RAM
Learn about the ins and outs of choosing the memory for your customized PC, which all depends on what you will use the system for.
In today’s world, choosing memory can be overwhelming. We will try to make that choice easier by first eliminating 3 kind of memory. While SDRAM; RDRAM; DDR; and, RAM are still sold you will only need to look for the latest DDR2 RAM . While choosing memory the first thing of importance is the amount of memory you need. With Vista and today’s low price of RAM the minimum amount to consider is 2 Gb. Yes, 1 Gb is supposed to be good enough for Vista, but after installing all those software and having the anti-virus and anti-spyware running at all times, you will need 2Gb. The only exception is in the case of an HTPC where you can go for 1Gb, as if it is a dedicated machine you will only need enough to run Media Center. After the amount you will need to find the right speed.
- CPU FSB. Today’s CPU comes in 533 to 1133Mhz FSB. The speed of your RAM should match the FSB of your CPU. Example: the e4300 core 2 duo CPU as a FSB of 800Mhz. You should use DDR2 800.
- AMD : For AMD things are a little more difficult as AMD FSB notification does not correspond to that of the memory. All Athlon have a 2000Mhz FSB which equal the speed of DDR2 800 memory.
Memory prices fluctuate and while low prices can double in the matter of a month or so, be sure to check for the latest price before making a choice. If prices go up, you can consider ddr2 667 memories to save on your budget.
Brand can also have an impact on price. For the same speed, same amount of memory, the price can be more than double between the low end and the ultra high end. Be sure to take the best brands possible. High end brands usually have a value line that offer the reliability of those brands to the price of a low end one. Corsair, Kingston, crucial, and Gskill are among the leading brands and offer quality memory banks.
- Family/office computer: 2Gb would be perfect 1Gb if budget does not allow for more
- all around gaming computer: 2Gb would be perfect 1Gb if budget does not allow for more
- media center: 1Gb will be enought for a media center computer
- gaming computer: 2Gb.Going higher than that at the current time would be useless
