Memory Choice!

Chapter 2

Continued...

The memory (RAM)

Not to be confused with the hard disc memory, which is the space where you will be storing your files. The memory RAM is what your programs will be using to operate amongst other things.

The memory RAM is the second most important component in a computer, the choice of memory and the amount, is paramount to getting the most performance out of your new machine. The other thing you will have to consider, is how much memory RAM you will be installing and divide it between two or three chips. What I mean by this is; you are thinking of installing 4GB of memory in your machine. Instead of buying a 4GB chip, buy 2 x 2GB.
The advantage of this is that you can then run your memory RAM in Dual Channel Memory Mode to optimise your setup and get an extra performance boost. If you buy a single 4GB chip, you will not be able to do this.

Now, if you read my latest blog post (Chapter One), you will know that I mentioned six flavours of processors, by different manufacturers. These are some of the most recent CPU's in the market today and the memory you select must be compatible with the processor you choose. It will also need to be compatible with the motherboard you are planning to use in your machine. The memory and the motherboard are probably the most difficult components to match, each motherboard is only capable of working with certain varieties and speeds of RAM. I will go more in depth in chapter three when we discuss motherboards.

The latest memory type is DDR3 240 PIN and the fastest speed is around 2500MHZ, although, the average machine built today is using DDR3 1333, 1666 or 1860MHZ. If you took my advise and bought one of the CPU's I mentioned (Chapter one), you will need to buy this type of memory. The speed of the memory is relative to the processor you buy and what your motherboard supports.

This sounds a bit complicated, it's because it is a bit tricky. Most people just stick in the maximum that their motherboard supports. In some cases this works just fine, in others the power of your machine will be nullified. This usually happens when the rest of the system surrounding your RAM is inferior or incapable of running at such high speeds.

While in the processor world there are only two main manufacturers, in the RAM ecosystem there are literally hundreds of companies that produce this component. Too many to name them all. There are a few that stand out though, so, I will be naming those.

The top memory manufacturers in my opinion are, OCZ, Kingston, Crucial, Corsair, Patriot, Mushkin and Gskill. They produce the best memory chips and almost all, if not all, will give you a limited lifetime warranty for this product.

To finalise, you can choose your motherboard first. I only selected the topics for my blog arranged this way for one reason. You can go to a shop like www.computer-fixed.co.uk or to a major superstore like PC World and ask them to sell you a computer by a known brand, pre-assembled. When they ask you what sort of processor you would like to have, you will have an idea of what is out and go from there. The same goes for the RAM.

If buying a pre-assembled PC is not what you want to do, then read on and I will be writing about the Motherboard in the next chapter.

to be continued...

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