Questions on RAM.. what to buy

[Rocketman9mm]

I'm looking to get 1024mb of PC3200 DDR Un registered non-ecc ram for a new comp I'm building.

could any of those who really know hardware and ram answer some questions for me like guys like asus?

What is the best performing while cheapest ram I can get? My peference is for good performance but I'd really like to stay sub 200 bucks if at all possible.

Is ram with heatspreaders really that much better? How effective and important is it to have that on gaming ram?

Would I notice a big difference between oh say some standard ram w/o heat spreader and some version of Corsair XMS ram w/ heat spreader?

I'm trying to cut some costs by going from a x800xt to a 6800GT, and perhaps cheaper RAM.

 

[blahblahblah]

It depends on your system. An Athlon XP and Athlon 64, you can get away with slower timings and be perfectly okay. With a P4 system, memory timings/bandwidth is important for performance. You should try to find a RAM that has a CAS latency of 2-3-3-6 for good performance (cheaper value ram will want to find CAS 2.5 or CAS 2). They have CAS 2-2-2-5 but that RAM is really expensive and not worth the additional cost.

Heatspreaders are mainly something to show off to you. They provide very little performance difference. The primary purpose of a heatspreader is not to reduce heat (like a heatsink) but to spread heat throughout the RAM stick. This way the entire stick of RAM is exposed to the same amount of heat. I really don't see much benefit of having a heat spreader on the RAM. It is just something that adds some style to your RAM while justifying the higher price.

You can buy heatspreaders yourself and put them on your RAM. However, I've been told they are a serious pain to put on, so beware if you go that route.

Heatspreader will not make a difference in performance (unless Asus or somebody else knows differently). The two primary things affecting RAM performance is its speed (PC3200) and its CAS latency (the delay while accessing its memory).

This is some good value RAM for $156
This is some great 2-3-3-6 RAM for $228

A bit of advice, post your motherboard here, and also google your motherboard model and see if it is picky with what RAM it will take. Want to make sure your motherboard will be compatabile with the RAM you choose.

 

[Rocketman9mm]

thanks a ton man, very informative. Ram is probably the piece of hardware I have the least knowledge about, that and motherboards, but I know the mobo i'm getting is quality.

The system I'm going to end up with is

Asus A8V delux 2.0 socket 939 mobo
AMD Athlon 64 3500+ 939
BFG Geforce 6800 Ultra OC
two 120GB hard drives 7200rpms
Thermaltake Xaser V black case

This is fast enough to get away with that cheaper ram right?

 

[blahblahblah]

According to Asus's website, either of the memory I listed above will work perfectly. Both will give you great performance. I personally would just pay the extra $65 and get the slightly fast memory since you are spending so much.

You are going to pay out the nose for a BFG 6800 Ultra OC. It will be difficult for you to get a hold of one of those. A great alternative will be the 6800 GT. A 6800 GT will be cheaper and more available than a 6800 Ultra.

 

[Rocketman9mm]

already ordered the ultra, from bestbuy in stock for 499. should be here in a few days :afro:

 

[Rocketman9mm]

any other ram tips or suggestions?