Kingston ValueRAM and Dell Precision 360s

Archived from groups: alt.sys.pc-clone.dell (More info?)

I'm upgrading a couple of Dell Precision 360s to a gig of memory for delivery to
their new owners. The memory installed originally in one of the 360s is made by
Micron with Micron chips. I have some 256MB sticks of ValueRAM, so I pulled the
Micron sticks and compared them with the Kingston ones. The result: absolutely
identical circuit layout between the two. Same circuit traces. Same teeny tiny
components, resistors, PALs or whatever. Difference? The chips are marked
Micron and Kingston respectively. AFIAK, Kingston does not manufacture memory
chips, so they probably put the arm on Micron to label the chips Kingston. The
ValueRAM DIMMs are undoubtedly the Micron design, either manufactured by Micron,
or licensed by Kingston's DIMM memory manufacturuer, or possibly a ripped off
and copied design.

The ValueRAM DIMMs test out perfectly in the 360s, using the latest MEMTEST-86,
Version 3.2. The 360s have the Intel 875 chipset, and Intel chipsets are known
to be fussy about memory quality. Now I'm not so sure that ValueRAM is that
cheaply made.

For those of you doing memory testing, use Version 3.2 of MEMTEST-86. The older
versions cause a Precision 360 to reboot after a couple of seconds, apparently
because they do not handle the 875 chipset well. V3.2 identifies the 875
chipset and displays useful info about memory timing, and, of course, runs
without reboots... Ben Myers

Archived from groups: alt.sys.pc-clone.dell (More info?)

"Tom Scales" <tomtoo@softhome.net> wrote in message
newsP%2e.34525$Fz.5173@tornado.tampabay.rr.com...
>
> <ben_myers_spam_me_not @ charter.net (Ben Myers)> wrote in message
> news:424c2b17.6699794@nntp.charter.net...
>> I'm upgrading a couple of Dell Precision 360s to a gig of memory for
>> delivery to
>> their new owners. The memory installed originally in one of the 360s is
>> made by
>> Micron with Micron chips. I have some 256MB sticks of ValueRAM, so I
>> pulled the
>> Micron sticks and compared them with the Kingston ones. The result:
>> absolutely
>> identical circuit layout between the two. Same circuit traces. Same
>> teeny tiny
>> components, resistors, PALs or whatever. Difference? The chips are
>> marked
>> Micron and Kingston respectively. AFIAK, Kingston does not manufacture
>> memory
>> chips, so they probably put the arm on Micron to label the chips
>> Kingston. The
>> ValueRAM DIMMs are undoubtedly the Micron design, either manufactured by
>> Micron,
>> or licensed by Kingston's DIMM memory manufacturuer, or possibly a ripped
>> off
>> and copied design.
>>
>> The ValueRAM DIMMs test out perfectly in the 360s, using the latest
>> MEMTEST-86,
>> Version 3.2. The 360s have the Intel 875 chipset, and Intel chipsets are
>> known
>> to be fussy about memory quality. Now I'm not so sure that ValueRAM is
>> that
>> cheaply made.
>>
>> For those of you doing memory testing, use Version 3.2 of MEMTEST-86.
>> The older
>> versions cause a Precision 360 to reboot after a couple of seconds,
>> apparently
>> because they do not handle the 875 chipset well. V3.2 identifies the 875
>> chipset and displays useful info about memory timing, and, of course,
>> runs
>> without reboots... Ben Myers
>
> Ben,
>
> I can't comment specifically on the Precision, but I use Kingston ValueRam
> in all my machines. In fact, tomorrow, FedEx will deliver a 512MB stick
> for my 4550.
>
> Tom
>


Tom,

Who's your preferred vendor these days? Newegg or ZipZoomFly, etc?


Stew

Archived from groups: alt.sys.pc-clone.dell (More info?)

Well, I thought I'd say something in rebuttal to the disparaging comments made
recently about ValueRAM. There sure are worse brands floating around.

.... Ben Myers

On Thu, 31 Mar 2005 23:35:37 GMT, "Tom Scales" <tomtoo@softhome.net> wrote:

>
><ben_myers_spam_me_not @ charter.net (Ben Myers)> wrote in message
>news:424c2b17.6699794@nntp.charter.net...
>> I'm upgrading a couple of Dell Precision 360s to a gig of memory for
>> delivery to
>> their new owners. The memory installed originally in one of the 360s is
>> made by
>> Micron with Micron chips. I have some 256MB sticks of ValueRAM, so I
>> pulled the
>> Micron sticks and compared them with the Kingston ones. The result:
>> absolutely
>> identical circuit layout between the two. Same circuit traces. Same
>> teeny tiny
>> components, resistors, PALs or whatever. Difference? The chips are
>> marked
>> Micron and Kingston respectively. AFIAK, Kingston does not manufacture
>> memory
>> chips, so they probably put the arm on Micron to label the chips Kingston.
>> The
>> ValueRAM DIMMs are undoubtedly the Micron design, either manufactured by
>> Micron,
>> or licensed by Kingston's DIMM memory manufacturuer, or possibly a ripped
>> off
>> and copied design.
>>
>> The ValueRAM DIMMs test out perfectly in the 360s, using the latest
>> MEMTEST-86,
>> Version 3.2. The 360s have the Intel 875 chipset, and Intel chipsets are
>> known
>> to be fussy about memory quality. Now I'm not so sure that ValueRAM is
>> that
>> cheaply made.
>>
>> For those of you doing memory testing, use Version 3.2 of MEMTEST-86. The
>> older
>> versions cause a Precision 360 to reboot after a couple of seconds,
>> apparently
>> because they do not handle the 875 chipset well. V3.2 identifies the 875
>> chipset and displays useful info about memory timing, and, of course, runs
>> without reboots... Ben Myers
>
>Ben,
>
>I can't comment specifically on the Precision, but I use Kingston ValueRam
>in all my machines. In fact, tomorrow, FedEx will deliver a 512MB stick for
>my 4550.
>
>Tom
>
>