Navigating the Memory Upgrade Jungle

PNY Configurator

PNY provides an inclusive list of OEM system manufacturers and retail motherboard brands, making it a great resource for locating hard-to-find part numbers.

Select Manufacturer

Select Device Type

Select Model

Select capacity

PNY lists a great variety of vendors from which to purchase its product.

We encountered two oversights in PNY's memory configurator. First, PNY doesn't make obvious which modules are PC3200 and which are PC2700, leaving the buyer to figure it out from part numbers. Second, PNY fails to mention the desirability of module pairs for dual-channel operation in our Dell 4600 reference system.

PNY didn't link to a manufacturer-direct store, and selecting one of their vendors adds several steps to the purchase process. Worse still, vendor prices aren't listed, leaving the buyer to search every site on the list for the best value. On the other hand, PNY was one of only three manufactures that referenced RDRAM part numbers.