Inexpensive, reliable, memory upgrade gives huge boost in performance
Disadvantages:
You must make sure you get the correct type of memory !
Recommend to potential buyers:
yes
Full review
I've built quite a few computers from components and keep my own upgraded and corsair memory is the brand I've most often used. Put simply its one of the cheapest and in my experiance delivers equal reliability and performance to other brands. I've only dealt with home computers however - I'm not sure how it performs in servers. In home computers though I've never known a chip fail. If you are building a server you intend to be on 24/7 though then you might want to consider their "ultra-stable" server memory, and if your into overclocking then their XMS might be better, but I have little first hand knowledge of these, and for everyday use the performance difference is in the micorsecond range.
Memory is also probably the simplest thing to upgrade inside a computer, it takes only a couple of minutes to insert the chip and then you are ready to go. In general, no settings need altering in your computer (since it already has some memory, it now just has more, unlike when its faced with an entirely new device).
When upgrading memory you must check exactly which type you need:
First check that you have some slots free. If not then it will involve removing one of the existing chips.
Secondly you need to know the type. Old pentiums will probably take SIMMS (72 pin), in which case you need to buy a pair of two chips. Anything else will use DIMMS. Usually pentium 2 will use SDRAM 100Mhz or 133Mhz (168 pin). Pentium 3s normally take DDR SDRAM (184 pin), which can be either 200Mhz, 266Mhz, 333Mhz or 400Mhz. Although 200Mhz is very rarely seen. Roughly speaking a 1 to 2Ghz processor usually goes with 266Mhz RAM, 2-3Ghz with 333Mhz and 3+ with 400Mhz. Very new computers will take DDR2 (240pin) which is even faster speeds. To find out exactly which you need consult the motherboard manual. If that fails then open up the computer and look at the chip inside. If you are lucky it will have a sticker on it with the information you need. It is also worth noting the "codes" often used to refer to the different types:
