Do the memory chips manufactures make the entire module for other companies or only sell the chips?

[Filingo]

Hello

 

I saw in many places already people saying it doesn't matter which RAM stick you buy because there are only a few companies who make the RAM and sell it, so for example a Corsair ram will use SK Hynix or Samsung or Micron.

 

But do they actually sell the entire module and then the 3rd party companies just put a wrap around it? Or they just get the memory modules and they make the PCB itself?

 

[Jurrunio]

They make the PCBs but usually follow layouts designed by the memory module makers (say A1 or B2). I think there are one-off custom designs for PCBs but those are super rare.

[Filingo]

1 hour ago, Jurrunio said:

They make the PCBs but usually follow layouts designed by the memory module makers (say A1 or B2). I think there are one-off custom designs for PCBs but those are super rare.

Oh nice,

 

But can it be that the cheaper ones, like unknown Chinese brands use lower quality components like resistors or other tiny parts that make the RAM less reliable? 

[mariushm]

27 minutes ago, Filingo said:

Oh nice,

 

But can it be that the cheaper ones, like unknown Chinese brands use lower quality components like resistors or other tiny parts that make the RAM less reliable? 

No, resistors are usually so cheap it doesn't make sense to cut corners there.

They may use lower grade PCB (circuit board is made out of glass fibers mixed with epoxy, and there's different types of fiber weaving, some can have more space between fibers, others more)

 

But the savings are usually from binning ... for example you could either buy the ram chips graded by the manufacturers (binned/rated for various frequencies and timings) or you could buy them unbinned and could even buy them at wafer level (buy the silicon discs, cut the chips from the silicon disc, package them yourself to save money and then bin them in various grades.

A no-name manufacturer may leave less headroom, lower margins, to account for temperature variations, regular degradation of silicon over time etc etc.

[Filingo]

32 minutes ago, mariushm said:

No, resistors are usually so cheap it doesn't make sense to cut corners there.

They may use lower grade PCB (circuit board is made out of glass fibers mixed with epoxy, and there's different types of fiber weaving, some can have more space between fibers, others more)

 

But the savings are usually from binning ... for example you could either buy the ram chips graded by the manufacturers (binned/rated for various frequencies and timings) or you could buy them unbinned and could even buy them at wafer level (buy the silicon discs, cut the chips from the silicon disc, package them yourself to save money and then bin them in various grades.

A no-name manufacturer may leave less headroom, lower margins, to account for temperature variations, regular degradation of silicon over time etc etc.

So it does matter who you buy the RAM from right? I mean if you want to have lower chance of ram that causes bsod just buy from a more known brand after all? Of course between the big names it probably matter less but claims like "just buy the cheapest RAM" is wrong?

[Jurrunio]

11 hours ago, Filingo said:

Oh nice,

 

But can it be that the cheaper ones, like unknown Chinese brands use lower quality components like resistors or other tiny parts that make the RAM less reliable? 

They can buy those that failed to be binned into even the lowest stack by the manufacturers and still sell them off. Maybe not less reliable once you get it working, but they could be unstable when matched with some samples of mobo or CPU

 

9 hours ago, Filingo said:

but claims like "just buy the cheapest RAM" is wrong?

Those are claims from people who don't have access or assume no one would go to shady places that sells the worst stuff possible.