Whats 'Generic' Ram like for performance?

[nebulus]

Ive spotted 256mb of generic DDR333/2700 Ram going quite cheap, and wondered how it measures up on reputation? Anybody know much about Generic sticks and how well they perform compared to Company-Specific Brands?

 

[MrGaribaldi]

Generic ram doesn't have any reputation per say...
They range in quality from very good to terrible...

Usually they're OK, but whether you should use it or not depends on what you plan on using it for...

I wouldn't put generic ram into a server, nor for a highend machine, but for a workstation I don't see any problem...

Also generic ram isn't an overclockers choice as they're usually pushed to the limit allready...

The pro of generic ram is that it's cheap...
You don't pay for a brand name, but you don't get the reputation/guaranty of the brand either...

If you are on a budget, going with generic ram now, and upgrading to a brand name at a later time is what I'd do... But if you have the cash for a good brand name (crucial, kingston, etc), then go for brand...

.02$ (did this make any sense?)

 

[Rick]

Performance is virtually null. While there are very slight differences in performance of different brands, they are all fast and close enough to not matter.

Generic memory do have the unfortunate side of effects of poor overclockability, bad compatibility and sometimes stability issues.

You are more likely to get a module of Crucial memory working in your board (and with other memory) than a Bubba's Housebrand Special™.

 

[SNGX1275]

In my expierence cheap ram seems to work better with 9x OSes than NT based ones, I also wouldn't recommend mixing brands - i.e. try and avoid running this generic ram alongside another type of RAM.
Again these are my expierences and I don't have any scientific proof to back up what I said - others may disagree.

 

[Rick]

Y eah, I don't know what it is, but I too have seen instances where bad RAM would work in 98 but not 2000. Curious.

 

[nebulus]

Thanks for the input, very handy knowledge

Gee thanks guys . Im so glad i didnt go ahead and spend on the Generic RAM yesterday, as i was very nearly about to do it. My plans for the RAM is to input it into my new system, which will mainly be used for gaming, and Office/Graphics Applications, Internet. I indeed plan also to possibly overclock on this new rig that ive bought, as i have an Athlon XP 2000+ Chip that i have also purchased, and so i think that 'Bubba's Housebrand Special™' (haha Rick), - Generic crap is a definate no-no.

I have heard loads about 'Crucial's' Ram being good (the best even), but it is rather expensive and im on a tight budget. I have just bought a new board that supports 3 GIG DDR333/PC2700, and i am looking at buying about £60's worth. I saw a stick of 128Mb Crucial (PC2700 DDR-DIMM 128MB CL2.5 6ns Unbuffered, Non-parity, 2.5V, 16Meg x 64), for £46.79. I think i may go ahead and buy that instead now. Are there any other companies that match up to Crucial? Hows Kingston or PNY Memory? I have been looking for a benchmark site but cant seem to find one anywhere for DDR333 that compares different brands

 

[Mictlantecuhtli]

Crucial, Hynix, Kingston, Mushkin, Samsung, all good brands

 

[nebulus]

Made a purchase!

Gone with Crucial! Heres what i bought:

256 Mb DDR PC2700 • CL=2.5 • Unbuffered • Non-parity • 6ns • 2.5V • 32Meg x 64 = £65.55 with P&P

I noticed another stick on the site slightly cheaper and yet very similair, the only difference was that it did not have the '6ns' in the spec? Of course i had to go for the one with the extra feature , but what is this 6ns that ive paid extra for? Obviously some sort of access time? Would you say it was worth the extra few quid for that? Ram Specs are something that i dont know much about, apart from recognising the naming conventions. Does anyone know a good site where i can find out what they all mean, or would somebody perhaps like to explain to me what some of those things in my Ram spec mean and how they work?. Thanks if you can, oh, and thanks for all the other advice so far everyone

 

[Mictlantecuhtli]

Re: Made a purchase!

Mb = Megabits. People often mix bytes, B and bits, b. It should be megabytes.

DDR = Double Data Rate

PC2700 = JEDEC's standard for 333 MHz DDR memory packaging

CL = CAS Latency. CAS = Column Access Strobe. Tells how long it will take to read a column of memory cells. Measured in clock cycle lengths.

Unbuffered = not buffered . Buffered modules contain a buffer to help the chip set cope with the large electrical load required. The buffer electrically isolates the memory from the controller to minimize the load the chipset sees.

Non-parity = The memory module doesn't have an extra memory chip to detect if the data is correctly read or written.

6 ns = Total time required to deliver data from the memory chip to the memory controller.

2.5V = The default voltage the memory module uses to operate.

32Meg x 64 = The memory module consists of 32 MB, 64-bit chips.

 

[Eric Legge]

Paul Mullen, the highly-respected computer guru of the Helpfile at ComputerShopper.co.uk - "I have recently been buying my memory only ftom Crucial Technology. I would rather pay the extra cost than waste time trying to track down the obscure program faults that bad memory can cause.

Eric,

http://www.legge40.freeserve.co.uk/BuyerBeware.htm

 

[Phantasm66]

I generally always buy crucial or kingston. usually crucial.

 

[nebulus]

Thanks for the explanations on RAM Spec Mictlantecuhtli.
Seems that buying my RAM from Crucial was the best choice then Thanks for the input everyone!

 

[Th3M1ghtyD8]

I have had some good experiences with buying Generic RAM in the past, quite often they use the same chips as most of the big memory companies. I Bought a stick of PC133 Crucial, and when I compared to a generic stick it had exactly the same chips on it, and yet cost nearly £30 more.

However, I can see why people do buy branded RAM, it is guaranteed to be good quality, but unless you are a real performance enthusiast or running Servers, generic RAM can be quite an easy way to save money (especially as RAM prices seem to be creeping back up again).

 

[poertner_1274]

Concur.

I bought Kingston when I first got my PC, but I got some generic since then to add to it, and it is still working fine. I haven't had any compatibility issues, or problems.

I guess it all just goes to the user though. You find the same thing when buying cars, some people won't buy anything bur Ford, and others nothing but Chevy, etc.