ur2cls said:
I have the P4B533-E Asus Motherboard. I have 512mb of memory now and I
want to go to 2gb of memory. I would like any recommendations on which 1
gig memory stick to get. Someone mentioned Corsair, but i cant spend
$275 per stick right now. any thoughts? Thanks in advance
Marty
If you go to Kingston or Crucial, you can see 1GB modules for $200 to
$250.
If you go to Pricewatch, you can get modules for less. But beware...
This page explains the difference:
http://www.portatech.com/catalog/memory.asp?ID=289
Notice how the product on the right uses 128Mx4 chips. That puts
double the loading on the control signals for the memory module.
Using 128Mx4 is not a JEDEC approved configuration. While some
motherboards can drive a module like that, many cannot. Notice
how the proper (16) 64Mx8 bit chips come in two flavors - major
brand (on the left - Samsung/Micron/Infineon) and a more
generic product (in the middle).
No matter which family of modules you buy, you should still
deal with someone with a generous return policy and also
with a warranty (a warranty that is easy to make a claim
against - if the memory is a brand no one has heard of,
chances are there is no way to contact the manufacturer).
I've been burned a couple of times on memory with
a one year warranty, so recommend at least two years on
generic modules. I haven't bought any generic since having
two failures after more than a year of operation. Now I stick
with major brands, and haven't had any failures with the
Crucial I now buy. (I'd buy Kingston, except in Canada buying
them is more of a nuisance. I like dealing direct with
Crucial.)
What you decide, will depend on your gambling spirit, and
your ability to get satisfaction over a long distance
phone line. Please post back with your experiences, so
that future generations can benefit.
I take it you've read the limitations for memory on this
board. The manual says "DS DS none" for two double
sided memories - you cannot use 1G+1G+512, because there
are only control signals for four sides of memory. That
is, two double sided modules in slot 1 and slot 2. So
the 512MB gets retired and 1G+1G goes into the motherboard.
HTH,
Paul
