Which companies are the first tier manufacturers of computer memory?

[Kerandran]

What are the company names of the first tier manufacturers of computer memory?

I am aware that there are several manufacturers of memory, some of which are aiming more at the quality aspect than others, but my specific query is to find out which companies manufacturers the memories from scratch, before selling them onto other supplier of memory.

The reason for this question is to find out whether it is worth buying memory from newer suppliers of memory (hence from less known suppliers) that sell rebranded and/or improved memory from other memory suppliers.

[kopite]

Hynix I think are one of the companies that make the actual chips. Also I think samsung as well

[Kerandran]

Thank you for your reply I shall keep this information.

Also, I have been given the name of another manufacturer of memory, namely "Micron", it appears that Micron supplies memory components to Crucial and Lexar.

[peterb]

This link might be useful

http://www.interfacebus.com/memory.html

[Pob255]

Another useful link
http://ramlist.i4memory.com/ddr2/

Micron were rated as some of the best memory chips on DDR2 a while back, not sure of the current standings.

[mayhem]

Yip thats correct. Heres a vid of the 3d views of C-Macc's 2 so far ..

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=L6-9kRb7JEU

This will give you a good idea between C-Macc's and C-Macc's 2

[Kerandran]

Thank you all very much for your contributions, I have to admit that the list / link provided by Pob255 was exactly what I was looking for.

[GoNz0]

my god, dont a lot of companies (corsair inc) use a lot of makes.

[Pob255]

I think it's to do with chip batch runs, which are large but can be a bit random.
ie they do a large batch run and the chip turns out very good, they do a 2nd run exactly the same but the chips turn out not as good as the first run.
Many of the brand companies use what's best to keep the specs the same.

At least that's how I understand it.

[Kerandran]

Although I am a lot better off knowing about this information, these details add more indecision about choosing what to go for.

I suppose that if budget is not an issue, it is best to go for a good quality trusted brand like Corsair.

It is strange, but every time I learn the technical details about computer components (and their compatibility issues), the harder it becomes to choose the component. It seems that at the end of the day it all comes down to installing the latest drivers / patches / bios upgrades etcetera (of course this applies more to other computer components than memory). But it also means that one needs the guts to try and run the latest upgrades at the risk of breaking everything.

[Funkstar]

A lot of the compatability issues arise from using components that are either cutting (or even bleeding) edge so drivers are a bit imature, or they are components that push the limits of the specification, such as super fast memory.

Motherboard are great examples of both these problems. They need pretty complex driver packs these days for all the different sub systems and then you have the uber configurable enthusiast boards that are going to push the specs as far as they can to get you some more performance.

If you don't want the hastle then build something safe and easy.... or buy a Dell

[nvening]

Thank you for your reply I shall keep this information.

Also, I have been given the name of another manufacturer of memory, namely "Micron", it appears that Micron supplies memory components to Crucial and Lexar.

Crucial is simply the retail arm of micron but they obv do supply to other brands/ system builders.

[Kerandran]

In terms of dabbling with hardware, I don't mind it as much anymore.

My first six computers systems were bought through a shop and where custom built to my requirements. Since the shop from which I used to buy my equipment closed down, I started building my systems myself.

I have to admit that although this can be painful from time to time, it is quite enjoyable when I get the systems going as the rewards are great.

Of course I have had the assistance and the much required encouragement to attempt building my first system. Now that I have started I will continue doing so. By building the systems myself, I will be saving a little bit of money that can be put in good use by improving the specifications a little bit.

I do listen and go by the advice of more knowledgeable people than me, especially when it comes to compatibility issues. Like for instance, knowing what exact chipset works with a specific CPU version and motherboard, and knowing that a motherboard needs to have its bios flashed.

I find this fascinating, but I do not have the time to learn this kind of thing in the details as most "experts" know. So I rely on the information provided by those who know more than I, to make my choice on the type of components to get.