Generic or Brand Name Memory

[codybear]

cheaper by pennies now...go with the brandname and a lifetime warranty...micron 256 pc 133 for $70....how you gonna beat that??

[Richard_Cranium72]

Where at Cody, Micron ?

Got a quick link..

[codybear]

ok Doc http://www.sysopt.com/forum/smile.gif..its a bit higher now than when last I had time to look but still cheap for the performance gain over generic...

if memory was $150 for generic and over $200 for brandname then I would consider generic...awww hell I did buy generic then but not when prices are so low now..

[suzuki1]

One of the biggest problems with the generic SDRAM modules you can go out to just about any vendor and pick up was that their modules, while they could be using high quality NEC chips, were built on low quality Printed Circuit Boards (PCB's). Think of it as putting a Ford engine in a Porsche frame, don't expect to get the same performance as if you used a genuine Porsche V-8, the same concept applies to SDRAM, although it is an obscure comparison it relates almost seamlessly. For the most part, generic SDRAM "sticks" as they are often called, used high quality chips from companies like NEC, Micron, Hitachi, or Samsung (SEC), however the PCB's were manufactured in a cost effective manner, in most cases rendering the SDRAM modules incapacitated when used in certain combinations. In order to cut costs some manufacturers chose to use 4-layer PCB's compared to the recommended 6 and 8-layer PCB's for SDRAM, as a result 4-layer boards were much susceptible to physical damage, and as you might guess a 4-layer board contains much less electrical insulation compared to 6 and 8-layer boards, this provides for increased levels of noise in the current. For this reason the PC100 specification clearly states that modules must be manufactured on 6-layer PCB's, and nothing less, so say good bye to those cheaper 4-layer boards. Some companies have already been manufacturing SDRAM using 6-layer PCB's, Advanced Megatrends for example has been manufacturing SDRAM using an 8-layer PCB for quite some time now, as a result their SDRAM is some of the most stable out today.
PC100 specification includes explicit details as to the width and spacing of trace lines (the lines printed on PCB's) in order to minimize the levels of cross talk (electrical interference
There are two more parts to the PC100 specification that must be mentioned in order to get the main idea of the purpose of the specification, the first is the Detailed SDRAM component specification. This basically states that a manufacturer MUST use PC100 compliant SDRAMs (the actual chips) in order for their modules, which also must meet the PC100 specification, in order for them to market their modules as PC100 compliant SDRAM. Currently just about every manufacturer claims that their SDRAM operates at 100MHz, however in reality a very small percentage of this SDRAM is even remotely stable at the 100MHz bus speed. Even the high quality Advanced Megatrends SDRAM mentioned above has problems at a true 100MHz bus speed (an actual 100MHz frequency, not 92MHz like the setting on the ABIT LX6). The chips used on PC100 compliant SDRAM modules will be manufactured using a special die and will have an access time of approximately 8ns.

Finally, the PC100 specification provides a detailed description of the timing parameters and data to be included on the onboard Serial Presence Detect (SPD) EEPROM located on ALL PC100 SDRAM modules. This SPD EEPROM is used to communicate with the BX chipset, and although it won't really make a difference with Aladdin V, MVP3, and SiS 5591 motherboards, it allows the BIOS and the Chipset to communicate with the memory to properly configure the memory timings to control the memory. Without a properly programmed EEPROM the BX chipset may misinterpret an instruction or the BIOS may "guess" as to how the SDRAM should be configured, in both cases resulting in unstable system operation.

[jkittlesen]

wow I'm impressed with the knowledge Suzuki.
Hey can I mix my generic 100 with quality 133?

[suzuki1]

Why would you want to do that?
Get more memory to match the quality mem you have and use that and unload the generic.
I never use generic and have great performance and reliabilty with my computers.

[suzuki1]

One thing I cant understand is why people go out and buy the best hardware money can buy for their computer, and buy generic memory!!!
If you put out good money for hardware why not the memory? The memory is just as important as anything else!

[suzuki1]

By the way, the above is not to offend anyone, just my opinion.

[wesley313]

Which would be better, generic or brand name? I was thinking of going with generic because its so much cheaper

[krusty the klown]

Well, it depends on what you want to do!!

Personally, if I was not planning on overclocking the memory, then I'd go for the generic.

However, if I wanted to overclock and I wanted to get to some very high memory clock speeds and be guaranteed of that, then I'd have to fork out for the br& named. Crucial are recommended as having good overclocking potential, whereas you can get (at a price) 150MHz guaranteed memory from Mushkin.

As a compromise, how about 'major on 3rd'? (br& named chips soldered on to 3rd party PCB)

[Hellmund]

It's a matter of perspective Suzuki, sure at one point you have the money and it's a good idea to get quality but, later you might need more ram and simply don't have the money, the generic can be a good quick solution. Also not all generic ram is slow and unstable. Sure your a lot more likely to run into problems with generic but some modules work very well. I'm extremely happy with the Generic PC100 Cl3 I got 6 months ago. IT's runs stable at 110mhz, CL2 and with 4-way interleave,4k page mode and there all set to turbo. Generic RAM can be a lucky dip but with Brand names your guaranteed quality.

[suzuki1]

I agree with you hellmund, but I figured with the prices of ram today (mushkin PC133 39.00 for a 128 stick) you cant go wrong.

[RayH]

The quality of RAM makes a big difference in the performance of a computer. With prices so cheap, I recommend going with some good, brand name RAM.

When there was a substantial difference in the price of RAM maybe generic was all you could afford. But there is only probably 10 cents per meg difference.

A chain is only as strong as the weakest link!

[Hellmund]

I meant more towards needing 256-512mb ram. 512mb generic isn't that much more that 256mb of mushkin. I know that that 256mb dimm is much faster and stable but no matter how much you tweak it, it won't run as well as 512mb if that's what a programmes or situation needs. I do strongly agree though that if you have the funds to get the best quality possible then definitely get it,if you have the funds wesley313 then take suzuki1's advice and get that mushkin or micron ram. Generic was my best option as I upgraded from a socket 7 board just as there was that earthquake in Taiwan which sent RAM prices skyhigh. I got 128mb generic and with that money now you could get 256mb Mushkin PC133 CL2.

[dabler37]

I ordered some PC133 for a machine I was building and was sent PC150. If I increase my memory, do I need to stay with 150 or can I get away with some 133?

[codybear]

133 will work fine for you..memory is backwards compatible..meaning the 150 will work with the 133 and if you buy some quality memory then more than likely it will do the 150 for you also

[JayMan]

Well, i lucky dipped, went generic, PC133 128MB. Turns out this baby runs nicely at 150Mhz Cas2 etc..... Will soon be getting another stick of 256 this time. Hope it can keep up with the stick of 128. (altho i'm not o/cing at the moment, i possibly will again soon.

JayMan