Conclusion of what to Buy
If you're the type of person that runs dozens of applications all at once, then a higher memory frequency does help, particularly when you're running demanding software. However, our testing shows that memory rated at over 1,866MHz doesn't give much extra performance. Worse still, in some applications only 1,333MHz memory gives a performance penalty, meaning that 1,600MHz memory is fine.
If you're doing anything other than heavy multi-tasking - this goes for gamers in particular - then a 1,600MHz or 1,866MHz kit is plenty. You could opt for CL8, as we saw some advantage in the video encoding test, but we wouldn't obsess over this factor, especially if a CL9 kit is much cheaper.
Always remember to buy from a reputable manufacturer, though, as cheap and unbranded memory tends to cause more trouble than the saving is worth. We'd also strongly advise you to opt for at least a 4GB, dual-channel kit. We expect 8GB kits to be common this time around, and these are worth considering if you run a few resource-heavy applications concurrently.
