Suggest teh "Best" memory for my system (Under $300)...

J

Jitsu

Limp Gawd
Joined
Jan 5, 2004
Messages
280
I'm a relitavely new comp. builder and I'm asking for suggestions on good ram. I'm going to be purchasing it soon.
- I want tried and true reliable memory.
- I want to use this memory for years to come, swapping from system to system, like say I rebuild my current rig in a year, and I want better memory... I want to use this in a lower end build that I make.
- I want the price to be around (pref. under) 300 shipped, via newegg.
- I want a gig (2x512)

Current sys specs:

GA-7N400 PRO2
AMD 2700+ Barton
Nvidia Geforce FX 5700 Ultra (IMO The weak spot in my comp's gaming ability... after this ram purcahse)
37gb Raptor System HDD

Currently 1 Stick of 512 - Corsair Value Select (I guess it's PC2700)
 
get Corsair XMS series twinpack (2x512) of whatever speed you need. dont get anything slower than PC3200, and if youre going to do overclocking you might want faster memory like 3500, 3700 or even 4000, to match higher FSB speeds. Personally I think their XMS PC3200C2 memory (2-3-3-6 timings) is the best bang for the buck (only around 230 on newegg)and has best reviews as well. I've been using it for a long time and couldnt be happier. built 3 systems w/ a gig in each and all ran dual channel at 400mhz and 2-3-3-6 timings. just about to get me a second stick too so I could put mine in dual channel as well
 
OCZ Enhanced Latency Series Platinum Edition 184 Pin 1GB(512MBx2) DDR PC-3200 - Retail


OCZ Enhanced Latency Series Platinum Edition 184 Pin 1GB(512MBx2) DDR PC-3200 - Retail

Model# OCZ4001024ELDCPE-K
Item # N82E16820146896
Specifications:
Manufacturer: OCZ
Speed: DDR400(PC3200)
Type: 184 Pin DDR SDRAM
Error Checking: Non-ECC
Registered/Unbuffered: Unbuffered
Cas Latency: 2-3-2-5 1T
Support Voltage: 2.6V
Bandwidth: 3.2GB/s
Organization: two 64M x 64 -Bit
Special Features: Ultra Low Noise shielded PCB
Warranty: Lifetime

Only for 249.00 dollars, if it doesn't work good, it has a lifetime warranty. That's good. Although people perfer the Corsair because of it's name brand, it doesn't hurt to get this.
 
OCZ all the way, pc3200 rev 2 Kills all and There p4200 or above also kills all except Shika in some cases but i dont know how good of a company shika is so Il stay with OCZ
 
Crucial's Ballistix line is excellent - lifetime warranty and garuanteed compatibility - specs are as good, if not better than Cosair or OCZ

http://www.crucial.com/ballistix/st...=&model=GA-7N400+Pro2&submit.x=21&submit.y=16

2 x 512 PC3200 CL2 (with 4% discount) $267 (plus any tax / shipping)

I'm running it in my GA-7VAX and it's very impressive.

OCZ and Corsair are good as well - tough call really, just providing another option.

peace,
Tim
 
zipzoomfly.com corsair pc3200xl xms 1 gig 2x512 = $285 2-2-2-5 timings, can't go wrong.
 
Newegg has OCZ PC3500 EB for $299 with some great reviews on Anandtech.com and can overclock to 500+mhz. Thats what I'm going for next paycheck.
 
DarkT609 said:
Newegg has OCZ PC3500 EB for $299 with some great reviews on Anandtech.com and can overclock to 500+mhz. Thats what I'm going for next paycheck.
Click to expand...

Double check on the OCZ choices. The pc3500 EB is great, but for $284 @ newegg you can get 1 Gig of the OCZ pc4000 Gold, which has been tested and pushed to the extreme of DDR 597. Basically you'd be getting more for less.
 
somecallmeTim said:
Crucial's Ballistix line is excellent - lifetime warranty and garuanteed compatibility - specs are as good, if not better than Cosair or OCZ
Click to expand...
...he's right. This stuff could be the RAM to have, if early tests pan out....

I have two sticks on order to check out..... :cool:

B.B.S.
 
BadgerSly wrote:
"Double check on the OCZ choices. The pc3500 EB is great, but for $284 @ newegg you can get 1 Gig of the OCZ pc4000 Gold, which has been tested and pushed to the extreme of DDR 597. Basically you'd be getting more for less."

First thing, it won't do DDR597 at a 1:1 ratio which is very important for AMD from what I understand. Secondly, the PC3500 will easily do 250 FSB at a 1:1 ratio, and thats with decent timings too. Not much memory out there can state the same.

I just got my gig of OCZ PC3700 EB, can't wait till I get my CPU in early Sept. so I can try them out.
 
Just to make sure it'll work before I buy... the crucial ballistix pc4000 will work good with my system? (described in first post)
 
Jitsu said:
Just to make sure it'll work before I buy... the crucial ballistix pc4000 will work good with my system? (described in first post)
Click to expand...

If it's listed on the compatibility page, it will work - Crucial stands behind thier product.

as and FYI - we put my Ballistix PC3200 in my daughters system, she's got and nForce2Ultra chipset, and we had it up to 236 Mhz and it was STILL at 2-2-2 timings with no extra voltage. She also has a better 2500+ core than me too... <sniff>. Anyway, I'm impressed with it
 
Should I go with the Ballistix 4000, 3200, 3500...? I'm not sure if I'm going to overclock, I'm just wondering if the 3200 or 3500 will run better than the 4000 at un-overclocked speeds?

Is the 4000 the best?
 
Operaghost said:
BadgerSly wrote:
"Double check on the OCZ choices. The pc3500 EB is great, but for $284 @ newegg you can get 1 Gig of the OCZ pc4000 Gold, which has been tested and pushed to the extreme of DDR 597. Basically you'd be getting more for less."

First thing, it won't do DDR597 at a 1:1 ratio which is very important for AMD from what I understand. Secondly, the PC3500 will easily do 250 FSB at a 1:1 ratio, and thats with decent timings too. Not much memory out there can state the same.

I just got my gig of OCZ PC3700 EB, can't wait till I get my CPU in early Sept. so I can try them out.
Click to expand...

The pc3500 and pc3700 memory is very good stuff also. From your post, though, the pc4000 Gold will do, or has been successfully ran at DDR597 at a 1:1 ratio, booting into Windows. http://www.ocprices.com/index.php?action=reviews&rev_id=177&page=2

Now, would anyone likely keep it at those speeds for extended time? I would hope not (3.3v kind of spooks me), but that does show the great ability of the memory. Toning it down a bit, along with the vDimm, and it should run safely at around DDR 580 or 570.

I'll have my hands on 2 sticks of it tonight, and if I can get DDR 550 out of it, I'll be happy. The closer I can get to DDR 300, the happier I'll be.
 
Jitsu said:
Should I go with the Ballistix 4000, 3200, 3500...? I'm not sure if I'm going to overclock, I'm just wondering if the 3200 or 3500 will run better than the 4000 at un-overclocked speeds?

Is the 4000 the best?
Click to expand...
If 3200 will cover your needs today, you could argue that PC4000 is headroom you don't need. The other side of the coin is that PC4000 has a better upgrade path (you could use it in a different platform down the road).

Buy the best RAM your pocketbook allows....my guess is that you'll never say "...I wish I'd have bought the cheap stuff...".... :D

Good Luck - B.B.S.
 
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