Is same spec memory the same?

wedmonds · 5 Apr 2011 at 10:17

Hi people,

As above, when you get memory such as the Corsair XMS3 8gb DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600mhz Dual Channel (to name but one). Are other makes and models pretty much the same if the Latency is 9-9-9-24 for example?

Is it a simple case of preference in space in your case, looks, warranty etc?

If so, why do people go for £100 Ram when 'value' type ram is available with same latency times etc?

Devrij · 5 Apr 2011 at 10:27

In theory, the same speed memory with the same timings is the same. The difference lies in how well they overclocking and how reliable/stable the memory is. It's less of an issue now that sb chips don't use bclk to overclocking, but for those people chasing benchmark e peen it's important. Better RAM will often be stable below its rated voltage though so good for underclocking

cmndr_andi · 5 Apr 2011 at 10:30

Aye, if the frequency, voltage and timing are the same - then the RAM will perform pretty much identically.

The more expensive RAMs offer more overclockability, better heatsinks and look better (to some people), and this is what people are paying for. Also, high-end RAM is available with even higher stock frequencies than 1600MHz and tighter timings than CL9 - these can offer some performance improvements, but with modern sandy bridge systems any real-world performance increase is tiny. This memory is only for the benchmarkers or those with an abundance of cash to burn.

Personally I would just buy the cheapest RAM which has sufficient spec (1600MHz CL9 is fine), from a good manufacturer, comes with a lifetime warranty and doesn't have heatsinks that will interfere with large CPU coolers - than Corsair kit you mention ticks all those boxes and is a great kit to go for.

wedmonds · 5 Apr 2011 at 11:03

Cool.
Thanks chaps.

Yellowbeard · 5 Apr 2011 at 19:07

wedmonds said:
If so, why do people go for £100 Ram when 'value' type ram is available with same latency times etc?

Keep in mind that most if not all "value type" RAM is going to be JEDEC compliant meaning that it's not rated to run at 1600. Since 1600 is tecnhically overclocked for current memory ICs, it costs more to make memory modules with them.