RAM and other queries (prices and specs). Help!

ekzchan · May 29, 2012

I am new here to this forum and I'm glad I found you guys. Anyway, I'm planning to build my own PC now and I have some questions.

But before that, recently I've heard someone said that "all RAM comes from the same TWO factories but just have different labels and prices depending on the Factory and end supplier who is actually selling the stuff."

So first, what brand of RAM do you think offers the cheapest price?

Secondly, I am still not sure of my choices regarding my build.

CPU: AMD Athlon II X2 250 Regor 3.0GHz AM3 65W
MoBo: ASRock 880GM-LE FX AM3+ AMD 880G Micro ATX
RAM: G.Skill 2 x 2GB DDR3 1333 Mhz /7-7-7-21 /1.5V Ripjaws X-black

Those are just some of my choices. Please tell me if it's good. I'm not building this for primary gaming. Most of the things that I do is Graphic designs (photoshop cs4), watching movies, downloads, web browsing, moderate gaming. And I'm on a budget.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

bobkn · May 29, 2012

It's a microATX board, with only 2 RAM slots. If that's OK with you, then go for it.

Asrock publishes a QVL (memory qualified vendors list) for the board. The QVL tends to be out of date, but if you wish to be conservative, you can choose RAM from it.

http://www.asrock.com/mb/memory/880GM-LE%20FX.pdf

As regards the CPU, more cores might be helpful for some applications, but at a higher cost. An X3 might be a good compromise: significantly better performance than an X2, but at a lower price than the quads.

What do you intend for the OS? A System Builder (generic OEM) license is the cheapest, but it's not supposed to be transferable to a new motherboard.

ignatzatsonic · May 29, 2012

ekzchan said:
But before that, recently I've heard someone said that "all RAM comes from the same TWO factories but just have different labels and prices depending on the Factory and end supplier who is actually selling the stuff."

So first, what brand of RAM do you think offers the cheapest price?

You could go to Newegg and get a pretty good answer to that.

But that's not how I would buy RAM.

Certain companies make the RAM chips. Others make the circuit board to which the chips attach. Others may assemble the chips onto the circuit board. Others sell the assembled product. There is some overlap among these functions.

So, if you look at a stick of X brand RAM, there may be 2 or 3 companies involved. And some companies will have better quality control than others.

Some companies may do all of those functions or at least more than others---Crucial maybe, or Samsung? I don't think Samsung sells RAM at retail.

I wouldn't agonize much over who made the individual components. If you get a bad stick, you will have to deal with the seller or the brand name.

I'd buy from a reliable vendor and get a brand with a good reputation--G Skill, Crucial, or Corsair would be my choices. Generally, there is no need to get high-priced RAM if you are not overclocking it.

ekzchan · May 30, 2012

bobkn said:
It's a microATX board, with only 2 RAM slots. If that's OK with you, then go for it.

Ok. First, what's with microATX Board? Is it bad? I mean, I really don't have much idea on this cause I'm not an IT or someone like that. I'm still in the process of exploring technical things. Secondly, I'm OK with 2 RAM slots.

bobkn said:
Asrock publishes a QVL (memory qualified vendors list) for the board. The QVL tends to be out of date, but if you wish to be conservative, you can choose RAM from it.

http://www.asrock.com/mb/memory/880GM-LE%20FX.pdf

So what RAM would you suggest from the list?

bobkn said:
As regards the CPU, more cores might be helpful for some applications, but at a higher cost. An X3 might be a good compromise: significantly better performance than an X2, but at a lower price than the quads.

I guess X2 is fine with me. I don't intend this for gaming anyway. And I'm on a budget for now.

bobkn said:
What do you intend for the OS? A System Builder (generic OEM) license is the cheapest, but it's not supposed to be transferable to a new motherboard.

I'm kinda lost here. What's generic OEM?

Thank you so much for the response. Appreciate it.

ekzchan · May 30, 2012

ignatzatsonic said:
You could go to Newegg and get a pretty good answer to that.

But that's not how I would buy RAM.

Certain companies make the RAM chips. Others make the circuit board to which the chips attach. Others may assemble the chips onto the circuit board. Others sell the assembled product. There is some overlap among these functions.

So, if you look at a stick of X brand RAM, there may be 2 or 3 companies involved. And some companies will have better quality control than others.

Some companies may do all of those functions or at least more than others---Crucial maybe, or Samsung? I don't think Samsung sells RAM at retail.

I wouldn't agonize much over who made the individual components. If you get a bad stick, you will have to deal with the seller or the brand name.

I'd buy from a reliable vendor and get a brand with a good reputation--G Skill, Crucial, or Corsair would be my choices. Generally, there is no need to get high-priced RAM if you are not overclocking it.

I've been in newegg this past few days searching for components. Now, I guess I'll have to choose between G.Skill, Crucial, and Corsair. I thought Kingston is also one of the reliable vendors. Anyway, I've read the term "overclocking" many times but still not sure what does it really mean. What does overclocking really do?

Thank you so much for the response. I appreciate it.

ignatzatsonic · May 30, 2012

ekzchan said:
What does overclocking really do?

Improved performance, in exchange for more heat, more money, and more tinkering.

Normally done by "hobbyists" rather than the average PC user.

You can overclock a CPU or RAM or both.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overclocking

I can't recall hearing bad things recently about Kingston.

Nothing wrong with micro ATX. It's all most people need. A micro ATX motherboard typically is slightly smaller and does not have full-length PCI slots---which most people don't need. A micro ATX case should fit fine in any micro ATX or full ATX case. They are usually a bit cheaper than full ATX motherboards.

bobkn · May 30, 2012

ekzchan said:
bobkn said:

It's a microATX board, with only 2 RAM slots. If that's OK with you, then go for it.

Click to expand...

Ok. First, what's with microATX Board? Is it bad? I mean, I really don't have much idea on this cause I'm not an IT or someone like that. I'm still in the process of exploring technical things. Secondly, I'm OK with 2 RAM slots.

bobkn said:

Asrock publishes a QVL (memory qualified vendors list) for the board. The QVL tends to be out of date, but if you wish to be conservative, you can choose RAM from it.

http://www.asrock.com/mb/memory/880GM-LE FX.pdf

Click to expand...

So what RAM would you suggest from the list?

bobkn said:

As regards the CPU, more cores might be helpful for some applications, but at a higher cost. An X3 might be a good compromise: significantly better performance than an X2, but at a lower price than the quads.

Click to expand...

I guess X2 is fine with me. I don't intend this for gaming anyway. And I'm on a budget for now.

The larger number of cores would probaly more useful for real-world tasks than gaming.

bobkn said:

What do you intend for the OS? A System Builder (generic OEM) license is the cheapest, but it's not supposed to be transferable to a new motherboard.

Click to expand...

I'm kinda lost here. What's generic OEM?

Thank you so much for the response. Appreciate it.

microATX is a small board, 244 mm (9.6") square or smaller. A full-sized ATX board is 305 X 244 mm (12 X 9.6"). microATX has less area, fewer peripheral (PCI, PCI-E) slots, etc. Nothing bad there if it meets your needs.

I probably wouldn't buy RAM from the QVL. One option is to follow the RAM manufacturer's recommendations, such as:

G.SKILL-SEARCH BY MANUFACTURER MODEL NAME

Generic OEM is a license that's intended for manufacturers, but not customized for any manufacturer, and sold as a single copy. Example:

Newegg.com - Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 32-bit - Operating Systems

(Newegg sells this without hardware.)

ekzchan · May 30, 2012

ignatzatsonic said:
Improved performance, in exchange for more heat, more money, and more tinkering.

Normally done by "hobbyists" rather than the average PC user.

You can overclock a CPU or RAM or both.

Overclocking - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I can't recall hearing bad things recently about Kingston.

Nothing wrong with micro ATX. It's all most people need. A micro ATX motherboard typically is slightly smaller and does not have full-length PCI slots---which most people don't need. A micro ATX case should fit fine in any micro ATX or full ATX case. They are usually a bit cheaper than full ATX motherboards.

I see. Ok. So here's my follow-up question. Is it OK if I don't overclock my CPU or RAM? I always believe that overclocking is only and mostly recommended for gaming PC only. Correct me if I'm wrong. Also it's kind of risky for me to overclock my PC considering that I'm not an expert into this.

Thanks!

ekzchan · May 30, 2012

bobkn said:
The larger number of cores would probaly more useful for real-world tasks than gaming.

microATX is a small board, 244 mm (9.6") square or smaller. A full-sized ATX board is 305 X 244 mm (12 X 9.6"). microATX has less area, fewer peripheral (PCI, PCI-E) slots, etc. Nothing bad there if it meets your needs.

I probably wouldn't buy RAM from the QVL. One option is to follow the RAM manufacturer's recommendations, such as:

G.SKILL-SEARCH BY MANUFACTURER MODEL NAME

Generic OEM is a license that's intended for manufacturers, but not customized for any manufacturer, and sold as a single copy. Example:

Newegg.com - Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 32-bit - Operating Systems

(Newegg sells this without hardware.)

I'll check my budget first if I can go with X3. It's a $25 difference between X2 and X3.

Anyway, I'm planning to buy 2pcs of (Newegg- Kingston HyperX Blu 2GB 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333) instead of G.Skill. This seems more cheaper. And all the review is 5/5. What do you think?

Also, I am planning to have a Windows 7 Enterprise OS. Is it good? What's the best windows 7 OS for you?

Thanks!

ignatzatsonic · May 30, 2012

ekzchan said:
I see. Ok. So here's my follow-up question. Is it OK if I don't overclock my CPU or RAM? I always believe that overclocking is only and mostly recommended for gaming PC only. Correct me if I'm wrong. Also it's kind of risky for me to overclock my PC considering that I'm not an expert into this.

Thanks!

Absolutely OK not to overclock. I'd guess over 90% of PCs are not overclocked. I don't overclock. It's done mostly by gamers and people who like to experiment. It's like hot-rodding a car. It is risky to some extent and is not something you learn to do overnight.

If you don't overclock, just get ordinary speed RAM--probably 1333 or 1600 in your case. No heat spreaders needed, no extra fans needed, no overclocking to be done.

bobkn · May 30, 2012

ekzchan said:
I'll check my budget first if I can go with X3. It's a $25 difference between X2 and X3.

Anyway, I'm planning to buy 2pcs of (Newegg- Kingston HyperX Blu 2GB 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333) instead of G.Skill. This seems more cheaper. And all the review is 5/5. What do you think?

Also, I am planning to have a Windows 7 Enterprise OS. Is it good? What's the best windows 7 OS for you?

Thanks!

If you are located where you can buy from Newegg, use their memory selector. The Asrock board that you've chosen is included. I suggest buying a dual-channel kit, for which there is no price premium.

The cheapest:

Newegg.com - G.SKILL NS 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10600) Desktop Memory Model F3-10600CL9D-4GBNS

cheap DDR3-1600 (will run at 133 unless you use an XMP profile):

Newegg.com - Crucial Ballistix sport 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 Desktop Memory Model BL2KIT25664BA160A

something from Corsair:

Newegg.com - CORSAIR 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 Desktop Memory Model CMV4GX3M2A1333C9

and the least expensive dual channel HyperX:

Newegg.com - Kingston HyperX Blu 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 Desktop Memory Model KHX1333C9D3B1K2/4G

As regards overclocking, it's hardly a normal thing to do. I tend to overclock as a matter of course, but the following considerations apply:

You may need a better heatsink/fan than stock ($$$).

An overclocked PC may be happier if the room is not warm.

The life of the CPU and other components may be shortened.

The stability of the PC may be reduced.

Your warranty may be affected.

As for using Win7 Enterprise, how do you intend to acquire it? (You probably shouldn't respond if it's to be pirated.) It's not available at retail. It's basically the same as Ultimate. I'm not sure what it lacks compared to Ultimate. (Language packs, probably.)

ekzchan · May 30, 2012

ignatzatsonic said:
Absolutely OK not to overclock. I'd guess over 90% of PCs are not overclocked. I don't overclock. It's done mostly by gamers and people who like to experiment. It's like hot-rodding a car. It is risky to some extent and is not something you learn to do overnight.

If you don't overclock, just get ordinary speed RAM--probably 1333 or 1600 in your case. No heat spreaders needed, no extra fans needed, no overclocking to be done.

Now that just clear things up. Thank you so much.

ekzchan · May 30, 2012

bobkn said:
If you are located where you can buy from Newegg, use their memory selector. The Asrock board that you've chosen is included. I suggest buying a dual-channel kit, for which there is no price premium.

The cheapest:

Newegg.com - G.SKILL NS 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10600) Desktop Memory Model F3-10600CL9D-4GBNS

cheap DDR3-1600 (will run at 133 unless you use an XMP profile):

Newegg.com - Crucial Ballistix sport 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 Desktop Memory Model BL2KIT25664BA160A

something from Corsair:

Newegg.com - CORSAIR 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 Desktop Memory Model CMV4GX3M2A1333C9

and the least expensive dual channel HyperX:

Newegg.com - Kingston HyperX Blu 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 Desktop Memory Model KHX1333C9D3B1K2/4G

As regards overclocking, it's hardly a normal thing to do. I tend to overclock as a matter of course, but the following considerations apply:

You may need a better heatsink/fan than stock ($$$).

An overclocked PC may be happier if the room is not warm.

The life of the CPU and other components may be shortened.

The stability of the PC may be reduced.

Your warranty may be affected.

As for using Win7 Enterprise, how do you intend to acquire it? (You probably shouldn't respond if it's to be pirated.) It's not available at retail. It's basically the same as Ultimate. I'm not sure what it lacks compared to Ultimate. (Language packs, probably.)

I thought newegg can ship internationally. Too bad, they don't. They were the cheapest online store I've ever found.

Anyway, I'm looking for a CL7. I've read that the lower cast latency is the better. How much speed difference a CL9 from CL7 would be? I mean, if it's not that big different I will go with a CL9.

As regard with Win7 Enterprise, I didn't knew that it's not available at retail. My friend just told me that I can have his Win7 Enterprise.

Thanks again for your response.

ignatzatsonic · May 30, 2012

ekzchan said:
Anyway, I'm looking for a CL7. I've read that the lower cast latency is the better. How much speed difference a CL9 from CL7 would be? I mean, if it's not that big different I will go with a CL9.

There is very very little difference. In day to day use, it's highly unlikely you could tell the difference. It might show up in a benchmark, but not in real life.

Save the money and spend it elsewhere---a better CPU or a tasty sandwich.

ekzchan · May 30, 2012

ignatzatsonic said:
There is very very little difference. In day to day use, it's highly unlikely you could tell the difference. It might show up in a benchmark, but not in real life.

Save the money and spend it elsewhere---a better CPU or a tasty sandwich.

I see. Thanks for that.

I thought CL7 would give more speed in your PC performance than CL9.

bobkn · May 30, 2012

ekzchan said:
ignatzatsonic said:

There is very very little difference. In day to day use, it's highly unlikely you could tell the difference. It might show up in a benchmark, but not in real life.

Save the money and spend it elsewhere---a better CPU or a tasty sandwich.

Click to expand...

I see. Thanks for that. I thought CL7 would give more speed in your PC performance than CL9.

This is for the Intel "Sandy Bridge" memory controller, but it may be of interest:

AnandTech - Sandy Bridge Memory Scaling: Choosing the Best DDR3

(Basically, the difference between CL7 and CL9 is small in synthetic benchmarks. For real applications, the difference is smaller.)

ekzchan · May 30, 2012

bobkn said:
This is for the Intel "Sandy Bridge" memory controller, but it may be of interest:

AnandTech - Sandy Bridge Memory Scaling: Choosing the Best DDR3

(Basically, the difference between CL7 and CL9 is small in synthetic benchmarks. For real applications, the difference is smaller.)

The price really differ. Thanks for that.

ekzchan · May 30, 2012

Ok. I have another query. I found this from AMD official website. I'm confuse about this.

Type of Memory Supported:
X2 - Support for unregistered DIMMs up to PC2-8500 (DDR2-1066MHz) -AND- PC3-8500 (DDR3-1066MHz)
X3 and X4 - Support for unregistered DIMMs up to PC2-8500 (DDR2-1066MHz) -AND- PC3 10600 (DDR3-1333MHz)

Does this mean to say I can't go for a DDR3-1333MHz in AMD II X2 CPU? I'm planning to have X2 CPU for now because the budget is really tight. But I'm also planning to have a DDR3-1333 for my X2 CPU. I'm really confuse about this things.

RAM and other queries (prices and specs). Help!

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