I'm fairly comfortable with most aspects of choosing RAM, except as defined by the title of this thread. How important is it if choosing between two brands, if the specs are otherwise equal to each other?
Also, some fairly obscure brands of RAM are made with chips from major sources....which matters more the brand of the ram or the chips on them?
from what I know there are a limited number of factory that actually make ram chips. now me personally I like to stick with brand names as I know I can get support when and if needed. I have also built many desktops and had about a half dozen laptops.
My experience is more limited than your's, I have only built a few desktops and no laptops. My experience with RAM is more limited than that, but so far the RAM sticks that I have used all just about equaled each other in terms of performance and support. But then I have only had Corsair VS, Centon, PNY and Nanya. The only one that I have needed support on was Centon, but that was rather painless...but then they have not responded to my last RMA request yet. Of course, it would be better if one never needed support in the first place. I guess what I'm really asking is if any particular major brand is worth paying more for than another...if the specs are equal?
I gauge the brand by how they respond when poop hits the fan... If they support you, then all is good, if they drag their feet and make problems...
Having said that, I've dealt with Corsair a few times and their customer service was excellent, at least. Having said that, i'd be surprised if other major brands were not... :) Just wanted to bump one up for Corsair.
My only experience with Corsair is the ram that I'm currently using, and I've never had a problem with them. I prefer that over learning about their support after the fact. It's just that there are so many choices.
Paul have a good point. The key is support, Ive used tons of different types of ram. I stick with a company that will help you out anytime you call. Those are the ones to support I use a site called 18004memory.com due to the fact they sell many different types of ram but are very good with their support and returns.
As for spec that gets tricky due to the fact that every Mobo is different. The best thing to do is match the ram with what your motherboard can do. People get so hyped up by specs that they forget a limiting factor is what your putting it into.
Maybe I'm wrong, but for me the primary aspect for compatibility is getting low density ram vs high density. Beyond that it is just a matter of performance.
Well when it comes to ram and my computers I won't use anything but Corsair, Kingston and PNY if I need it ASAP and can't find a good deal with the others. those 3 are the only ones I have not had to return from what I remember.
I went ahead and ordered a 2GB kit of Corsair VS from ZZF. I had one misgiving about this, because I never received a $20 rebate on a Flash Voyager that was due months ago. Each time that I contacted them, they had one excuse or another and gave me a date for it's arrival that never happened. With the way that their system works, it is not clear whether Corsair, ZZF or Visa kept my money...the latter because on the last call about this, they claimed that Visa was responsible for sending the check.
This kit also has a $10 rebate, but I don't know that I will waste my time and a stamp to sent it.
Seeker:
Never had any trouble with Corsair Value Select.
I avoid rebates like the plague. Even legitimate companies farm out the rebate support and you end up with buckpassing, contradictory info, etc.
You can get info on the web as to who actually manufactures the memory chips on a stick of RAM. I think most of the so-called "vendors" are in fact assemblers--they assemble the memory chips onto a circuit board. That assembly process obviously can have quality control issues, as can the chip manufacturing process itself.
Overclockers can get emphatic on the topic, claiming that chips manufactured by certain firms are more likely to overclock, etc.
For a non-overclocker, I would think that the quality of the assembly process and overall support is a more important factor.
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