If overclocking isnt my greatest concern...
 

I bought my case, floppy drive, power supply, and 80 gig 7200RPM western digital HD for $100, the 2500 barton and abit NF7-S 2.0 are in the mail, and Im starting to get excited.

Now Im looking for RAM. Anyone have suggestions as to what type of RAM should I be looking for? Overclocking is not a great concern although I want good quality. The NF7-S has 3 slots that will support up to 3 gigs. Id like to max it out one day so I guess I should go ahead and get a 1 gig chip.

Any suggestions would be great.

Edit: Spects
 

Tiger direct has a good deal right now, if you don't mind waiting for the rebate, but tiger is usually pretty good at making sure you get what is advertised...

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicati...p?EdpNo=602772

Memory Size: 512MB
Memory Speed: 400MHz PC3200
Memory Type: DDR
Pins: 184

Re: Edit: Spects
 

I would stay far away from cheap generic ram, but that is just me. I would go for GEIL gold dragon or Corsair XMS if you have a lot of cash to burn.

Well, tiger.com I *think* puts a year warrenty (you should look this up if you plan to buy from them...) on the RAM, plus he said he wasen't gonna OC, that ram should be fine if it's not pushed past it's limits... I think you would be burning cash if you got the Corsair or the Gold Dragon RAM, if you are not gonna overclock then why pay an extra $100-150 ?

Corsair XMS 512MB - PC3200 Low Latency - 6-3-2-3 timings

143$

LIFETIME warrenty.

http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProduc...log=147&depa=1

I have two sticks of this in my case, running at 424Mhz with aggressive timings (6-3-2-3)

If he doesn't want to overclock, buying XMS Corsair is just wasted money. I'll admit that RAM of that nature is PERFECT for overclocking, but if he's not even gonna try it, then it is a waste.

I'd get PC2700 Kingston, Crucial, Geil, or Corsair. Nothing special, but make sure it's at least 6-3-3-3 or lower. If you're not gonna OC, then the RAM timings are EVERYTHING in your system -- the lower they are, the better the results. I'd personally try to find one of the aformentioned brands at 6-3-3-2 stock.

Buying PC3200 is perfect for OC'ers because it accomodates the increased FSB that results from OC'ing. If you're gonna run the 2500+ at the stock 333 MHz FSB, then PC2700 is perfect (it runs at 333 MHz). Just make sure it's a good quality and you'll be set. You could try going with mega generic RAM, but it's always a hit or miss -- it either works good or it doesn't. I'd personally go with above-average RAM but not uber-OC'ing RAM. In other words, PC2700, 6-3-3-2, and either Kingston, Crucial, Corsair, or Geil.

-Lasereth

Just like what pretty much everyone has been saying, I would recommend getting name brand RAM. I personally have a gig of Corsair XMS 3200 with the platinum colored heat spreaders, but Corsair makes budget ram as well....

http://shop1.outpost.com/product/3746086/