Pricing on a 4GB Stick?

Newegg.com - Rendition by Crucial 4GB 204-Pin DDR3 SO-DIMM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10600) Laptop Memory Model RM51264BC1339

Anyone know if this RAM is legit? How does it stack up to G.Skill or Hyper-x?

 

For that price it's probably a 2x2GB kit.

 

it's what i think to if not it will be empty by tomorrow now that it's posted on NBR

 

It is for a single 4GB stick. I bought two 4GB DDR3-1333 sodimm sticks yesterday for only a dollar more per stick. This new one must have been put on this morning.

 

4GB DDR3 sticks dropping in price almost 300% in half a year... fantastic to the consumer right now but this doesn't seem good for the industry

 

It could always go back up like DDR2 prices did after they hit rock bottom and then almost doubled in price.

 

time to upgrade 8gb here i come

 

Are these all about the same? Cause this is only a little more, is it better? Newegg.com - G.SKILL 4GB 204-Pin DDR3 SO-DIMM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10600) Laptop Memory Model F3-10600CL9S-4GBSQ

or

Newegg.com - CORSAIR 4GB 204-Pin DDR3 SO-DIMM DDR3 1333 Laptop Memory Model CMSO4GX3M1A1333C9

 

It's all pretty much the same.

 

Wasn't paying much attention before but I just realized that the pricing is average for 4GB sticks lately ($60-70/4GB stick).

 

Yeah, I just checked them out, and in June they it was 220 for 2 4gb sticks, now it's like 120! I was really surprised.

Question, do you need matching ram speeds in your ram? i.e. 1066 2GB + 4GB 1333

 

No. The higher frequency one will simply work at the frequency of the slower one.

 

Fair enough.

 

There's only a few memory manufacturers these days, and they resell it, so the company has to provide end support and warranty.

 

While Trottel gave a valid/truthful response to your question, I have to add my 2 cents too.

When running any system with anything over 2GB of RAM, I have found that the most stable configuration is purchasing 2 identical sticks (and selling the original RAM modules).

While they will downclock and match the slower ones frequency, I have seen many examples of unexplained glitches, errors and simple things that don't work (clicking on a button, for example) when the RAM modules were mismatched.

It may be that the specific programs I was running at the time were demanding more from the system's resources than other programs did, but replacing two (non-identical) sticks of RAM with two identical ones solved those issues (with no O/S or program re-install involved).

With systems over 4GB RAM (from about 3 to 4 years ago now) this 'glitchiness' was even more apparent and I just buy identical RAM modules by default now. This may be overkill - but I haven't had 'phantom' problems with software that wasn't eventually tracked down and solved.

When you're considering buying 8GB of RAM, you obviously mean to depend on it to reliably give you a productivity boost - buy two matched sticks (and with proper overnight testing using multiple instances of memtest) and be assured that any glitches you encounter are not due to RAM module in-compatibilities.

Good luck.

 

What do you mean multiple instances? I always run memtest86+ overnight on my new systems. Is that enough?

 

Multiple instances:

Run the program and select the maximum memory it will allow you. Hit start/run.

Start the program again and repeat above step.

Repeat above step until the RAM is fully used (a little will be left over, that's okay).

With the above method, only then can you be sure that all the RAM is tested.

 

I'm pretty sure one instance of memtest will test all the ram.

 

In my experience, memtest will not start with a value higher than 4GB of RAM selected to test.

See:
MemTest for Windows Download Page

 

Memtest, PC check, and Prime95 are all good for testing.

 

Ah ok. I've only ever run it on anything with 4GB or less. It's actually built into my laptop's bios.

 

So the DOS based program memtest86+, when testing 8GB (2dimms), won't fully test the RAM?

I don't think you can run multiple instances of the DOS memtest86+. Is the program you're talking about run from within Windows?

 

Yes, I run it within Windows.

On new systems, I also concurrently ran prime95 too (and on the next new system IntelBurnTest instead of prime95). I also repeat these tests for 24 to 36 hours (new systems) before I trust them for an actual work load - but do 'baby' them by using a Zalman notebook cooler during the tests and during normal actual use too.

 

Okay. Thanks much for all the help. I wonder though, why do you run within windows, instead of memtest86+ in DOS that, as far as I know, checks all 8GB?

 

Because I want to see how stable it is in the O/S I will use - not some imaginary state that I'll never do any work in.

 

i thought the whole point of running memtest86+ was to detect physical memory errors, which should both show up whether its ran in dos or any other o/s?

 

Well, it will still detect physical memory errors - but while running in Windows, it gives it a more random and 'real world' work out in my opinion.

 

Sorry for the noob Q's, but let me see if I get this right. Even if it passes 36hr testing in DOS, the RAM could be defective and glitch up in Windows during real world usage?

 

G.Skill is a lot better than in both price and speed

 

you can not use a 32 bit program to address 8GB of ram. it will only test the addressable memory and that is it. the reason for multiple instances of memtest is if each instance grabs a section then eventually all the memory is addressed.

better to use though a true x64 bit of say Prime95...........

 

i got 2x 4gb of gskill and while they are good and fast they are totally not overclock friendly they crash my system 20 mhz higher ...

 

Then increase the timings.

 

Actually decrease the timings, or raise the latencies. If they are the Hynix chips you may not have much luck but I think the Samsung chips are better suited.

The prices are getting to the point I am so tempted to upgrade even though they will do nothing for the system that I can tell.

 

i don't know with what software i can do it

 

Timings = latencies afaik.

Interchangeable terms, aren't they.