Generic Vs Branded

[Guest]

Ok, I'm trying to settle an argument.
A friend says:

* Generic RAM is no worse than Branded RAM.
* All RAM comes from the same few manufacturers
* The testing phase is where RAM becomes Generic or Branded
is shrouded in mystery. If you buy CAS3 PC133 generic memory
then that's exactly what it is. What test did it fail?
* Presently there is a glut of RAM, so some RAM is sold as
generic, knowing that serious users will still buy branded.
* He says RAM will either run or it won't at a select speed.
There is no "stressing" of components, thus if PC133 CAS3
generic memory is run as that (no over clocking), and the
system boots then the RAM is good. No amount of taxing it
will make any difference.
* The only reason to buy branded RAM is your guarrantee.

...........................................................

Now, I have so far not found a decent, and unsponsored
("well they're bound to be biased") site that really goes
into any detail about what constitutes Branded from generic
RAM. I've had my own problems with it, and if you look around
any forum you get the same old stories - it sucks.

Does anyone have any good links about the actual manufacturing differences?
Just what makes RAM 'fail' to be sold off cheap as generic?

I don't want flaming here - I know it sucks, I'm just after
hard evidence of the differences between the two.
(and pointing out that every hardware forum on the net has
people complaining about cheap RAM isn't good enough)

MAXER

 

[Crashman]

I just bought 3 sticks of generic PC133. One worked, the other two did not.

Cast not thine pearls before the swine

 

[lhgpoobaa]

hmmms.
i would pay you alot of money to show me generic ram running at what my kingmax does!
150Mhz @ CAS 2.

I believe when they test SDRAM (and ddr) they test each chip independently.
thus all the really good chips end up in the high level PC150 or PC133 Cas2 sticks of ram, and all the average stuff ends up in the PC133 cas 3 or pc100 ram.
this is also a part of the reason why RDRAM is so damn expensive. due to the way its made they cant test the individual chips, testing must wait till the RIMM is fully constructed. and so if one chip is a dud, then so is the whole RIMM.
very expensive waste.

with my Kingmax PC150, its one of the few SDRAM brands that is actually manufactured AS PC150, not just high quality PC133. Thus my ram can even do 160Mhz @ cas 2... Shame my PCI components cant LOL

hope this helps a little.
Sir Hamster the first

My Hamster doesnt like sarcasm. He may very well bite you in your hard to reach places!

 

[phsstpok]

All RAM comes from the same few manufacturers

This is partially true. There are only a few manufacturers of DRAM chips. However, there are many manufacturers of memory modules.

 

[walkr]

well i have seen some cheap crap generic ram but then i've seen some good stuff, i work in the industry and there are some brands you learn to stay away from and some that are as good branded ones. But just because the chips say Micron does not mean they put them together, the pcb is just it self can make the differents between good and bad.

I love Intel and AMD... Yes I'm a slut...

 

[Guest]

I bought 256Mb pc133 CAS2.5 for $29 and it worked really great, but it is not o'clockable even a BIT.

 

[FatBurger]

I think the major difference is consistency (branded RAM is more likely to be good), and overclockability. I probably won't be able to overclock my generic PC133 much, but if I had gotten Crucial or Mushkin PC133, I would probably be able to.

------------------------------
Apple? Macintosh? What are these strange words you speak?

 

[blah]

I had generic and Crucial in my boxes, and I was able to run them all at 160 cas3 on CUSL2-C mobo. The only difference that I could see that Crucial (which is used now) can do 150 cas2, which generic originally cas3 can just dream about.

Post, we'll do the "search"...