Hi everyone!
I am back with part 6 of the computer voyage we are on. Today we will be talking about RAMs. A good high performance Ram is one of the fundamental blocks of an awesome system for gaming or any other purpose. Bigger the Ram and/or faster the Ram, the more of your data is moved around and the more smoother everything feels. There are a ton of good companies out there making quality rams and it is possible to find some very good deals. So onwards with the reviews.
You will notice when you look up descriptions of RAMS that some are Dual Channel while others are Tri Channel, Quad Channel or even Hex Channel. So what is meant by Dual Channel RAM? Or Tri Channel, Quad Channel or Hex Channel? First let's take a short class on this subject. As Computer Programs got more and more complex, they needed better and faster Hardware capable of transporting data at a much faster rate while also being stable enough to last a while. With that thought, the Multi-channel Memory Architecture was developed. It increases the transfer speed of data between the DRAM (or Dynamic RAM) and the memory controller by adding more paths or "channels" between them. That means that in theory, a Dual Channel RAM doubles the data transfer rate. So to achieve the Dual Channel effect (for lack of a better word,) you will need to populate two of the same colored slots on your motherboard with two RAMs.
Getting all identical memory chips will help you get a very stable performance but depending on your board, you could populate two with one kind and the other two slots with a different set of memory but they will operate on the same speed as the slowest RAMs you have so it would make more sense to make sure you are using the same RAM in all the slots.
Some of my favorite companies are Corsair, Patriot, Kingston, G.Skill and Mushkin.
CORSAIR Vengeance Series (www.corsair.com)
When it comes to gaming memory, The Vengeance line from Corsair is one of the best. Sporting a wicked looking heat sink and very stable performance, The Vengeance series is a favorite among gaming and enthusiast users alike. They come in 2GB, 4GB and 8GB capacity. So your Dual Channel configuration could be a 2x2GB (Total 4GB), 2x4GB (8GB) or 2x8GB (16GB.) if you are populating just two RAM slots out of the 4 available to you. The Speeds available (from my knowledge of course and if there are more, I would apologize for not listing them) are 1600,1866,2000 and 2133. Refer your motherboard to find out the maximum memory it can hold and the maximum speed it can sustain. My Crosshair V supports a maximum of 32 GB of RAM and speeds of 1066/1333/1600/1800(O.C)/2000(O.C) and 2133(O.C)
Patriot Viper Xtreme Series (www.patriotmemory.com)
Another on my list of favorites, The Viper Xtreme Series gives rock solid performance, good over clocking capability and good heat dissipation. Available on Newegg in speeds of 1600,1866 and 2133 and 2GB and 4GB per chip.
Kingston HyperX (www.kingston.com)
HyperX has several variants, namely HyperX Genesis, HyperX Blu and HyperX T1. Kingston has long been in the memory business and makes some of the best RAMs found today. It also includes my favorite HyperX H2O (Liquid Cooled) which just looks out of this world. You can never go wrong with Kingston!
Selling at Newegg at 2GB and 4GB chips and speeds of 1333,1600,1866,2133.
G.SKILL Sniper & Ripjaws X (http://www.gskill.com)
Another strong contender in the market, G.Skill has a lot of products to compete for your money. Their Sniper series is a low voltage gaming set with very solid dependability. I like both the Ripjaws and the Sniper series. Selling on Newegg in 1GB,2GB,4GB and 8GB per chip and speeds of 1066, 1333, 1600, 1800, 1866, 2133, 2400, 22600 and 2666.
Mushkin Blackline & Redline (http://www.mushkin.com/Memory.aspx)
Mushkin is another company that I think you should look at if you are in the market for RAMs. Available in speeds of 1066, 1333, 1600, 1866, 2000 and 2133 and capacities of 2GB, 4GB and 8GB per chip.
The RAM I ended up choosing was the CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB (2x4GB) 1600. All the options are in my eyes pretty much equal so it comes down basically to finding a better deal for a particular one and going with it. If possible go with one of the popular options so in case you feel like buying more RAM in the future, it is still in the market. Pay close attention to the Memory QVL of your motherboard which can be found at their website. The QVL is short for Qualified Vendors List and it tells you of all the RAMs that have been tested on the motherboard and are certified by your motherboard maker to work on that particular motherboard. The List is updated frequently as new memory models come out. The other reason I bought the Vengeance was that it also has a Red colored one which I thought will look cool in my Computer as my mother board has black and red slots and I wanted to populate them with like colors. I am including links for both below for your viewing pleasure.
Corsair Vengeance Black Corsair Vengeance Red
I am back with part 6 of the computer voyage we are on. Today we will be talking about RAMs. A good high performance Ram is one of the fundamental blocks of an awesome system for gaming or any other purpose. Bigger the Ram and/or faster the Ram, the more of your data is moved around and the more smoother everything feels. There are a ton of good companies out there making quality rams and it is possible to find some very good deals. So onwards with the reviews.
You will notice when you look up descriptions of RAMS that some are Dual Channel while others are Tri Channel, Quad Channel or even Hex Channel. So what is meant by Dual Channel RAM? Or Tri Channel, Quad Channel or Hex Channel? First let's take a short class on this subject. As Computer Programs got more and more complex, they needed better and faster Hardware capable of transporting data at a much faster rate while also being stable enough to last a while. With that thought, the Multi-channel Memory Architecture was developed. It increases the transfer speed of data between the DRAM (or Dynamic RAM) and the memory controller by adding more paths or "channels" between them. That means that in theory, a Dual Channel RAM doubles the data transfer rate. So to achieve the Dual Channel effect (for lack of a better word,) you will need to populate two of the same colored slots on your motherboard with two RAMs.
Getting all identical memory chips will help you get a very stable performance but depending on your board, you could populate two with one kind and the other two slots with a different set of memory but they will operate on the same speed as the slowest RAMs you have so it would make more sense to make sure you are using the same RAM in all the slots.
Some of my favorite companies are Corsair, Patriot, Kingston, G.Skill and Mushkin.
CORSAIR Vengeance Series (www.corsair.com)
When it comes to gaming memory, The Vengeance line from Corsair is one of the best. Sporting a wicked looking heat sink and very stable performance, The Vengeance series is a favorite among gaming and enthusiast users alike. They come in 2GB, 4GB and 8GB capacity. So your Dual Channel configuration could be a 2x2GB (Total 4GB), 2x4GB (8GB) or 2x8GB (16GB.) if you are populating just two RAM slots out of the 4 available to you. The Speeds available (from my knowledge of course and if there are more, I would apologize for not listing them) are 1600,1866,2000 and 2133. Refer your motherboard to find out the maximum memory it can hold and the maximum speed it can sustain. My Crosshair V supports a maximum of 32 GB of RAM and speeds of 1066/1333/1600/1800(O.C)/2000(O.C) and 2133(O.C)
Patriot Viper Xtreme Series (www.patriotmemory.com)
Another on my list of favorites, The Viper Xtreme Series gives rock solid performance, good over clocking capability and good heat dissipation. Available on Newegg in speeds of 1600,1866 and 2133 and 2GB and 4GB per chip.
Kingston HyperX (www.kingston.com)
HyperX has several variants, namely HyperX Genesis, HyperX Blu and HyperX T1. Kingston has long been in the memory business and makes some of the best RAMs found today. It also includes my favorite HyperX H2O (Liquid Cooled) which just looks out of this world. You can never go wrong with Kingston!
Selling at Newegg at 2GB and 4GB chips and speeds of 1333,1600,1866,2133.
G.SKILL Sniper & Ripjaws X (http://www.gskill.com)
Another strong contender in the market, G.Skill has a lot of products to compete for your money. Their Sniper series is a low voltage gaming set with very solid dependability. I like both the Ripjaws and the Sniper series. Selling on Newegg in 1GB,2GB,4GB and 8GB per chip and speeds of 1066, 1333, 1600, 1800, 1866, 2133, 2400, 22600 and 2666.
Mushkin Blackline & Redline (http://www.mushkin.com/Memory.aspx)
Mushkin is another company that I think you should look at if you are in the market for RAMs. Available in speeds of 1066, 1333, 1600, 1866, 2000 and 2133 and capacities of 2GB, 4GB and 8GB per chip.
The RAM I ended up choosing was the CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB (2x4GB) 1600. All the options are in my eyes pretty much equal so it comes down basically to finding a better deal for a particular one and going with it. If possible go with one of the popular options so in case you feel like buying more RAM in the future, it is still in the market. Pay close attention to the Memory QVL of your motherboard which can be found at their website. The QVL is short for Qualified Vendors List and it tells you of all the RAMs that have been tested on the motherboard and are certified by your motherboard maker to work on that particular motherboard. The List is updated frequently as new memory models come out. The other reason I bought the Vengeance was that it also has a Red colored one which I thought will look cool in my Computer as my mother board has black and red slots and I wanted to populate them with like colors. I am including links for both below for your viewing pleasure.
Corsair Vengeance Black Corsair Vengeance Red
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