Memory question...

[Paul]

Okay, so I think I've decided on the ABit IC7-G Max3 motherboard based
on quite a few very positive internet reviews I've read. Now I have a
question about memory (geez, I remember when buying PC133 SDRAM was
easy). What is the difference between Kingston HyperX memory with the
"a" designator (ex: KHX3200A/512) and memory without the "a"
designation? Does it really matter? And is the memory by Kingston and
Corsair, which have the heat spreaders, really worth more than their
value memory? Is there cheaper memory out there (read in between the
lines "quality") which is just as good stability wise?

Thanks all,
Paul

 

[Dave C.]

Okay, so I think I've decided on the ABit IC7-G Max3 motherboard based
on quite a few very positive internet reviews I've read. Now I have a
question about memory (geez, I remember when buying PC133 SDRAM was
easy). What is the difference between Kingston HyperX memory with the
"a" designator (ex: KHX3200A/512) and memory without the "a"
designation? Does it really matter? And is the memory by Kingston and
Corsair, which have the heat spreaders, really worth more than their
value memory? Is there cheaper memory out there (read in between the
lines "quality") which is just as good stability wise?

Thanks all,
Paul

The A has more aggressive default memory timings. What this means is that
it's very slightly faster, and will probably overclock better (but do NOT
overclock it). I don't think anything cheaper than the Kingston Value Ram
series is worth your consideration. You don't need the heat spreaders
unless you intend to severely overclock your RAM. And do NOT overclock your
RAM! -Dave