Which RAM

[coleman]

hi all at tom's hardware, long time no pos

i am going to upgrade to 4gb of ram and was wondering what the best on the market is at this paticular time.

any suggestions will be helpful

coleman

 

[g3force]

You didn't mention what type of RAM you needed, it could be DDR for all I know.

 

[rolli59]

corsair, ocz, patriot, gskill, kingston and so on. look at price and warranty and read reviews.

 

[boonality]

This is the stuff right here.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145575

 

[rolli59]

What if he needs DDR2 or 3 or even SODIMM

 

[boonality]

What if...

 

[coleman]

sorry ppl, should have been more specific. i am looking for ddr2. i am usual in the know but i have been busy in the last ferw months.

thanks again

coleman

 

[Gin Fushicho]

Go with these if your not worried about money or cooling ,they may be 800MHz but most people dont use more then that , and its got low latencys. 3-4-3-9 lol. Never seen a latency that low for DDR2 800MHz

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145165

 

[g3force]

Go with these if your not worried about money or cooling ,they may be 800MHz but most people dont use more then that , and its got low latencys. 3-4-3-9 lol. Never seen a latency that low for DDR2 800MHz

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145165

The voltage draw on the memory modules you listed is huge, a lot of people stated that the modules die within 1-3 months... I personally wouldn't run that in my system without sweating.

I recommend going for this set, mainly for the low timings and low voltage draw.

 

[g3force]

I got cut off, so I couldn't link the RAM modules I mentioned above . Here they are.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231209

 

[Gin Fushicho]

I got cut off, so I couldn't link the RAM modules I mentioned above . Here they are.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231209

Okay you are right the voltage is insane. lol , I was being to quick.

These would be ideal if you could find them. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145177

low latency but it wont blow itself up like the last ones I listed. lol.

Or you could get these. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145034

I've used them for a LONG time , almost 3 years now.

 

[g3force]

Okay you are right the voltage is insane. lol , I was being to quick.

These would be ideal if you could find them. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145177

low latency but it wont blow itself up like the last ones I listed. lol.

Or you could get these. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145034

I've used them for a LONG time , almost 3 years now.

True, but the G.Skill Pi Black I listed has the same latencies, runs on a lower voltage, and is a 4Gb set

 

[shortstuff_mt]

True, but the G.Skill Pi Black I listed has the same latencies, runs on a lower voltage, and is a 4Gb set

+1 to the G.Skill PI Black RAM. DDR2 800 RAM with 4-4-4-12 timings at 1.8v is about as good as it gets. I don't know where these crappy 2GB RAM suggestions are coming from.

If the tall heatsinks will interfere with your cooling, you can get RAM with the same specs without the tall heatsinks for $5 less:

G.SKILL HK 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231219 $44.99

I've been using the G.Skill PI Black RAM in recent builds and have yet to be disappointed.

 

[Gin Fushicho]

That G-skill RAM is pretty impressive but the reason I suggest that Corsair is because all Corsair has EPP in them , which lets the memory act as video memory if it has to. Maybe I should look harder.

 

[Gin Fushicho]

This also has EPP http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820146673

with timings of 4-5-4-11

Seems I own these right now and am running 2 sticks at 1.98 Volts , I plan on getting 2 more. Also it would probably help knowing if your running XP or Vista. ^^; most people quickly assume Vista , I quickly Assume XP.

 

[Gin Fushicho]

Or if you are running Vista Try these. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227278

They have EPP and they're timings are 4-4-3-15

Also it would help to Know if your useing Nvidia or ATI , if your useing ATI I suggest you go for what the others posted ,but if Your going for Nvidia I urge you to try something I posted. Or anything else with EPP.

 

[shortstuff_mt]

That G-skill RAM is pretty impressive but the reason I suggest that Corsair is because all Corsair has EPP in them , which lets the memory act as video memory if it has to. Maybe I should look harder.

I think you need to do a little more research on what EPP stands for.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enhanced_Performance_Profiles

EPP doesn't have anything to do with the RAM being used as video memory. EPP is a way for the RAM to be set to the correct speed and timings automatically as long as the motherboard also supports EPP profiles. It's just a scam to charge more money for RAM IMO. I always manually set the RAM speed/timings/voltage to the manufacturers specs in the BIOS, so I have no need for EPP RAM.

The OP asked for a quality 4GB set of RAM. RAM that runs fast at a low voltage is a very good indication of quality RAM.

 

[Gin Fushicho]

Sorry for so many posts , but it wont let me edit my previous ones.

This web page will probably help a lot, it tells you what Chips are in the RAM you my be buying , these guys bought large amounts and tore off the heatsinks to see the chips.

http://ramlist.i4memory.com/ddr2/

 

[Gin Fushicho]

I think you need to do a little more research on what EPP stands for.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enhanced_Performance_Profiles

EPP doesn't have anything to do with the RAM being used as video memory. EPP is a way for the RAM to be set to the correct speed and timings automatically as long as the motherboard also supports EPP profiles. It's just a scam to charge more money for RAM IMO. I always manually set the RAM speed/timings/voltage to the manufacturers specs in the BIOS, so I have no need for EPP RAM.

The OP asked for a quality 4GB set of RAM. RAM that runs fast at a low voltage is a very good indication of quality RAM.

Okay, but it still helps a lot if your going Nvidia.... and overclocking.

Yeah go with the G-skill Pi black. suggested earlier , those are bad ass.

 

[coleman]

thanks shortstuff_mt i am going to go with the http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231219, on oyur suggestion.

looking forward to it

 

[shortstuff_mt]

thanks shortstuff_mt i am going to go with the http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231219, on oyur suggestion.

looking forward to it

You won't be disappointed!

 

[Gin Fushicho]

Enjoy. x3