The Quest for best price/quality RAM

[NTJedi]

Motherboard: ASUS M2N-SLI DELUXE

I'm looking for some reliable memory which I can slightly overclock for better performance. I read the review from TomsHardware regarding memory yet still feeling torn for which will provide me the best money for performance.
Will the dual channel really make a worthwhile difference to not purchase the Corsair memory ?
Patriot memory has been given very good reviews, but for a few dollars more the mushkin reports having better timings... what are your thoughts?


RAM being considered:

A) Corsair XMS2 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 675 (PC2 5400) Unbuffered System Memory Model TWIN2X2048-5400c4 - Retail
Cas Latency: 4
Heat Spreader: Yes
Manufacturer Warranty: Lifetime
Timing: 4-4-4-12


B) Patriot 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 667 (PC2 5300) Unbuffered Dual Channel Kit System Memory Model PDC22G5300LLK - Retail
Cas Latency: 4
Heat Spreader: Yes
Manufacturer Warranty: Lifetime
Timing: 4-4-4-12


C) Mushkin eXtreme Performance 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 667 (PC2 5300) Unbuffered Dual Channel Kit System Memory Model 991512 - Retail
Cas Latency: 3
Heat Spreader: Yes
Manufacturer Warranty: limited lifetime warranty
Timing: 3-3-3-10
Voltage: 2.1V-2.3V


Which one of these would you choose for my future gaming system ?


p.s.~ If you recommend another type of RAM not listed from the three above it has to be $170.oo or less after rebate and with an explanation why it's better.

 

[hartman]

I can only speak about Patriot because that's what I have.....it's pretty impressive for the price.

 

[(cf)Eclipse]

best price/performance ram is the cheapest stuff. the difference in performance between any two kits is no more than 5% until you start overclocking seriously

 

[NTJedi]

Well I ended up purchasing the Corsair XMS2 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 675 RAM from MWave as part of a motherboard bundle where they actually assemble and test the parts before sending thus when my memory, motherboard and CPU arrive I will know it's been already tested... I will still run memtest86 on the memory upon arrival.

RAM will eventually start to drop in price and with time I'll move towards having 6GBs of RAM.