How much does brand matter?

[stealthbig]

Well, im looking into doing a small upgrade to my PC, swapping out my old PC133 ram board and getting a EP-8RDA+, now for the DDR.. On newegg im tempted to get the cheapest PC2700 ram I can get, but is it worth the extra few ($8) bucks to get Corsair instead of something like "Dane-Elec"? Also, the MB supports PC3200, will i notice a reasonable difference in speed if i spend the extra $$$ to get PC3200 ram? And finally, is ddr required in pairs or something? Is it better to get 2 256mb sticks or 1 512mb stick? BTW, I may overclock a bit in the future.

 

[elzt]

Yes, it's worth the extra few bucks to get the Corsair especially if you plan to overclock the system. You don't need a pair of DDR RAMs if your mobo doesn't support dual channel memory. Anyway, either 2 256mb sticks or 1 512mb stick is fine.

 

[orbz]

Yah, I think its worth the few bucks and even if you don't plan to overclock yet. Corsair is nice.

<i><font color=blue>There is no failure when you believe in success.</font color=blue></i>

 

[bum_jcrules]

ONe stick will yield slightly better yields than two sticks. It will also consume less power.

And since you said that you were going to possibly overclok in the future, the Corsair XMS is well suited for that. They have a good PCB and they use Windbond-5 chips. They are a very good purchase for overclocking and more than sufficient for regular use.

<A HREF="http://forumz.tomshardware.com/community/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&p=28752#28752" target="_new">THGC meeting? Would you go if there was one?</A>

 

[stealthbig]

Whats dual channel memory then? I thought this was faster, and you could only do it with 2 identical chips.

 

[bum_jcrules]

Okay, let me clarify that.

A dual DDR333 has a better yield than a single channel DDR400.

However, on a single channel, one module will yield better numbers than one with two modules. (With the modules being of equal frequencies.) Say 2 128MB modules of DDR333 and one module of 256MB DDR333.



<A HREF="http://forumz.tomshardware.com/community/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&p=28752#28752" target="_new">THGC meeting? Would you go if there was one?</A>

 

[stealthbig]

Soo, if I put 2 PC2700 256mbs stick of ram in, would it automatically run in dual channel and be faster?

 

[LumberJack]

Indeed...



To err is human... to really screw things up you need a computer!

 

[Smokey]

Based upon what you're saying, I think Corsair is overkill. Yes it's very stable and very OC'able (arguably the best RAM), but it's also very expensive. For you, I would recommend 2 x 256mb Samsung PC2700 chips. I think they're 42$ a piece (price includes shipping) at newegg.com so for 84$ you've have your Dual setup. Also, these chips are low density and OC well in my experience (my PC2700 runs at 162FSB as Cas 2, no problem).

<font color=purple><i>If I had a notch on my belt for every PC I'd destroyed, I'd have a really crappy looking belt</i></font color=purple>