DDR2-667 or DDR2-800? Brand or speed?

[AnitaPeterson]

Hi folks,

I'm getting some RAM for a computer, and am trying to determine which one I should pick.

At the local store, the 2x2GB sticks of DDR2-667 and DDR2-800 come at the same price. The difference is in the brand: the 667 is Corsair, while the 800 is Patriot.

The MB/CPU combo is ASUS P5K-SE (P35 chipset) and Intel Q6600.

The board can go as high as DDR2-1066, but apparently that would require some upgraded firmware and manual BIOS settings, and I've read that it's quite finicky with respect to the brand. So that's not an option.

I'm not planning to overclock, the machine, by the way.

So, does it make sense to go for the higher speed memory, or stay with the more reliable brand? what's your suggestion?

 

[AnitaPeterson]

Found this: http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/249464-31-ddr2-ddr2

Looks like the benefits of the faster RAM would be negligible.

 

[thelastjuju]

Both are solid brands, and you're right.. it will indeed be negligible.. we are talking about gains in the milliseconds with these ram speeds.

 

[Subyman]

Patriot is a great brand. I've used many sticks of their DDR2 RAM and they are still going strong today.

 

[ThatsABigOne]

I would go with Patriot, and then tighten the timings if it is possible.

Nevertheless, both are great brands!