RAM Brands
 

I was looking through the different brands of RAM that computer stores sell, and i was wondering if there are any brands that i should steer clear of, and is Kingmax a good brand?

Well I wouldnt buy generic ram (kingmax, crucial, stuff like that) its called Value Ram and for good reason, its cheap. It will work ok in a system, but if I was you I would look at getting either Kingston hyperX or Corsair. Even the value ram from these companys are good so look for some of this if you can. Also look around the net and see if your mobo has any brands that it really doesn't like. if there if a brand it dislikes, make sure you dont get it.

Hopefully this wont discourage you from getting value ram, it does have its place. I got some cheap ram myself for a Celeron system I was making. but if you have a main system with a good proc and FSB, dont make a bottleneck by buying cheap RAM.

I disagree about the "generic ram" statement. I've lived by using crucial ram in my systems for quite awhile. And I still agree it's the best overclocking ram (while still being stable). Until recently I did get 2 sticks of Corsair XMS DDR-400. I did see a difference from switching, but I think mainly because I was going from 2100 to 3200.

If you have the cash to spend, Kingston or Corsair will be your best bet. But by no means roll out Crucial. Try and find a low CL stick of ram if at possible CL-2.

Since when has Crucial been considered value RAM?

Anyway, I'd go for: Crucial, Corsair, Kingston, or Geil. Make sure the RAM CL is 2 for best performance like Gotenks said. It's better to get 512 MB of PC3200 than 1 GB of PC2700...faster RAM is much better than simply having more. Do NOT buy generic RAM (brand names that most people haven't heard of) unless you don't care about performance at all. You could get good generic, RAM, but most of the time it turns out shitty.

If you want good performance or plan on overclocking at all, then do not get the Kingmax. If you simply want a computer and don't care much about performance (games, benchmarking, etc.), then the Kingmax should be fine. Corsair XMS is known for being one hell of an overclocking RAM brand as well as Geil. Crucial can be overclocked, but I've heard from most people that it's a no-go sometimes. Kingston is simply damn good quality RAM, but I've heard that overclocking is limited on it as well.

You want a PC, but not as good performance and no overclocking: buy generic RAM (Kingmax)

You want a PC for gaming, but not overclocking: Kingston or Crucial

You want a PC for gaming, and plan on overclocking: Corsair or Geil

That's my advice. Good luck with whatever ya get!

-Lasereth

Ill second the Kingston or Crucial. I dont have any experience with the others, but have heard good things about them. Ill also second the suggestion to go with name brand stuff.

I had a stick of Kingston crap out on me one time... I called them up, told them what had happened... and they *overnighted* me another stick, I had it on my doorstep the next afternoon. Since then, I have pretty much used them for all my RAM.

I use nothing but generic memory in my box's. Has yet to crash, been doin it for years. Not gonna fix somthin thats not broke.

RAM operates as fast as you set it to.
If you get a stick of value ram and it operates at the speed you need reliably then it will operate as fast as a stick you pay 3 times as much for to run at the same speed.

Don't be fooled by branding. Many of these companies buy their chips from the same fabs as the big boys. Remember, not just anyone can fabricate a stick of RAM.

Kingston all the way. best deal ever

lifetime warrenty

if it ever fails or you think it is failing give them a call they'll send you a replacement next day air, pop it in and send back the old. and your set, all free.

Some people might consider Crucial value ram since it doesn't come with heatspreaders and all these extras needed for hard core overclocking. But very few people need these things. I would not consider Crucial value at all. It is very dependable (as others have said) and I have never had a stick go bad on me.

crucial rocks! i use crucial on both of my computers, but i dont oc either one/ram. crucial is made by micron, which is good enough for me.

If it has samsung brand chips in it...i usually use it....

thanks for all of your input guys. i have another question for you - what is the difference between Corsair 512mb PC3200 DDR RAM and Corsair 512mb PC3200 DDR RAM CL2 XMS?

The CL2 XMS version is guaranteed to work with tighter memory timings you can set things like that in the BIOS.

KingMAX memory does NOT work at the specified ratings - stay VERY clear from them.
Kingston seems to be THE best ram.
People that say corsair is for overclocking are idiots. Corsair ram is already overclocked. i.e. When I bought my pc start of year, $180 AU for 256mb DDR 400 kingston with Winbond BH-5 chips (w00t! :D ), or $240 AU for 256mb corsair xms 3200... which is actually pc2700 overclocked..... i cant remember the price of the corsair XMS 3500 but remove the heatspreader and you'll find the Winbond bh-5 chips which are rated for 3200 (ddr 400). Now corsair do test their ram first so it will work at the speed which they rate it for, but you can't really push it any further, and it's damn expensive.