Unbranded RAM from China: Any Good?

[Giants_1]

I'm looking for DDR2-5300 RAM and came across no-name, cheap RAM from a vendor in China:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/2GB-RAM-Memory-DDR2-PC2-5300-U667MHZ-DIMM-memory-240-pin-PC-Desktop-Memory-/162186346611?hash=item25c30f4073:g:Z5gAAOSw-0xYdzkH

Should I pay the extra and get a brand name, or is all this RAM pretty much the same? Thanks

 

[BFG-9000]

I would consider it for a desktop, but not the furnace-like environment of a laptop.

Branded RAM is speced with solder and soldering techniques that holds up long-term, not least because it often carries a lifetime warranty, while unbranded RAM is often put together using whatever is available or cheapest.

It does work, but in the extreme thermal cycling hell of a laptop, can develop "cold solders" if the wrong solder was chosen. I've had unbranded RAM fail but work again after a baking/reflow, which is your only option with BGA and a temporary fix at best (at least with TSOP you could resolder it with different solder). I mean they could have made it correctly but then won't stand behind it by even putting their name on it, so it's a crap-shoot.

I would rather use the most generic used but Brand-name RAM such as OEMs fit as original equipment (like Ramaxel) than new unbranded sticks.

BTW just about any non-enthusiast RAM has lower speeds programmed into the SPD so DDR2-6400 or 8500 should work just as well in a system that takes 5300

 

[Giants_1]

Thanks. The computer in question, a Dell XPS 210, runs DDR2-5300.

http://www.cnet.com/products/dell-xps-210/specs/

http://www.dell.com/support/home/us/en/19/product-support/servicetag/311TXG1/configuration

Do you mean that it will accept DDR2-6400, but run it at DDR2-5300 speeds?

Dell and Crucial.com say it can take a max of 4 GB (4 slots present). I've read a few reports that others ran 8 GB. Is there a way to know for sure? I have BIOS version 2.4.0, the highest on Dell's website, but I've read that 2.5.1 and 2.5.3 are available. Would a BIOS upgrade help/be needed? If so, how would I find 2.5.3 and, if the BIOS doesn't work, revert back to 2.4.0? Thanks!

 

[aquielisunari]

I'm looking for DDR2-5300 RAM and came across no-name, cheap RAM from a vendor in China:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/2GB-RAM-Memory-DDR2-PC2-5300-U667MHZ-DIMM-memory-240-pin-PC-Desktop-Memory-/162186346611?hash=item25c30f4073:g:Z5gAAOSw-0xYdzkH

Should I pay the extra and get a brand name, or is all this RAM pretty much the same? Thanks

First off I try to make sure I deal with sellers with 99.3% or better ratings. That seller is not one I would do business with. Secondly. No. Just no. Stay away from that seller. Not all RAM is the same. I would pay extra for a brand name that comes with a warranty and a return window. That gets difficult with DDR2 RAM. In my experience I have always stayed with brand names. Every component is important(thanks to Capt. Obvious 😀). Cut corners and there can be major issues. Buy a PSU for a desktop that's unbranded and when it dies it can take other hardware with it. Hardware these days is many times tested/reviewed by a third party such as Hard OCP. When you stray from the beaten path with PC/laptop hardware you can find unexpected and unwelcome pitfalls.

 

[USAFRet]

Do you want it cheap (with a 2-3 month delivery time), or do you want it to actually work?

There is no way I'd buy that. I might not even use it if someone handed them to me for free.

 

[BFG-9000]

Thanks. The computer in question, a Dell XPS 210, runs DDR2-5300.

http://www.cnet.com/products/dell-xps-210/specs/

http://www.dell.com/support/home/us/en/19/product-support/servicetag/311TXG1/configuration

Do you mean that it will accept DDR2-6400, but run it at DDR2-5300 speeds?

Dell and Crucial.com say it can take a max of 4 GB (4 slots present). I've read a few reports that others ran 8 GB. Is there a way to know for sure? I have BIOS version 2.4.0, the highest on Dell's website, but I've read that 2.5.1 and 2.5.3 are available. Would a BIOS upgrade help/be needed? If so, how would I find 2.5.3 and, if the BIOS doesn't work, revert back to 2.4.0? Thanks!

That is exactly what it suggests, but it will actually do better than that and run 8GB of DDR2-6400 or 8500 at DDR2-6400 speeds. So buy some nice branded DDR2-6400 used from eBay.

The XPS 210 has a 965 chipset which not only takes up to 8GB at up to 800MHz/DDR2-6400, but it even supports either of two 65nm Core 2 Quads (which are only $15-25 on eBay). A helpful person wrote an entire upgrade guide here and suggests BIOS 2.4.0 is fine.