Where can I learn about memory?

[Macaw]

I was looking to build a PC around the ?Gigabyte GA-8KNXP, Intel 875P chipset? motherboard. It?s been a while since I built a PC and I can?t figure out memory.

A friend told me to get PC-3200 Dual-Channel memory. He recommended Corsair brand but when I went and read the NewEgg reviews for that motherboard, people said it did not work well with Corsair (link).

The reviews recommended Kingston HyperX. (I?m guessin HyperX, TwinX, Platinum, and all these other terms mean it can do dual-channel???). But, my friend said I should avoid Kingston and go with something like OCZ. Fine, I add OCZ memory to my cart. I did a quick search of Anandtech on OCZ before buying and I hear all sorts of bad things about OCZ. I guess my question is two-part:


[*]What?s the right memory for that motherboard? Brand, speed (I saw PC-3500 and higher available but I heard they would do no good or the ?timings were too aggressive.)
[*]Are there really dozens of semiconductors out there making DDR memory or are these just VARs who paint the stick a different color?

 

[paperfist]

Dual channel memory is a function of the chipset/motherboard. It means there are 2 memory channels and in order to operate in dual channel mode you just need two identical sticks of RAM. For example installing 2 sticks of DDR400 (PC-3200) RAM will put you in dual channel mode; if you only installed 1 stick of that RAM you wouldn't get the benefits of dual channel. So in this case RAM is RAM but it installing it in pairs is what makes it dual channel.

I don't follow Intel that closely so I can't comment on which RAM is working better for that setup and which isn't. It's kinda funny that AMD & Intel dual channel setups both have had some issues with certain memory brands. If you do stick with Corsair or Kingston they both have lifetime warranties so if you have trouble you can exchange them. As far as HyperX, TwinX, etc go those are just flashy names meaning it's fast RAM that overclocks well compared to their basic RAM offerings.

If you really want to learn some RAM terms Corsair has a talking guide on the subject: http://www.corsairmicro.com/memory_basics/153707/index.html

 

[paperfist]

Sorry double post...

 

[wetcat007]

Any ram that'll work in there will do dual channel, I'll try not ta confuse you here, dual channel is when 2 ram sticks each run on their own channel theretically doubling their speed when conbined normally this increases performance by 3-5%, you need to memory modules to take advantage of dual channel though. In my opinion you should be plenty well off with that corsair memory or the kingston, both are very good, however if your not overclocking anything you might want to head on over to crucial.com and check out what they have to offer, the website is put together to make sure the memory you get matches your board/computer as well.

-Mark