RAM "CAS" question!

[Cheesypuff]

Ok, so I'm thinking I'm gonna buy some RAM. The brand is corsair, all the specs are the same but one stick says CAS 2.5, and the other says CAS 3.0. I'm guessing from the price of it, the CAS 2.5 is better. But from oly 6 bucks difference, is the CAS 2.5 compared CAS 3.0 worth the extra 6 buckos?!?

Discuss!

[nhbilly]

do u plan to OC like hell?
if not then CAS shouldn't matter.
then again what the hell would i know.


http://www.lostcircuits.com/advice/bios2/7c.shtml

http://www6.tomshardware.com/motherboard/20020507/timing-01.html

[Bires]

If your board won't let you set timings by hand (Dell) then definately get the faster memory, there is a small difference, definately worth 6 bucks each. You may get CAS 3 to run 2 or 2.5, but why bother...just get the 2.5.

[bachviet]

Get the CAS 2.5 since it's faster and it's not that much more expensive.

[Cantacuzene]

I don't settle for anything except CAS 2. The difference in .5 of CAS equates to about 500 3dmark2001 points I've found in benchmarking.

[Showtime]

FYI: Mhz > Cas

Grab the 2.5 for $6 more. Some mobos are picky about ram and better timings will only help. My mobo doesn't even have a Cas 3 option on it.

-jel:halo:

[Markel]

Where are you buying it from? How much? I'm in the market for 1GB for the system I'm planning to build.

[Cheesypuff]

I'll be getting 2 corsair 512 sticks 3200 DDR for $173 on newegg.com, boy, this sucks...I asked this queestion yesterday, and the price was 170, now I look today, it's 173. DAMN

Anywhoozies..

Corsair Value Select (Dual Pack) 184 Pin 1G(512MBx2) DDR PC-3200 - OEM
(limit 2 per customer)

Specification
Manufacturer: Corsair
Speed: DDR400(PC3200)
Type: 184 Pin DDR SDRAM
Error Checking: Non-ECC
Registered/Unbuffered: Unbuffered
Cas Latency: 2.5
Support Voltage: 2.5V
Bandwidth: 3.2GB/s
Organization: two 64M x 64 -Bit
Warranty: Lifetime

these are the specs.

I think I'm gonna wait till it goes back down to 170 till I buy....I can't stand it when things go up in price the next day!

[Cantacuzene]

I personally wouldn't buy any ram that has "value" in the name. "Performance" is a better word to look for.

[Cheesypuff]

so canta...you don't think that "value" is a good choice?

[Cantacuzene]

PErsonally, I'm an XMS guy. I don't see the logic in spending $300+ on a mobo and cpu and then buying el cheapo ram and bottlenecking your system. But I'm kinda crazy, I'm the type of person who would it would constantly nag knowing that my ram was holding me back even if it was only 5% difference.

[Cheesypuff]

Originally posted by DarkFury


Well honestly, it depends on whose "value memory" you are buying.

Corsair makes a "value" line that is pretty much the same chips as they use for their XMS line, however the with the value line you don't get the "heat spreader" and those chips are not speed tested and certified/qualified like the XMS series is.

Now if you aren't overclocking... I'd HIGHLY recommend it for general purpose computing. I use it in my HTPC and it works just fine... The company it comes from is reputable and it has a lifetime warranty as well... the only difference is the price and the qualifications.

Back in the day, I bought a 512 stick of "value" Corsair RAM for around $60... that same stick in XMS series cost me like $130 at that time for my main box which was overclocked. For "overclocking" purposes, it made sense to buy that premium memory, however I wasn't trying to spend that much cash on a system that wasn't gonna be OCed to the max with aggressive timings.

Pretty much you gotta look at who is supplying the "value memory". If the company is reputable (i.e. Corsair, Kingston, Crucial, etc...) then pretty much you ain't gonna have a bunch of worries if you aren't trying to overclock. Therefore I'd only not recommend it if you were gonna OC.

mucho thx for the memory talk DF. I'm not planning to OC it during it life, I need this comptuer to run for another 3-5 plus years. I need stable instead of redline. The current computer I have has given me 3+ years, and thats what I'm planning for the current upgrade I'm currently doing. So corsair "value" it is!