SSNTails said:
I wouldn't necessarily say that the brand is the ultimate determining factor in which RAM you get.
For a new high-performance system I'd suggest speedy, low-latency RAM. Go for DDR2 or DDR3, and as for CAS latency, the best I've seen is around 2-3-2-5 (lower numbers are faster). RAM speed and latency can make a very profound difference on performance, so don't just go purchasing the cheapest RAM you can find. Don't get stuck with 5-5-5-18 memory. That would be a terrible bottleneck.
Also, don't underestimate how much RAM you'll need. A very basic computing environment today will need at the
very least 1GB to function sufficiently, and 2GB or more for gaming or productivity (requirements might be higher depending on which games or programs you want to run).
As a reminder, also be sure that the motherboard you get matches in spec with all the other hardware you're purchasing. If you want a certain processor, it must match with the socket your motherboard has. Different motherboards also have different specs for supported RAM type, video cards (bus type), etc. Find a good motherboard (again, you can't go wrong with ASUS), then look for the other components.
Jellybones69 said:
I don't know the price or anything, but I hear Alienware computers are really good for gaming.
You'll pay less if you build the system yourself.
Angelus_the_echidna said:
Smaller? If you're looking for something cheaper, that's wishful thinking, my good man.
He's referring to hard drive space. I'd personally go with 250GB-500GB, depending on your needs. If you wish to install a lot at once, get a larger internal drive. If you just want to archive lots of data, consider an external drive to go along with the internal drive instead.