Adding Pizazz to Your RAM

EliteTEK noted that Extreme Tech is running a review of some fancy new illuminated DDR RAM. This one actually has a 10 char alphanumeric display that normally displays stats on your system, but with their software can display anything you like. It's about time that people can read RSS feeds on their RAM.

Hungry?

[cloudmaster]

At first, I thought "Why woudl my RAM want Pizzas?" Then I read the article, and I still thought "Why?"...

blinky lites!

[EvilStein]

For those of you that just cannot get enough bling bling... we bring to do, "Das blinken RAM!"

Re:Hungry?

[SpongeBobLinuxPants]

I'd like a large DDR and a medium RamBus with bread sticks.

Re:Hungry?

[DingerX]

I understand if you order 4 gigs of that, a neon case light, a backlit keyboard, and a digital readout cooling fan display you get a free copy of "2Fast 2Furious" and the opportunity to appear on the hit new reality show "Who would want to date an IT Redneck?"

Reminds me ....

[cheezemonkhai]

These things look just like the old PII & PII slot chips.

In next weeks article I'll be showing you how to turn a stick of ram, a serial cable, an LED array and an old PII into one of these babys using a glue and a dremmel :)

Running out of screen space?

[Yankel]

Wouldn't it be easier to watch a ticker on your keyboard? I'm sure the next 'big mod' will be putting a full-sized LCD against that big window in your case. No.. wait.. that's a Mac.

Re:Hungry?

[Rev Wally]

Maybe that's how you cook the pizzas?

From the article...

[tarsi210]

...except it won't be giving you the latest news headlines and sports scores.

The hell it won't.

*tappity, tappity, linux scripty*

There. Scrolling stats on the ever-changing size of Britney's bosom.

Re:Hungry?

[mirko]

You might have heard of the pizza oven RiscPC [worldofwibble.com]... A terrific hack, indeed, even though carbo-hydrate excesses are not recommended if you don't work out at least a little.

Re:Hungry?

[zakezuke]

"Why woudl my RAM want Pizzas?"

Rather than using a heat sync you use your RAM to cook micro pizzas. The heat is dissipated and consumed by the user in the form of 7mm circular pizzas. Betty Crocker eat your heart out.

Spinning rims on my fans!!!11!!!!

[Anonymous Coward]

Dude! I just put spinning rims on my fans!!!11! Wanna see!??!?!?!

Re:REAL Nerds...

[Golias]

Why should you care if I like my box to sport a little bling bling?

On another forum, and in another context, that question would sound really horrible... yet still none of my business.

Re:More lights please!

[R.Caley]

What we need is a huge panel of lights, say a meter square, which plugs into the memory bus without IDing itself as memory and changes the pattern of lights based on the pattern of address access.

Computers have never looked like REAL computers since they didn't have that kind of thing on the front panel.

Add a hacked reel-to-reel tape deck which swiches back and forth in time to system activity, and perhaps some magnisium wiring set to go bang and emit sparks whenever there is a small error and we'd be back on course for Star Trek and Lost In Space!

Re:Review?

[Otter]

I like Legit Review's benchmark:

The Corsair XMS Xpert modules increase the memory bling factor ten fold.

Obligatory DDR-"Dance Dance Revolution" Joke.

[SirFozzie]

The reason there's only 10 display characters on the RAM?

Because DDR songs only go up to 10 feet, silly.

I just don't get it...

[tsangc]

Let me add to the string of "I don't get it" replies.

I get case modding. I understand and appreciate those who try and build beautiful cases, like the Art Deco HTPC or all the cool stuff on Mini-itx.com: It's an artistic or creative pursuit.

That's great--there will always be people at different levels of any field: There will be engineers at racing and car companies with CFD and simulation, the guy who builds custom hot roads, and the guy who airbrushes artwork on the side of vans. That parallels the people who design supercomputers, or the guy who hand built their first computer out of discrete logic, the guy who builds neat cases. There will also always be the guy who lamely screws on some parts he ordered from the "custom performance" shop. That's fine, we all have different abilities or interests.

But what I don't understand is all the case mods with the ugly window, the garish neon lights, and the crazy colours. It looks so...crass. Looking for a new case for my PVR, I tried hard to find a case that wasn't ugly. Apparently such cases do not exist for under $100 Canadian.

Is it me, or are these things just ugly!? Like, a giant perspex case with neon bulbs? You couldn't find something so tacky this side of Las Vegas.

These RAM displays not only seem ugly (you'd expect a stock quote or "Now Serving Customer 87" to scroll by) but they even seem like they keep you from adding extra DIMMs because they overhang the adjacent slot.