I did my homework and, among the cheapest, almost no-name "brands", I found a solid source of super cheap Chinese stuff that seems to be quite reliable.
I'm not sure if you can get this stuff in the US; it seems squarely targeted at the Third World (tm). But if you can find:
Brand: JUHOR
DDR3L 1.35v 1600 MHz / PC3L-12800S (SO-DIMM)
8GB per module, two modules per kit (16GB)
JHC1600S1108JY
8 chips per side
SPD:
1.5v / 1.5v dual voltage
(CL-RCD-RP-RAS-RC)
800: 11-11-11-28-39
666: 9-9-9-24-33
533: 7-7-7-19-26
400: 6-6-6-14-20
333: 5-5-5-12-17
I've bought several and all are working perfectly fine (tested under Memtest86).
It doesn't seem to be recycled RAM (SPD says Week 33 of 2023).
The chips say SK Hynix.
Information on the package:
JXPR18815
EAN: 786693463031
Shenzhen Creation Trading Company Ltd.
602, Baoyuan Building 1062
Baoyuan Avenue, Labor Community, Xiang Street
Baoan District, Shenzhen
3 year warranty!
It's a steal at about $20 USD per 16GB right now. They were "on sale", though, so I'm not sure if it's the real price or they are actually discounted.
P. S. That "Labor Community" sounds like slave camp, or something...




