Ram

[DreamThrall]

I'm most likely going to be buying a significant RAM upgrade for my HTPC so that I can run VMs on it. I'm not completely sure about the specifics, but the base OS is going to be Vista Premium x64 and will be running the actual HTPC functions, and I'll be running something like VMWare to run a windows server OS (not sure if I want win2008 or home server... or hell, both!) and i'll probably mess around with a linux VM too.

Point being, I'm not going to be gaming or anything, so it's not vital that it is the fastest RAM.

I'm currently looking at 3 packages, all of which are 2x2GB, of which I'd be buying 2, for a total of 8 GB:

G-Skill
Corsair
OCZ Reaper

-After rebates (can only do one each, even with 2 purchases), everything ends up being the same exact price.
-Free shipping on all of them.
-G-Skill and OCZ are 5-5-5-15, Corsair is 5-5-5-18
-G-Skill and Corsair are lowest voltage at 1.8-1.9v, with OCZ the highest at 2.1v
-All are DDR2 800
-All have 5 eggs with lots of reviews

I have no idea how to judge timings and voltage - does more voltage mean it takes more power? Does lower timing necessarily mean faster? Are any of these brands generally better than the other, if that even means anything?

 

[Sir Phoenixx]

Lower timing is better, and using .2-.3v more is too insignificant to notice. The timing on the OCZ RAM is 4-4-4-15, so the OCZ sticks would be the fastest. If you don't care about having the fastest RAM, I'd go with the G.SKILL sticks, since they cost less without having to wait a month for the rebate check to come in the mail.

 

[DreamThrall]

Oh wow, I didn't even notice the 4-4-4-15. I think I'll go with those since it all ultimately ends up costing the same - I don't mind waiting a bit for my $30.