Memory. Until it stops working, it's not very exciting, and when it does stop working, it's all the wrong kind of excitement, right? So, we're not going to try to get you excited about memory; we're just going to say that this is a good buy and you ought to consider it for your machine. It has an aluminum heat spreader and a LIFETIME warranty for parts and labor, both to protect your investment in what we sincerely hope will be one of the dullest, most matter of fact purchases you ever make.
At this price, you just might be able to fill your motherboard faster than you had thought you could, and that, at least, is an exciting thought!
Patriot Signature Series DDR2 SDRAMPatriot Signature series DDR2 SDRAM provides an unsurpassed memory upgrade solution in quality and performance for desktop and workstation systems. Patriot ensures every model meets or exceeds industry standards. All Patriot high quality components are put through rigorous functional testing for superior memory reliability, quality and compatibility.
DDR2 667DDR2 667 delivers incredible performance and platform compatibility with up to 5.3GB/s memory bandwidth for unstoppable work and gaming power!
Pros: Works at advertised speed. Patriot also has a good website with useful information about setting RAM timings, voltages and speed. They also have links to websites where you can download excellent software for testing your RAM. The Patriot RAM that I purchased 15 months ago has been a consistent performer and trouble free.
Cons: My particular sticks did not allow for stable overclocking or more aggressive timings. The PC6400 RAM would have been a better buy. My previous Patriot RAM (PC5600 3-2-2-5) and my Corsair (PC6400 4-4-4-12) both allowed me to overclock my CPU by nearly 20%. However, reducing the CAS Latency or increasing my FSB speed (with this RAM) made my computer very unstable. This is not a complaint, as the RAM does what it advertises and I got what I paid for. It is a bit of a bummer, though. It just bites me in the shorts that RAM prices dropped 10% shortly after my purchase. But in this business you have to get used to that.
Overall Review: Two thoughts: First, Patriot's rebate practices are a bit unsavory. They give you only 2 weeks FROM THE DATE OF PURCHASE to have your rebate postmarked, regardless of how long it takes to ship to you. This can give you limited time to test the RAM, and you are hosed if you are waiting on other components to arrive to complete your system. I got burned by them the last time because of that. Also, the RMA forms will change every two weeks (sale from 1-15 to 1-31, then the next sale is from 2-1 to 2-15), so if you bought your RAM on 1-26 but don't print out the online RMA form until 2-6, it will be the WRONG FORM and they won't honor the rebate. I hate those types of dirty practices. Second, you must remember to set your timings manually. The SPD timings are deliberately set higher for broader compatibility.