memory advice

[JediJorgie]

right now, i have 512mb PC2100 DDR. i want to upgrade to at least 1gig, but i want to get faster memory. my first question is, should i pay for the fastest memory available, or would something like PC3200 be good enough? my second question is, does the manufacturer of the memory make a difference? looking at newegg, i see buffalo technology 512mb PC3700 for $99, and a corsair module with the same specs and a heat spreader for $168. i dont know anything about heat spreaders, and maybe they are worth $69, but that doesnt seem right to me. i guess right now i'm thinking i'll get 2 modules of 512mb PC3200, and sell off my 2100 stick.

 

[yabanci]

A lot depends on your processor speed and motherboard and whether and how much you plan to overclock, so it's hard to answer this. In my opinion,- and based on a couple of assumptions -- pc3200 would be your best bet, because that will let you overclock the FSB up to 200. The manufactor of the memory does make a difference, but everybody has their own opinon on what is best (and also some brands work better with certain motherboards). What processor/mobo will you be using?

 

[Corporate Thug]

first off heatspreaders are absolutly worthless and dont let anyone else tell you otherwise. secondly, the buffalo stuff is REALLY good RAM its just that they arent a big name here in the states. in fact, my next stick of ram will be buffalo. however, dont think all the ram is good is that way. buffalo is a huge name in asia (Japan i think). it is like the corsair of japan. you dont want to really want to buy generic ram (believe me, buffalo IS NOT generic). as for the speed of the ram, it all depends on what you want to do with it. PC3200 is more than enough for overclocking with an AMD setup. however, if you want to run high FSB with intel setups, you may want to look into pc3500 or even pc3700

 

[JediJorgie]

i have and Athlon XP 1800+ and Epox 8kha+ mobo. i should have mentioned in the first post that i am thinking about upgrading my processor and mobo later this summer. i'm not sure what i will get, but i'd like to be around 3.0ghz, mabye a P4. my ideal situation would be buy 2 sticks of 512mb of whatever speed you guys think is best, use them for awhile, and when i upgrade, use them again.

 

[JediJorgie]

bump

 

[Jeff7181]

I'd go with PC3200 so if you want to later you can upgrade to a 400 MHz FSB processor.

 

[JediJorgie]

so, i should buy the fastest i can afford, probably 3500?

 

[Jeff7181]

3500 isn't really necessary unless you're overclocking... a P4C would benefit from it... but an Athlon XP wouldn't unless you're overclocking like I said.

 

[JediJorgie]

so if i plan on upgrading to a P4, 3500 would be the way to go?

 

[Corporate Thug]

Originally posted by: JediJorgie
so if i plan on upgrading to a P4, 3500 would be the way to go?

actually, if money isnt an issue, OCZ pc3700 would be the best fit for a P4 Ocung setup but pc3500 will suffice