Help Choosing 8GB RAM Kit

[brandoncatz]

Hey, there! I'm having issues with my current memory and am looking to upgrade to a set of 2x4GB modules. Most of these, if not all, have similar timing and have 4-5 eggs, so I guess it comes down to the price as well as the manufacturer and their reputation.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233144 - Corsair Vengeance

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820226099 - Mushkin Blackline

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820220484 - Patriot G Series

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231314 - G. Skill Ripjaw

I'm looking more toward the Patriot memory because of the great reviews and the fact that I can pick it up from my local Fry's. Any thoughts?

 

[festerovic]

Patriot never did me no wrong... You are right its down to rep and cost. For a relevant opinion check the compatibility with your mobo vender, that might sway you as well.

 

[brandoncatz]

Cool. Glad to hear that I'm on the right path. I would love to base my decision somewhat on the compatibility list, but the mobo is an MSI with the 790 chipset, and it only has 2GB DIMMs in its list, so...

 

[festerovic]

Well, I usually have had luck with two things- if the manufacturer has a similar RAM set on the list, say one that is faster or higher capacity, (ie Crucial Ballistix 2gb on the list, but you have the 4gb kit same product) it usually works. Also, sometimes there is fine print regarding the density of the chips, sometimes you can buy high capacity chips and they use less chips on the ram, or some cases too many chips on the ram, and it won't work.

 

[brandoncatz]

Thanks, again, for your replies. I think I'm going with the Patriot. Not sure if you are near one, but Fry's Electronics now price matches online retailers, so I can pick it up from there and give it a whirl. The compatibility list is seriously lacking, so I'll be crossing my fingers as they run my card. I think I'll have a 15-day return window, so that should be plenty to test and all that.

Btw, just venting, but man I seriously dislike MSI's tech support! Never been so frustrated dealing with another tech, especially there e-mail support. This time I called and asked if they had an updated compatibility list for their RAM, but the dude gave me the brush off. Told me to stick with 2GB modules, mumbled something, and then hung up. My next purchase, after the memory, will be a nice Asus or Gigabyte board.

 

[brandoncatz]

Best answer selected by brandoncatz.

 

[festerovic]

Good to know that frys price matches. Dammit, could've been really helpful this weekend when I was just there. I told the guy that I wanted a power supply, but their prices were beat by newegg by over 50%! He just scoffed and didnt say much after that. Our frys around here suck, wonder if they all do.

 

[brandoncatz]

Yah, I haven't put it to the test, yet, since the Samsung F3 that I bought was already way cheaper at Fry's. I find that Newegg is the better deal more often, but it's close, and as much as I love Newegg, I hate having to ship things back to them on my dime. I'd rather stop at a store on the way home from work.

You wonder if they all price match, or if they all suck? Ha. The ones around here are pretty good. Just depends on the person that you speak with. I've had long, informative conversations and I've had some that are just straight to the point, get you out of here types. The new price matching policy is fantastic, though, and when I called yesterday to see if they would sell me the Patriot RAM and refund me the difference when it came back in to stock on Newegg (it was out of stock for about a day), they said "yes", as long as it is within 30 days of the sale.

 

[festerovic]

I wonder if they all suck, LOL. The ones around here are busier than Best Buy at christmas. I usually find 1 employee that knows something useful out of 100. But you are right, when they have cheap deals they beat newegg, and they have a pretty good return policy.

I once brought a old geforce 4200ti card in a 9800 pro box and told them it didn't work. The girl working the returns was trying to figure out WTF, and her boss told her to just press this and that on the computer to process it. "But its like, not the same thing or something. I think its like, a different " Boss: "Yeah, that happens sometimes, no big deal. Just return it." LOL