Differentiating between the brands of memory

Hi, guys.

I have a question about choosing memory brands.

Simply glancing over NewEgg's selection tells me that there are many different brands, like Corsair, Patriot, OCZ, etc.

And, it seems that every brand is well-esteemed with tons of good reviews.

So, my question is, if I am planning to upgrade my memory, which of the leading brands do you guys recommend? And, does it even matter?

Thanks for your input.

 

Oops! I neglected to mention that I also observed these factors:

Cas Latency:
Heat Spreader:
Timing:
Voltage:

Would anyone be so kind as to provide a brief description of what each of these mean and how they would affect my system if I were to install them?

In addition, how would I find out if the particular memory is compatible with my system, i.e., number of pins, PC----.

Lastly, how much should it cost if I were to ask a computer technician in Chinatown to install my memory (I have never worked with internals before)?

 

Depend on the type of computer you'll be putting the ram into. You need laptop memory: usually 200 pin SO-DIMMS. For DDR2 @533 Mhz right now you can usually get a CAS latency of 4, for DDR2 @ 667 it's harder to find. There are a few out there with CAS latency of 4 but most are 5 right now. it won't make much of a difference, only really noticable in benchmarking. Heat spreaders are usually not necessary and usually come on RDRAM, which is obsolete. It would be a nice thing to have I suppose, but not needed by any means. Timing is related to CAS Latency, and I'm not real knowledgable about that, check out google or some of our more esteemed collegues. =P.

Voltage depends on your board I believe but you'll want something in the range of 1.8 to 2.0 volts.

On most computers installing RAM is a piece of cake. If you can provide what model you'll be working on hopefully someone can help you out. As far as brands go, most offer a lifetime warranty so it doesn't make much of a difference--just lesser brands break more often so you might have to wait a few days for a replacement part to arrive. People here like OCZ, Mushkin, Patriot, Corsair etc...I have 2 gigs of Buffalo in my laptop and it works just fine. A little cheaper too!

Please ask more questions if I haven't been clear enough.

Best of Luck to you!!

 

Top companies for memory: Corsair, Mushkin, OCZ, Kingston are top vendors. If I were you, dont pay some one to install memory when its really simple and not that hard to do. You need to be careful and safe when touching the motherboard so you dont zap it(No Sock wearing). Static discharges are the big worry with doing things like this. For some people, hair is the problem as it creates the static and BOOM! charge is put into notebook.

 

Cas Latency and Timings: The timings are, well, settings for how many cycles it takes for the RAM to perform various operations.
Timings are usually listed as 4 or 5 numbers separated by a - (like 4-4-4-4)
The first number is the CAS latency, and is usually the most important one.
Unless you're after the absolutely best performance, this can largely be disregarded though. (However, lower timings tend to imply higher quality ram, as well as better performance)
Heat Spreader: Just a block of aluminium or copper or whatever else, that wraps the RAM block. Helps dissipate heat, which is useful for overclocking. Under normal conditions, it doesn't really make a difference (If the ram runs so hot it *needs* a heat spreader, it'll come with one anyway. And if it doesn't need it, who cares?)
Voltage: How much voltage it's rated to handle. Higher voltage is often used when overclocking, and so, RAM that's able to survive higher voltage is nice for those purposes. Again, if you're just going to run the system at normal speeds, it doesn't really make a difference. They have to support the standard voltages, so this is really just extra fluff you can disregard.

Finally, compatibility, pins and such:
The easiest way is probably to ask you which system you have, then we can probably tell you what type of memory it uses.

There are two relevant memory standards. DDR and DDR2.
On desktop systems, that's all there is to it. If your system uses DDR, it's compatible with DDR memory and nothing else. The pins are guaranteed to match up then, and all is well. And the same goes for DDR2.

PC---- is just a sort of speed rating. 400MHz RAM is rated PC3200 (I can't remember why), and 533Mhz is called PC4200 I think. Higher number corresponds to faster speed.
DDR2 is usually rated PC2 ----, whereas "oldfashioned" DDR is just PC ----

I'll let someone else explain notebook RAM, as I've never really looked into that (my notebook needs more than a RAM upgrade to be useful anyway)

How much it'd cost to get someone else to do it? Dunno, I've never tried that.

It's easy enough to do yourself though, although a more detailed explanation will have to wait until we know if it's an notebook or desktop system we're talking about.

 

Notebook RAM is simple stuff really - there are not many factors involved when buying it as there are with desktops. All you have to do is make sure it is a reliable brand, and will be compatible with your laptop - that's it. Ask your manufacturer about what RAM type your laptop accepts, or you can download CPU-Z and it will tell you.
It's hard to even get the full timings for notebook RAM (usually just the CAS is given) - don't even worry about it. They are usually all the same. If you're that worried about performance, then get a desktop.
You won't find heat spreaders on notebook RAM by the way - there's no room for them in a laptop.

It seems like most manufacturers gave up the "PC2" designation; most just call it PCxxxx.

The numbering is calculated by multiplying the RAM's frequency by eight. So, 533 * 8 = 4264. PC4200 memory shouldn't even exist if manufacturers rounded properly, since, if rounding to the nearist one-hudredth, 4264 would be 4300. Oddly enough, 533MHz memory is most commonly called PC4200. I just stick with whatever there's more of.

 

Darn, what happen to the days where you just bought the ones with the lowest "ns" ratings

 

Notebook memory is pretty simple in that there isn't a large overclocking offering out there, and there are a large number of reliable brands out there. In my opinion you should simply select one of those reliable makers and purchase the cheapest you can.

 

Thanks for all of your responses--they were very helpful and informative ^_^
I own a Sony VAIO VGN-SZ250.

Chaz, based on what you've told me, is it true that memory for desktops cannot be used for notebooks?

 

Desktop and notebook memory are not interchangeable. Desktop RAM is rather large and notebook RAM is very tiny.

 

What TwilightVampire said is correct. To add more onto it, desktops use full size DDR2 DIMM memory modules while laptops use what is called SO-DIMM modules. The difference is the size, a DDR2 DIMM for desktop has 240 pins while the laptop version has 200 pins.

Here's pictures of the two to illustrate the difference of desktop versus laptop ram.


Desktop DDR2 DIMM


Laptop DDR2 SO-DIMM

 

Crucial, it is on average 30 bucks more than other ram in the notebook section, but it is well worth it, I just ordered another 1gb stick after having one for 5 months with extreme performance and great reliability. It is 130 bucks for a 1 gig of crucial notebook ram (for my notebook, different ram types prices may vary). The reviews are 99.9 percent 5 star as well. Hope this helps you out. It does sound kind of crazy to throw away an extra 30 bucks, but you wont regret it in the long run.

 

I have a silly question. I got 1 GB with 2 Sticks of 512 MB of 533 Mhz RAM. I would like to upgrade to have a total of 2 GB of RAM. It's two questions:

1) Where does Dell put the memory from the factory? Under the Keyboard or under the case?

2) If I upgrade to 2 GB, do I need to just buy 2 sticks of 1 GB, or can I just add 1 stick of RAM to my 2 sticks of 512 MB from the factory?

 

1. I believe there is one slot under the notebook, and the other is under the keyboard, but I could be mistaken.
2. The laptop only has two RAM slots, so if you already have 2x 512MB, you'll have to remove both and replace them with 2x 1024MB if you want 2GB.

 

Chaz,

Thanks for the reply.

Can I theoretically mix Aftermarket RAM with my factory RAM or do I have to toss one of the 512's?

The reason I was asking was that at Compusa there was a sale on 1 GB DDR2/533 mhz RAM. If I wanted to add RAM, can't I mixed the Dell factory RAM with the 3rd party RAM, or is that a really bad idea?

BTW is PNY any good or should I stick with Kingston?

 

Yes you can I just did that .

However its best to use same brand , size and type ( specs wise ) .

Your user manual shows in detail how to get access to your memory , even if its under the keyboard its only a 5 min work ( thats how much time it takes to take it apart in a 9300 and put it back again ) .

 

I would reccomend using the same company. My notebook came with 2 256 sticks, I bought a gig of crucial ram. I just left the 256 out because I didnt want to mix ram until I bought the other stick of 1gb crucial. 2 Gigs is fast, its an incredible difference from 1 gig.

 

I would try to buy the same brand stick aftermarket, but it doesn't make much of a difference. I have mixed different brands of RAM in desktops and laptops alike, and never had a problem.