CDRLabs.com

How much does memory brand matter?
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProduct.a ... rty&DEPA=1
Geil, Buffalo Technology, Corsair, Crucial etc...
If two are 6 layer and each has a lifetime warranty, are they equal? I most likely wouldnt be overclocking...

I've heard good things about Crucial and Corsair, and I personally have had good experiences with Crucial PC100 and PC133 SDRAM.

I do nothing but Crucial and Kingston. Kingston is top notch, carried by most all the BigBox stores and frequently on sale with rebates (which they always pay).

IMO, name brand does matter for RAM, provided you want full support. If you are piecing together a machine that you don't care about, then RAM brand doesn't matter, just whatever works. However, since most people care about the machine they piece together, they most often reach for the name brand because that brand will provide technical and warranty support if need be.

Quite honestly, the brand name you want to look for is the actual name stamped on each RAM chip. Kingston makes their own RAM chips, but sometimes they use Samsung, Infineon, or some other manufacturer's chips. Buffalo Technology, on the other hand, does not produce their own chips, therefore they rely on other manufacturer's such as Samsung, Micron, Winbond, etc. Crucial does not make their own chips either, they use Micron chips.

So, to recap, pay close attention to the names on the chips. With some name brands such as Kingston and Crucial, you know you'll be getting high quality RAM because they only use name brand chips. Plus, you get their great service and support. With an OEM Samsung RAM stick, for example, you won't get the same support as Kingston or Crucial, but you may get some support through Samsung directly. Just make sure the stick comes with a warranty.

Here are some brands I trust, these are brands that make RAM chips (in no particular order):

Kingston
Micron
Spectek (division of Micron)
Infineon
Nanya
Elixir (division of Nanya)
Winbond
Samsung
Hynix (division of Hyundai)
NEC
Mushkin

I would add Corsair to the list, but I don't know if they make their own chips. Their high-performance sticks always have heat spreaders, so I can't see what name is printed on the chips! Argh!

Wizard: The newer Corsair XMS3200 and XMS3500 and the newer Mushkin High-Perf RAM modules are pretty much all using Winbond BH-5 and CH-5 chips.
Anandtech has a few good RAM reviews up right now.

AFAIK (i'm sure only 99.9% so don't take my word for it ), Crucial = Micron. Crucial is owned by Micron (actually a division of it), all their memory modules are built on Micron chips.
and they're considered top notch memory. among the best.

dodecahedron wrote:AFAIK (i'm sure only 99.9% so don't take my word for it ), Crucial = Micron. Crucial is owned by Micron (actually a division of it), all their memory modules are built on Micron chips.
and they're considered top notch memory. among the best.

More like 100% . Yep, what dodecahedron said is absolutely right, and they make good RAM.

bhairavp wrote:Wizard: The newer Corsair XMS3200 and XMS3500 and the newer Mushkin High-Perf RAM modules are pretty much all using Winbond BH-5 and CH-5 chips.

Mmm yes, then I have yet to see a Corsair memory chip.