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TedM · 07-07-2005, 03:29 PM

Dai – I’m asking about memory – DIMMs – so if this is in the wrong forum, please let me know and I’ll re-post it.

Because of the excellent advice above in this thread, I have the beginnings of a great little machine:

Motherboard: ASUS A8N-SLI
CPU: AMD Athlon 64 3200+ (Venice)
Graphics: Single BFG G-Force 6600 GT OC

It’s not a super “hot” system, but I think it will do very nicely for my needs.

I also have a nice new copy of Windows XP Pro SP2 on order, so I won’t have to worry about fiddling with the recovery disk from my old system.

I had such good response when I asked about the above; I thought I’d try my luck with the next section – memory.

The DIMM from my old system (from Everest) -

Field Value: DIMM1: AMD 512 MB PC2100 DDR SDRAM (2.5-3-3-6 @ 133 MHz) (2.0-2-2-5 @ 100 MHz).

Obviously, this will represent a bottleneck if I use it in my new system – a) at 266 MHz, it’s too slow, and b) it’s only one module, so I can’t take advantage of the dual-channel memory support the ASUS offers.

It looks like I’m in the market for some memory (I forget why …), so, here’s the big question:

Who makes “the best” memory modules?

I’ve looked at websites for Ocz, Mushkin, Crucial, Corsair, Kingston, Hynix, Patriot (and about a dozen more), and each one says they’re the best (of course!), so, once again, I’m overcome by the sheer overkill of it all.

What does the voice of experience (you guys) say? Are they all pretty much the same, or is there a consensus favorite?

While I’m at it, here are a few more questions:

1. Some sellers manufacture their own (like Crucial), while others repackage modules made by others. Is this really an advantage or not? Some of the repackaged ones seem to be faster and have better reviews.

2. Do I really need to buy them in matched sets for the dual channels, or can I buy one now and another identical one later?

3. If I wanted to end up with 2 Gigs of memory, I could buy 2 X 1Gb or 4 X 512Mb modules. Is there any advantage one way over the other?

4. Most manufacturers offer “standard” and “premium” memory. Is the “premium” really worth the extra money?

5. The ASUS documentation says it supports PC2100, PC2700, and PC3200 frequencies. Does this mean that there would be absolutely no advantage at all for me to go to a PC4000?

6. This is where I put the question I haven’t thought of yet, but will as soon as I post this!

What do you think?

Thanks again for your time and your excellent, no-nonsense replies!

07-07-2005, 03:29 PM	#22 (permalink)
TedM Registered User Join Date: Jun 2005 Posts: 8 OS: xp home	A DIMM question Dai – I’m asking about memory – DIMMs – so if this is in the wrong forum, please let me know and I’ll re-post it. Because of the excellent advice above in this thread, I have the beginnings of a great little machine: Motherboard: ASUS A8N-SLI CPU: AMD Athlon 64 3200+ (Venice) Graphics: Single BFG G-Force 6600 GT OC It’s not a super “hot” system, but I think it will do very nicely for my needs. I also have a nice new copy of Windows XP Pro SP2 on order, so I won’t have to worry about fiddling with the recovery disk from my old system. I had such good response when I asked about the above; I thought I’d try my luck with the next section – memory. The DIMM from my old system (from Everest) - Field Value: DIMM1: AMD 512 MB PC2100 DDR SDRAM (2.5-3-3-6 @ 133 MHz) (2.0-2-2-5 @ 100 MHz). Obviously, this will represent a bottleneck if I use it in my new system – a) at 266 MHz, it’s too slow, and b) it’s only one module, so I can’t take advantage of the dual-channel memory support the ASUS offers. It looks like I’m in the market for some memory (I forget why …), so, here’s the big question: Who makes “the best” memory modules? I’ve looked at websites for Ocz, Mushkin, Crucial, Corsair, Kingston, Hynix, Patriot (and about a dozen more), and each one says they’re the best (of course!), so, once again, I’m overcome by the sheer overkill of it all. What does the voice of experience (you guys) say? Are they all pretty much the same, or is there a consensus favorite? While I’m at it, here are a few more questions: 1. Some sellers manufacture their own (like Crucial), while others repackage modules made by others. Is this really an advantage or not? Some of the repackaged ones seem to be faster and have better reviews. 2. Do I really need to buy them in matched sets for the dual channels, or can I buy one now and another identical one later? 3. If I wanted to end up with 2 Gigs of memory, I could buy 2 X 1Gb or 4 X 512Mb modules. Is there any advantage one way over the other? 4. Most manufacturers offer “standard” and “premium” memory. Is the “premium” really worth the extra money? 5. The ASUS documentation says it supports PC2100, PC2700, and PC3200 frequencies. Does this mean that there would be absolutely no advantage at all for me to go to a PC4000? 6. This is where I put the question I haven’t thought of yet, but will as soon as I post this! What do you think? Thanks again for your time and your excellent, no-nonsense replies!