Best place to buy: 2GB kit (1GBx2), 184-pin DIMM, DDR PC3200 memory module

Donnie

Jesthar wrote: »

A bit more expensive, yes, but it is also very good quality and tends to run faster and better than cheaper brands. Whatever the vagries of the Crucial Tool, this really is a case of you do get what you pay that little bit extra for (in my personal opinion), but if cost is more important than a little extra performance then there are cheaper options out there

~Jes

As usual, I am going to disagree with your sweeping generalisation.

The performance of the module corresponds to the specification. If the cheaper module has the same or superior specification, it will perform in a superior manner to the Crucial module.

So what you should have written is, compare the specs and make sure they are at least the same before purchase.

If the Crucial module has a Cas Latency: 4 and the cheaper or same price module a Cas Latency: 2.5 guess which one I would purchase?

I would happily purchase Bytestor RAM from Amazon or RAM from Play.com that conforms to industry standards.

This is a moneysaving website, not a personal preference website.

Jesthar

Donnie wrote: »

As usual, I am going to disagree with your sweeping generalisation.

The performance of the module corresponds to the specification. If the cheaper module has the same or superior specification, it will perform in a superior manner to the Crucial module.

So what you should have written is, compare the specs and make sure they are at least the same before purchase.

If the Crucial module has a Cas Latency: 4 and the cheaper or same price module a Cas Latency: 2.5 guess which one I would purchase?

I would happily purchase Bytestor RAM from Amazon or RAM from Play.com that conforms to industry standards.

This is a moneysaving website, not a personal preference website.

You mean you've disagreed with my sweeping generalisations before? And there was me thinking I was having the pleasure of meeting someone new...

I realise this is a moneysaving website, not a personal preference website, as that is why I am here - to save money! Which is why I marked my choice as personal, and suggested cheaper RAM was fine to buy if you did your research. My apologies if I should have made this clearer. I did try to bear in mind the OP said they weren't techie, so I figured waffling on about 4 - 4 - 4 - 12 latency timings and stock voltage levels was probably overkill. :rotfl:

It is also worth bearing in mind that specs and industry standard aren't everything - it is perfectly possible to have two identically specced pieces of kit with significantly different performance levels. Plus CAS is only one of a number of latencies and other factors which affects RAM performance. That's one reason I prefer to go with independent lab test results for guidance on computer components - experience has taught me that sometimes 'lowest cost' and 'best value for money' have very different answers.

Anyway, Dude - when you have worked out what kind of RAM you need, as long as you find something which matches the basic specification (as in the DDR PCxxxx number etc. you were posting earier) it's going to work OK with your computer. 2x1GB sticks is nice amount of RAM to have, but you can just add a second 512MB module if you want, or even one 1GB stick. You probably don't need to worry too much about the vendor you use as long as you are happy they are reputable, and unless you are trying to run demanding applications then any performance diffrence is unlikely to be very small.

Finally, Dude, my apologies if I confused you - I assure you it wasn't my intent! Hope this helps a bit more!

~Jes

Donnie

Jesthar wrote: »

You mean you've disagreed with my sweeping generalisations before? And there was me thinking I was having the pleasure of meeting someone new...

~Jes

Nothing personal, I meant that I sometimes find myself going against the grain of sweeping generalisation.

In general, if I recommend a RAM module, I will ensure that it is compatible for the OPs needs. So it is not a case of cheapest is best.

Hey_Dude

Many thanks to you all for your help - the Dude abides.

Duder

weegie.geek

penrhyn wrote: »

If its XP, you would be wasting your money going above 1Gb total memory.

That's crazy speak.

Plenty of apps/games will chew up that much ram and more.

Igol

Try the Belarc download and that should give you whats inside the box if your really sure that you only have 512mb.
Oh and 7dayshop.com is always worth a look, though I think play.com beat it last time I looked.