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Is all Memory created equal?

Kelemvor

Kelemvor

Lifer
Howdy,

I have an IBM Netvista (specs here I think). I'm looking to replace the memory. I know Crucial is good but as long as the memory chip works and the specs on it are the same, why does it matter what brand of memory you get?

I can get a 512 PC2100 crucial stick for $167. Or I can get other brands off ebay or other places for closer to $90 and they say they have a lifetime warranty.

Assuming the two both work just fine and are both PC2100, DDR, NonParity, etc, then what's the difference?

Just looking to save money but don't want to screw myself over later.

Thanks.
 
I think you should go with Crucial, you know you'll get quality memory from them. The quality of generic brand memory is hit or miss. Plus, Crucial's customer service is one of the best, while again, with generic brands it's hit or miss, and that's only if they stay in business for very long. Like any thing else, you get what you pay for.

I had a person come in with an Athlon system with generic memory and he couldn't even get it to boot at default clock speeds. First thing I did was replaced the stick of 256MB generic he had with a stick of 256MB Crucial and it took off.
 
Originally posted by: FrankyJunior
Howdy,
I know Crucial is good but as long as the memory chip works and the specs on it are the same, why does it matter what brand of memory you get?
Click to expand...

That is the thing though, how can you be sure that the memory chips work? Sure, memory chips are basically made the same, and some of the cheap memory chips even come from the same factory as the more expensive memory. The reason brands like crucial costs more is because they test more of their chips for defects and have tighter restrictions on which pass. The ones that don't pass (doesn't mean they don't work) they often sell to other cheaper brands. Less tests and lower restrictions = less discards = lower cost for manufacturer = lower cost to you = higher chance of mem failure. You don't want your memory to mess up on you.

Or I can get other brands off ebay or other places for closer to $90 and they say they have a lifetime warranty.
Click to expand...
And you are assuming that they will honor that. Many online retailers are the worst kind of scum there is, and they will do anything to screw you over. It's like purchasing stuff off a guy in a street corner, he can say his stuff have a lifetime warranty, but do you really believe him? All the top memory brands have established records in customer satisfaction, so if your memory ever dies, they will replace it. If you want to look at some customer ratings, look at resellerratings. BTW, crucial is second best in their entire list of resellers.
 
Originally posted by: Tharkun
Isn't Kingston memory susposed to be quality memory also?
Click to expand...

Yeah, I think that mac people like that stuff.
I like micron, crucial and infineon .. those are the brands that I've had experience with. It's also been my experience that generic brands with micron chips work out okay too.
 
Crucial memory can be so expensive though, you could probably buy 1 gig of Generic RAM with the money that you would spend on Crucial RAM, same specs. What is the best RAM for the money?
 
I've used all kinds of ram.... generic, brand name, the stuff staples and office max sell... never had a problem. Unless your a looking to do some extreme overclocking, I would buy the best value you can find, regardless of the name. Power supplies are the same, imho.
 
I think I'll wait until a game comes out that I need the extra RAM for since I'm sure it will be cheaper by then anyway.
 
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