ddr2 d9 buyers guide

seeing that there are alot of gurus wondering what kind of ddr2 they should get.im going to attempt to make the choice a little easier.i will try to keep it short and sweet
most gurus are looking for ddr2 that overclocks well and doesnt break the bank.the short answer is micron d9gmh or d9gkx(most of us have heard about this stuff).being that d9gkx is very hard to find and very expensive.i will focus on d9gmh 2gb kits.
if your looking to overclock your shiny new processor.micron d9s are the only way to go.all of the following modules are VERIFIED micron d9gmh and will achieve very near the same speeds and timings with proper voltage.these are some of the best deals i could find.i do not claim that all are equal.simply that they "should" get near the same ocs.

gskill ddr2 800 F2-6400PHU2-2GBHZ
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820231065
buffalo firestix ddr2 1000 FSX1000D2C-K2G (d9gkx or d9gmh)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820150043
crucial ddr2 667 BL2KIT12864AA1005
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820146567
crucial ddr2 800 BL2KIT12864AA804
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820146565
crucial ddr2 1000 BL2KIT12864AA1005
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820146563
team extreem ddr2 667 TXDD2048M667HC3DC-M
http://www.tankguys.biz/ddr2-3338-p-1676.html
team extreem ddr2 800 TXDD2048M800HC4DC
http://www.tankguys.biz/ddr2-44410-800mhz-p-1645.html
ocz gold ddr2 1100 OCZ2G11002GK great deal while it lasts.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820227159
ocz ddr2 1066 OCZ2N1066SR2GK see above
http://shop3.outpost.com/product/5162136
cellshock is now available at tankguys!http://www.tankguys.com/

for our brethren overseas.
crucial ddr2 667
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MY-088-CR
crucial ddr2 800
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MY-090-CR
cellshock ddr2 800 CS2221041
http://www.memory-configurator.com/...0_800MHz-4_4_4_12-Dual_Channel_kit/index.html
cellshock ddr2 1000 4-4-4-12 d9gkx
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MY-001-CK
cellshock ddr2 1000 5-5-5-15 d9gmh/d9gkx
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MY-002-CK
team extreem ddr2 667 TXDD2048M667HC3DC-M 3-3-3-8
http://www.memory-configurator.com/...em-Micron_3_3_3_8-Dual_Channel_kit/index.html
team extreem ddr2 800 TXDD2048M800HC4DC 4-4-4-10
http://www.memory-configurator.com/...m_Micron_4_4_4_10_Dual_Channel_kit/index.html
team extreeme ddr2 1000
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MY-003-TG
ocz ddr2 1066 OCZ2N1066SR2GK
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MY-082-OC&groupid=701&catid=8&subcat=817

this is a very comprehensive guide to d9 modules http://ramlist.ath.cx/ddr2/

for those just getting started in the quest for ocing immortality.make it a point to go thru the overclocking stickies. itll make your life alot easier.
one final note as suggested by our resident ram guru Wildstyle some tips for lengthening the lifespan of your coveted micron ics.try to stay below 2.5v for 24/7 use.your ram will thank you for it.
overvolting your ram can be just as harmful as cranking the voltage up on your cpu or gpu.to avoid doing damage to your memory it is highly recommended you actively cool it.whether your overvolting or not.a quick and easy method to keep your mighty d9s comfy is to mount a 80mm fan or grab a memory cooler online.there arent many but these seem like solid choices.
corsair dominator mem cooler (see page 6 post 128 for a short take)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16835704001
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MY-123-CS&tool=3
OCZ XTC Memory Cooler(see pg18 post 435 and pg23 post 558).
http://www.performance-pcs.com/cata...=21145&zenid=300348fef7dda83d07e28e74b6cf04bf
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MY-083-OC
thermalright hr-07(you have to remove the heatspreaders to mount this cooler.which will void most warranties)
http://www.coolerguys.com/840556063759.html
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=HS-037-TR&groupid=701&catid=57&subcat=

DUE TO THE MANY IC CHANGES OF LATE.CORSAIR,SUPERTALENT AND BUFFALO.I WILL BE REMOVING ANY OUT OF STOCK MODULES UNTIL I CAN VERIFY WHAT ICS THEY ARE NOW USING.

for those gurus trying to get started on the ocing path and those looking to brush up.this is a invaluable source for understanding memory and its capabilities.http://forums.guru3d.com/showthread.php?t=95128

if i have failed to list a solid d9 deal please let me know so it can be added.

 

This is a really necessary thread to have. I have been involved in like 3 different threads about d9s in the past week so it's good to have a thread about it. We should try to make the list so it has all the d9s in it, broken down into different catagories such as pricing ect...

If you can keep this up to date i feel it would be a useful sticky.

 

Might as well go through this list and pick 'em out: http://ramlist.ath.cx/ddr2/

For me personally, see sig & http://www.memory-configurator.com/...0_800MHz-4_4_4_12-Dual_Channel_kit/index.html

You might also want to advise people to keep these sticks under ~2.5v (active cooling recommended) for 24/7 use. That's not a definitive figure but that's a safe limit I feel. This doesn't apply so much here as it would some other places, but considering how inflated the prices are at the moment you don't really want to go killing sticks.

Theoretically the Fatbodys can handle more voltage since they're built on a larger manufacturing process (90nm vs. 80nm) but in reality I don't know if that holds true.

On a general note, throughout my time here I've noticed everyone seems to avoid using active cooling on RAM because they probably don't understand how much it helps no matter how much I say it. They also probably think it'd look a bit crap to have to rig a fan up with elastic bands, cable ties, Zalman fan brackets, etc. *shrug* Well now you don't need to because Corsair and OCZ both offer devices for the job...

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MY-123-CS

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MY-083-OC

And as for D9 based sticks not on the link, I know John's 6400C4 are GMH since he took off the heatspreaders and had a look but this model also use Promos ICs as well, dependant on revision. So it's not all cut and dry and people should be aware of that. Corsair are a major player and it's not practical for them to place the greatest ICs on all their modules. Besides, if they did do this, they would be unable to meet the demand for their PC6400 range, so there is some reasoning behind it all.

 

Yes i have been following the progress of the Ocz ram cooler and i'll be picking one up once they hit the US. they may not increase your oc'ability too much but they will really increase the life of your ram.

 

Don't even get me started on CellShock **drool**

Here are the good brands:
SuperTalent
GSkill
TeamXtreem
CellShock
Buffalo
Crucial

I think that covers the top-tier ram which should be mostly GMH with some GKX. Only exception to the "Corsair Sucks" rule is the PCXXXXUL which is automatically fatbody

 

For anyone who wants to actively cool their ram i can recommend this.

http://www.amazon.com/Evercool-Neon...id=1165371926/ref=sr_11_1/102-9962987-9732969

It may not be as technically as good as the corsair or ocz ones but its so cool, and 2x40mm fans are enough.

 

Ehh.. Why do they fill everything with LEDs these days: http://images.devshed.com/dh/stories/Evercool Neoncrab/Neon_Lights.gif

Could give you a seizure ffs.

If we can get this thread full of good info I may well "borrow" it or probably rewrite it and resurrect the Guide to RAM from the depths of the links section. Everything in it still applies but I didn't intend to update it for DDR2. Looks like I may do though.

 

Posted this question in an earlier thread but no one seemed to know, but does anyone know what ICs the adata Vitesta sticks use? Cos i hear good things about them and their overclockability and if they do use the sexy D9s they could be a good addition to the list.

edit: Thanks Wild. I Should have seen that earlier.

 

Check the first link in my first post of this thread.

 

cellshock added.roons ramlist added as well.

 

i agree most people dont do it but active cooling is a must if your ocing.especially with $300-$400 kits.ill see if i can find some space to add suggested voltage and cooling methods.
added
yes indeed the corsair 6400c4s b4 the promos switch were some golden modules.

 

thats exactly why i did this lol.i felt like i posted the same prices and ram 20 times in a week.im going to try and keep track of the prices and hopefully find some nice deals too.

 

the more i look at it the more i like it.makes my sorry 80mm look like dirt lol.any news as to when theyll be available?

 

You might want to add that Corsair PC6400 C4 rev. 1.2 also use Micron D9 GMH. Rev. 2.1 use Promos though. Most of the older revs of Corsair use D9 actually.



Oh, and D9 can take alot of voltage. I saw some fatbodies being punished at 3.2v+ - they lived through that fine. Although you shouldn't consider running anything like that 24/7, haha.

 

problem is i havent found anywhere that has them in stock anymore.now everything is rev 2.1 and 2.2 unfortunately.its a shame they dont have those original c4s anymore.that was some bada** high binned gmh.i dont know how to get ahold of roon to let him know about the 1.2s either.last i saw him was on xs a while ago.

 

hehe id love to get my hands on some of those fatbodies.i think my gf would shoot me if i bought anything else right now lol.:bonk:

 

fatbodies are gone

 

Maxfly,

This post is being updated for DDR2/D9 as and when I get round to it:

http://forums.guru3d.com/showpost.php?p=801759&postcount=4

 

good deal Wildstyle.hopefully people will keep an eye on the stickies lol.we really need a good guide for gurus to choose solid ram.i see alot of people buying crap ram to oc with.then they repost with the infamous why cant i hit X.XX with my system?this will help out alot.

 

Nice to see all the info I needed two months ago in a single thread, lol! Seriously though, nice work. It can be very overwhelming trying to research ram. When I built my rig almost 3 months ago, I had everything picked in a matter of minutes, except for the ram.

I spent two days trying to figure out which RAM had which IC's, which liked voltage, which didn't, which could go higher than brand X, why this one is $400 and this one is $300 even though they are the same......etc. By the end of it I just basically looked at the three I had narrowed it down to and said, "Eenie, meanie, minee, MO!", and bought these Mushkin's. I am very happy with these dimms btw. Have had them at 3-3-3-7 at 800mhz and I have had them to 1100mhz just out of curiousity, and I'm sure there was still some headroom left!

Once again, Kudos!