I'm looking for DDR2 PC6400 800Mhz SDRAM. What brands do you trust when it comes to RAM? I hate to get a BSOD in the middle a trade due to instability from defective memory. Any suggestions? Thanks!
I buy my RAM from 4allmemory.com. Great customer service and good prices. No I don't work there. I have heard Crucial is good too. Just don't buy generic you should be ok.
if you are not overclocking, don't go for brand, go for more Ram instead. when is the last time you hear someone's ram crapped out?
I definitely had problems w/cheap ram in the past and know of others who have, too. Crucial has a great rep. Corsair and Patriot are also good ones. H
I've had several brands, and often mixed brands in one computer... never had a problem. (I suspect many of the stories about "bad ram" are either hyperbole or were wrong for the system to begin with...) As long as the specs are correct, I'd not be concerned by any brand... even those thought of as "cheap". If you're patient, however, you can watch for name brand RAM to have a special price... often better than cheaper brands. Recently there have been specials for 2x1GB for <$100. That's what a 1GB kit cost a year ago.
Ditto - I have been burned with cheap memory in the past and learned my lesson to steer clear of that. You can easily run into problems if you just look for the cheapest "generic" memory on PriceGrabber. There is lower-quality memory out there, probably rejects from the major mem manufacturers. You can't go wrong with any of major brands, Crucial, Kingston, Corsair, PNY etc. No need to buy the absolute most expensive (e.g. hand-selected matched pairs, lol) just avoid the no-name memory.
Another consideration: you could choose Corsair for its 10 year / lifetime warranty...if you plan to keep the DDR for so much time...
Just go for brand name, it cost a little more than generic brand. But it is worth it, and it come with longer warranty.
I remember building own computer about 7 years ago and was having a hard time finding memory that was stable with whatever was the newest CPU at the time. I tried several name brands and finally someone recommended Crucial since they also make the boards that the memory is on. I've only used them since and even returned memory I accidentally fried due to static electricity with no problems getting it replaced. Their prices are maybe 10-15% higher but well worth it in my opinion.