Quad Core optimized,if u play games like GTA IV or RTS games then u will benefit from a QuadCore

 

[devilboy9944]

okay thanks for the replies I am getting this RAM afterall:

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231209&cm_re=g-skill-_-20-231-209-_-Product

its on the way to my house

Thanks for the help

Mark

 

[Maziar]

Great RAM with great timings/voltage,i hope u enjoy it

 

[devilboy9944]

Thanks Maziar and jtt283 for the help

 

[Onus]

Yw. Let us know how it goes.

 

[Maziar]

Thanks Maziar and jtt283 for the help

No problem as jtt said let us know how it performs

 

[devilboy9944]

okay i will

 

[devilboy9944]

great memory it just got here today :O I don't know why it usually takes 2 days but for some reason they had to ship it out from California and i live in Ontario? don't know why. I even ordered form newegg.ca. Anyways, the instillation went well (what can go wrong with installing memory) and it works fine all 4 gigs are detected.

Thanks Tom's Forum! I will diffidently be making more posts on this site when I need help!

 

[Maziar]

Glad it performs well

 

[Onus]

Good deal!