Memory question.

I'm hoping to get myself some memory for Christmas for being so nice to
myself all year. I've never purchased any before however, and since I
intend ordering it from America due to the favourable exchange rate,
it's crucial that nothing goes awry.

I've established that my computer takes DDR SDRAM and can hold up to 3 gigs of it.

What signifigance do these numbers have and do I need to buy memory
with corresponding numbers? CL2.5 133Mhz, CL2 100Mhz, and PC2100U -
2533 - 750.

Does the brand on the memory really make any difference in regards to
the quality? Also, where would be the most reliable site to purchase it
from?

Thanks very much for reading this boring post.

Here's a funny picture (according to google) for your trouble, and who are we to disagree with google?

I'm not convinced it would be worth getting it from the US. A decent
512mb stick of RAM should cost you ~?60 here in the UK, and after a
quick look at a US site they were charging over $100 for the
equivelant, so once you add on shipping I reckon it will be more
expensive (not to mention more risky) to get it from there.

What RAM to buy really depends on your system specs - could you tell me
what CPU and motherboard you have, in as much detail as you can?

Brands do make a difference, but only if you are after a few more 3D
marks or extreme overclocking. You are highly unlikely to notice any
difference in real world applications but its worth going for branded
stuff at least as I've heard non-branded can be nasty and result in
system instability. I'd recommend going to corsair or crucial, but only
their "value" stuff unless you are really looking to overclock or
something.

a stick of mbsd ram cost only 50 euros in holland, so 60 quid seems a bit ,,,overpaying.

try looking in all the online shopes etc. for cheaper ram :smile:

I want to get one stick of a gig to leave room for an update at a later
stage. I figure it'll be easier to just slot another gig in beside it.

60 Pounds is 86 Euros

100 Dollars is 75 Euros

The eleven Euro, or whatever it'll work out as for a gig isn't really
worth the higher potential risk. Know any good English sites?

The Cpu is a pentium 4 - 2.4 Ghz and the motherboard is 'D845EPT2'

Here's a f**kton of information from sandra:

SiSoftware Sandra

System

Host Name : GOV

User : Admin

Domain : MSHOME

Processor

Model : Intel(R) Pentium(R) 4 CPU 2.40GHz

Speed : 2.39GHz

Performance Rating : PR2631 (estimated)

Type : Standard

L2 On-board Cache : 512kB ECC Synchronous, ATC, 8-way set, 64 byte line size, 2 lines per sector

Mainboard

Bus(es) : X-Bus AGP PCI IMB USB i2c/SMBus

MP Support : No

MP APIC : Yes

System BIOS : Intel Corp. A04

System : Dell Computer Corporation DIM4500

Mainboard : Intel Corporation D845EPT2

Total Memory : 255MB DDR-SDRAM

Chipset 1

Model : Intel Corporation 82845E Brookdale Host-Hub Interface Bridge (E0-step)

Front Side Bus Speed : 4x 133MHz (532MHz data rate)

Total Memory : 256MB DDR-SDRAM

Memory Bus Speed : 2x 133MHz (266MHz data rate)

Video System

Monitor/Panel : Default Monitor

Adapter : NVIDIA GeForce4 Ti 4200

Physical Storage Devices

Removable Drive : Floppy disk drive

Hard Disk : WDC WD800BB-75CAA0 (75GB)

CD-ROM/DVD : RICOH DVD+RW MP5125 (CD 32X Rd, 12X Wr) (DVD 4X Rd)

CD-ROM/DVD : SAMSUNG DVD-ROM SD-616T (CD 48X Rd) (DVD 6X Rd)

Logical Storage Devices

1.44MB 3.5" (A:) : N/A

Hard Disk (C:) : 74GB (44GB, 59% Free Space) (NTFS)

CD-ROM/DVD (D:) : N/A

CD-ROM/DVD (E:) : N/A

Peripherals

Serial/Parallel Port(s) : 1 COM / 1 LPT

USB Controller/Hub : Standard Universal PCI to USB Host Controller

USB Controller/Hub : Standard Universal PCI to USB Host Controller

USB Controller/Hub : Standard Universal PCI to USB Host Controller

USB Controller/Hub : Intel PCI to USB Enhanced Host Controller

USB Controller/Hub : USB Root Hub

USB Controller/Hub : USB Root Hub

USB Controller/Hub : USB Root Hub

USB Controller/Hub : USB 2.0 Root Hub

USB Controller/Hub : Cayman 3000 series USB Network Interface

Keyboard : Standard 101/102-Key or Microsoft Natural PS/2 Keyboard

Mouse : Microsoft PS/2 Mouse

MultiMedia Device(s)

Device : SoundMAX Integrated Digital Audio

Power Management

AC Line Status : On-Line

Operating System(s)

Windows System : Microsoft Windows XP/2002 Home (Win32 x86) 5.01.2600 (Service Pack 2)

Really appreciate it Duncan.

I'd probably forget going for 1Gb in a single stick, after a quick
browse through a few online shops it seems pricey at the moment. I
doubt you would ever find yourself needing more than 1Gb anyway to be
honest, its plenty for almost any use. Your motherboard should be
replaced well before thinking about 2Gb of RAM anyway :razz:

Most places I looked at are doing matched pairs (2x512mb) of RAM for
cheaper than single sticks. These are perfect for dual channel
motherboards, and while I'm fairly certain yours doesn't support that
feature, they would still work fine and would be good if you ever
upgraded your motherboard. It would also be worth buying ram that is
faster than your motherboard supports, as the price difference is
negligable and it means the RAM can still be used if you upgrade.

Taking these issues into account, I'd say go for two 512mb sticks of
PC3200 RAM. Overclockers have a few deals on RAM at the moment that
will save you a few quid, though they normally aren't the cheapest of
places.

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/acatalog/Online_Catalogue_This_Week_Only_25.html

(The second one down on the list, ?102)

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/acatalog/Crucial_Value_Kits.html

(Top of the list, ?111)

If I were buying RAM at the moment, I'd probably go for that GeIL deal.
Crucial is perhaps a "better" name, but GeIL look to be well
established and has a lower CAS latency (slight performance
increase...possibly!) If you are insistant on getting a single 1Gb
stick, expect to pay around ?130 at the moment :sad:

If you wanna try looking elsewhere, have a gander at these sites...

http://www.aria.co.uk

http://www.dabs.co.uk

http://www.novatech.co.uk

Argh, now I don't know wether to spend my money on the memory or on a
plane ticket to scotland so I can make sweet sweet love to you. :dodgy:

I'll take your advice and go for the GeIL deal when I come home from work. :smile:

Now aparently Useless:

Gig sticks start at like $300 or something or something else equally insane. = Rip Off.

512Mb sticks at a local store are: PC2100 - $84, PC2700 - $84, PC3200 - $85.
Those are general brands though (Samsung, Micron, Infineon chipsets).

The other 'brands' are about $10 more and much more difficult to find 2100 and 2700 speeds.

For example, they have a Kingston 1Gb PC3200 stick: $239
They might be more expensive or less expensive online.

i have bought only generic ram for over 5 years and only got one questionable stick.

ram is ram, if you don't abuse it, you should be fine.. ala overclocking.

i have some crucial, and it seems no better than the bulk brand ram i own.

the only people i ever hear complain are the ones who deserve it to go bad.. overclocking is not as benign as some would lead you to believe.. why else invent ram coolers :sad:

overclocking memory is designed for it. You can't take memory past it's rated values, but you can buy memory that is designed to go faster. If you buy this memory, and dont run it at a higher speed than you were running your old RAM, of course you won't see a difference.

Might be an idea to open up your PC and find out exactly what type of RAM you're already using, and just buy some more. My lovely Kingston memory has a nice sticker giving the part code, and so I just bought some more using it :smile:

I'd also recommend http://www.dabs.com as they're pretty cheap and very reliable, though before you buy it might be worth checking the memory manufacturer's website to check it is compatible with your motherboard (and then you have to work out if it's compatible with your existing stick) According to the Kingston site, your motherboard will take CL2.5, whatever that is:
http://www.ec.kingston.com/ecom/configurator/modelsinfo.asp?SysID=11848&distributor=0&submit1=Search