Does different type of Ram really make a difference?

[netjack]

I came across an article that benchmarked the different types of memory (different speed, different brands (branded vs generics, platinum vs generic, etc.). But for the life of me, I can't find it again. It was on a site like tomshardware or anandtech...can anyone point me in the right direction?

thx

 

[Arcex]

Don't know where that specific article is but I always go with Crucial/Micron and I've never regretted it.

 

[lobbyone]

If your not overclocking, generics work very well.

 

[netjack]

Originally posted by: lobbyone
If your not overclocking, generics work very well.

overclocking what? the cpu or the ram? I'm thinking about jumping on the e6300 overclockin' bandwagon..

 

[StopSign]

Originally posted by: Arcex
Don't know where that specific article is but I always go with Crucial/Micron and I've never regretted it.

The differences between different brands is so minimal that benchmark graphs have to really stretch the axes to show the minute differences. It's not like the "brands" make their own memory. There are only a handful of chip makers in the world (Samsung, Micron, Hynix, etc.) and all the brands (Corsair, Kingston, Crucial, OCZ, etc) buy their chips and put them on PCBs.

For example, if a stick of Corsair Value Value uses the exact same chips as some generic no-name RAM, the only performance difference is in the PCB. Heck, it might even be the exact same PCB. It's not out of the question for Corsair to sell its modules to no-name generic vendors (the brands you see at Best Buy). This is why you should never buy memory based on brand.

 

[Boyo]

That raises the question, how should you buy RAM then? Not trying to be a smartass here either.

 

[Roguestar]

However when you buy memory based by brand in some cases you can be sure of certain things, such as Crucial always using Micron memory chips and having a lifetime warranty, which is more than you can say for a lot of brands.

OP: Long story short it really only matters if you've overclocking because then you want to get the best chips for your money. If you're thinking about starting overclocking then read these threads -
http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview.aspx?catid=28&threadid=1966035
http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview.aspx?catid=28&threadid=1947261

 

[Arcex]

Roguestar stated the exact 2 reasons I go with Crucial. I've personally never had to deal with a bad stick of RAM in my own PC's, but doing PC repair work I've seen countless bad sticks and only one bad Micron stick.

Now I'm not saying generic = crap, I'm just repeating what Roguestar said, with generic you don't know what you are going to get. With Crucial I know what I'm getting, and the one time I had to return a stick of bad memory to them on behalf of a customer I had no problem dealing with them, so I am admittedly biased.

 

[StopSign]

Originally posted by: Boyo
That raises the question, how should you buy RAM then? Not trying to be a smartass here either.

Buy what you need. Not too low because you'll regret it when you upgrade later, or decide to overclock if you plan on running stock for now. Not too high because you don't need crazy good memory unless you're hardcore.

In my case, I bought these OCZ modules not because they have lifetime warranty or because I like the heatspreader, but because it offered just the right amount of overclocking headroom (I did my share of research on these modules) for what I plan on doing while being relatively cheap. In Canada memory costs a fortune and selection is extremely limited (no Buffalo Firestix, no Cellshock, no TeamGroup, no SuperTalent, very few G.Skill, very few Geil, very few Crucial Ballistix). This was the best I could get in the price range. It overclocks a lot better than what I expected and I'll gladly take that.

 

[Billb2]

Originally posted by: Boyo
That raises the question, how should you buy RAM then? Not trying to be a smartass here either.

To oversimplify: By the ICs and PCB. Samsung = fast, BF5 = low latency.

 

[StopSign]

BF5 or BH5?

 

[Nocturnal]

Well, I don't recommend Centon memory to any of my clients. Does anyone happen to know off hand who makes Centon branded memory?

 

[netjack]

when you guys keep saying overclocking, you do mean cpu overclocking right? Because I know some people overclock their memory..

 

[SparkyJJO]

it kind of goes hand in hand. As you up the FSB the memory speed increases as well, there are dividers you can use to keep the ram down but it is still going to be affected somewhat.

 

[StopSign]

Memory gets overclocked automatically when you overclock your CPU.

 

[JEDIYoda]

You could always go with Atlas precision Memory.
Personally I prefer Mushkin with never a bad stick.

 

[Oyeve]

I find, mostly by reading reviews, that many computer builders have more issues with high-end ram than with value ram. OCZ Titanium (or some some name) comes to mind, I have read many problematic issues about that ram. I usually stick with name brand generic. Corsair, G' Skill, etc. Never had any issues and have even yielded good OC results with it.

 

[netjack]

excellent advice...now what I need to do is make sure i get memory that is 100% compatible w/ my motherboard! I've had issues w/ that in the past...

 

[Arcex]

Crucial.com and Kingston.com both have memory configurators that will match your PC model (assuming it's not a custom build) with the exact spec RAM.

And if "configurator" isn't a word, it should be!

 

[Bill Brasky]

Originally posted by: netjack

Originally posted by: lobbyone
If your not overclocking, generics work very well.

overclocking what? the cpu or the ram? I'm thinking about jumping on the e6300 overclockin' bandwagon..

If you plan on overclocking, you need to choose sticks with micron D's as they are the best quality right now and should give you the best performance.

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