is OEM Memory good?

[dubstar]

OEM memory is obviously cheaper than other brands, but does it really make that big of a difference? does the name brand memory make me cookies or something? whats the deal with it?

thanks.

 

[Iceman]

there really isn't a difference, if there is it's so slight not to be funny, but you aought to buy Crucial memory, just click the pic in my sig, thanks

 

[XP Abuser]

lol for the cause

oem memory is no different than the other **** maybe minus fancy packaging or a leaflet

 

[dubstar]

so why in the world would somebody pay +50 or even +100 dollars for a name brand? wait, nevermind.. Americans would.

godbless the interesting people on this earth.

 

[XP Abuser]

some people like the fancy ****e that comes with it

 

[versionfiv]

Originally posted by dubstar
so why in the world would somebody pay +50 or even +100 dollars for a name brand? wait, nevermind.. Americans would.

Lol very true

 

[JohnnyGreb]

Here's the way I see it:
Memory is memory is memory.
However...

As with most manfacturing processes, there is a certain percentage of flaws, errors, and other minor problems that can show themselves. Since memory (and other electronic components) have a very low tolerance for error, these can be the cause of bad ram.

The only difference I see in so called "generic" ram vs. name brand ram (like Crucial) is that the name brand stuff is usually more throughly tested before it leaves the plant. This is one reason why they can say (and for the most part true) that their ram is better.

That being said, some OEMs actually buy their ram from a good company, just with out the name. And I've heard that in some cases, the ram that's tested that not 100% good can in some cases be sold to OEMs.

Take all this with a grain of salt though, as this is not, in anyway, official. Rumors, hearsay, etc are very common in this type of thing. So don't flame me.

Last point: As with any product (from clothes to computers) you're paying for a name. Name brand recognition is a factor as well.

-Ryandor

 

[jonifen]

the CAS latency can be lower on branded ram than on generic ram. Ive found crucials ram is usually CAS latency 2, whereas the majority of generic ram tend to have a CAS latency of 3 (the lower the better).

Sometimes you see an improvement in access speed to the RAM also... Crucial have notes next to the RAM on their website which tells you the access speed (they refer to it as 'ns' i think) and the CAS latency (they use CL).

So there is a difference. You can make CL3 ram run at CL2, but its like overclocking and may cause damage to the ram/motherboard over time.

 

[JohnnyGreb]

This would be a perfect example (at least to me) of the "ram that's tested that [is] not 100% good."

There's no way to know the percentage of ram is not 100%, but why wouldn't a company (not necessarily Crucial) take that stick of ram that, when tested, wasn't "stable" at CAS latency of 2, and sell it to an OEM company as a "CAS latency 3" product?
It would make perfect sence to me. Why throw away a borderline product that works at lower speeds when you can at least recoup some otherwise lost profit?

-Ryandor

 

[Taurus]

name brand ram = COMPATIBLE ram

if you buy generic or house brand ram, then you're taking a risk that it will be stable or even boot with your particular board.

 

[jonifen]

taken from the cambridge dictionary
generic

adjective
FORMAL
shared by, typical of or relating to a whole group of similar things, rather than to any particular thing

The new types of engine all had a generic problem with their fan blades.

It's not a picture of a specific sort of bird - it's intended to be generic.

The plays all fit within the generic definition of 'comedy'.

The band then slipped into fairly generic (=ordinary) heavy rock.


(especially American and Australian) Generic can also mean not having a trademark.

a generic drug

The store sells a wide range of generic products.

generic

noun [C]
Generics are low-cost medical drugs that do not have trademarks.

Brand-name prescription drugs can be copied as generics once their patents have expired.


(especially Australian) A generic is also an item sold under the name of a particular group of shops, rather than under a well-known product name, and which is therefore usually cheaper.

surely that means the term generic is the common ground - i.e. it'll work on everything? Branded tends to mean companies can charge more for it. They probably sell stuff that wont run at CL2 as CL3 goods at cheaper prices intending for people who cant afford the normal price to buy at least some ram at the cheaper price.

to be perfectly honest though, CL3 can make a real speed impact compared to CL2. I used to run a system with the ram as CL2 but it was really CL3. Didnt have any problems or anything... just decided to go back to CL3 and I noticed things took longer to finish etc when using ram. but that may not always be the case.

 

[jumpy]

Originally posted by dubstar
so why in the world would somebody pay +50 or even +100 dollars for a name brand? wait, nevermind.. Americans would.

godbless the interesting people on this earth.

One word. Overclockability

 

[Electronic Punk]

I heard some OEM ram was actually repaired defective premium/oem memory... but I guess it has to pass some tests...

Click the link above, thats the stuff I use - awesome.