Choosing the Best Value DDR Memory

PC3200 Memory Module Kits Roundup

by Yaroslav Lyssenko

[ 04/14/2005 | 11:33 PM ]

AnandTech has compared seven DDR memory module kits. The round up includes matched pairs from such manufactures as Kingston, Mushkin, OCZ and Transcend. The competitors are set to operate at stock frequency of 400MHz, but feature different stock latency settings. The products were compared to find the best performance on stock speed, overclockability for an optimal price.

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“Some buyers ask nothing more than that their memory run at stock DDR400 speed as specified. If that buyer is you, then any of the seven memories that we tested here will meet your needs. All 7 of them ran at their specification or better without any problems at all. We would suggest that the CAS 2.5 memories are a bit faster and cost about the same as the Cas 3 we tested. Great choices here are the Kingston KVR400X64C3AK2/1G and the Transcend JM366D643A-50. 1 Gigabyte of either memory costs about $100 and they are sometimes on sale for even less. The Transcend is rated at CAS 2.5. The Kingston KVR400X64C3AK2/1G is rated at CAS 3, but we had no problem at all running the Kingston at CAS 2.5 at DDR400,” concludes AnandTech.

For overclockers on the budget, AnandTech suggests different memory module kits.

“There is an old southern saying that you can’t make a sow’s ear into a silk purse - another way to say, you can’t get something for nothing. Two memories in this roundup challenge that old sage - OCZ PC3200 Gold or “Value BH5” and OCZ PC3200 Value Series or “Value VX”. If you can supply the voltage, then these two memories will reward you with 2-2-2 performance all the way from DDR490 to DDR510,” adds the web-site.

• AnandTech: Value RAM Roundup: Computing On a Budget.