[Gooserider]

MC:
GR: RAM cooling has been done, the reports I've seen on it have been mixed at best, with some folks claiming slightly increased O/C's and/or better stability (especially when over volting their RAM) but many others reporting no significant change.
MC: Isn't this the reason most of us started w/c'ing?

Not always... It is also a good solution for those of us into SILENT Computing, even if we have no intention or interest in overclocking.

GR: OTOH, I've not seen any reports that it hurt anything aside from those who damaged their parts while attaching heat sinks or attempting to remove existing heat spreaders. Also if you use multiple banks of RAM, many folks report problems making everything fit, hardly a surprise considering how close together the modules usually are.
MC: My ram currently has no cooling devices attached, and if they did I would just be patient daniel-son when removing any heat spreader adhesives. Fit will not be a problem...only cooling two sticks of ram, 1 gig of ram should be plenty, and they are seperated into the two hi-speed dual channel sockets(blue on asus boards).

Not saying that you're a klutz, or that your hardware wouldn't work, just reporting on the problems I've seen reported...

GR: As to the mechanics of it, my comments on annodizing are...
1. Annodizing SLOW'S corrosion, it does not STOP it!
True, but using distilled water or even tap-water the anodic layer will outlast the current physical design of ram and maybe even outlive me!

Depends on who you talk to - I recollect a thread here not that long ago where the annodized top on a swifty block failed in less than 6 mo. BillA attributed the failure to galvanic corrosion due to use of distilled water w/o an anti-corrosive.

GR: 2. Any flaws in the annodizing will continue to corrode, as will any scratches or other damage that exposes raw aluminum.
MC: Considering anodized 6061 aluminum is an 80 on the Rockwell-c hardness test scale, I would think any plastic packaging on the ram or any metal parts in any computer would have a hard time scratching it.

I don't particularly CARE about scratches on the outside, that doesn't touch the coolant and the dry bits aren't going to corrode anyway. I do care about scratches and flaws in the areas that come in contact with the coolant, as those WILL corrode. Either way, my experience has been that annodizing is better at resisting damage than paint, but it isn't all that solid. Contact with tools damages it quite readily.

GR: 3. It is difficult, verging on the impossible, to create a complete uniform annodizing coat on the inside of a small diameter tube - since the coolant flows through the tube, that is where the corrosion is most needed, but hardest to arrange.
MC: Difficult for whom? I find it rather easy, but then again I have been anodizing for years and I actually calculate my surface areas, test my acid baths, etch/clean/degrease/desmut my parts and adjust my rectifiers according to my calculated time/current ratio.

According to every article I've read on the subject of how to do anodizing. According to them, there is a problem with getting uniform electrical conductivity on the insides of hollow objects (like tubes) as the current tends to prefer the shortest paths to the electrodes. Since the depth of the anodizing is a function of current flow, if the current is irregular so is the anodized layer. This also matches my observations of annodized parts that I've examined over the years. (Note that it is also difficult to do QA on the inside of a small bore tube)

So then why anodize?
High Corrosion Resistance
Considering "most" peeps in the w/c hobby are using distilled water there is an extremely low occurance of anodic-layer deterioration. "we're not water cooling with ocean water here, and no, we don't need a bigger boat."

See my comment above - experience varies. Speaking of boats, I also have a fair bit of marine experience, and have observed that anodizing does NOT do all that well at extending the life of aluminum near salt water, I would say 10% max, less if the object gets much wear and tear, more if it's cleaned, polished and waxed regularly.

Decorative / Cosmetic Appearance
I just looks pretty dammit!

Perhaps, but then so does polished copper. IMHO alot of anodizing looks kind of cheezy to me, like excess make up on an woman trying to look younger than she really is.... But then I've never been big on cosmetics.

Insulator / Nonconductive
Anodic layers of Aluminum(Aluminum Oxide) are nonconductive thereby reducing if not eliminating galvanic reaction.

Again, mixed bag...

Stain Resistance
Not all that important but see above: Decorative / Cosmetic Appearance

Increased Durability / Scratch Resistance
In case you want to take your pc to the streets, there less chance of scratching your block if you dump...you might get road-rash, but your block should still stay pretty dammit

See above comments about cosmetics. I'm a biker, and I run a total rat bike (A Moto Guzzi) with over 100K miles on it, I always tell the Harley folks that "Soap & Chrome won't get you home, but it's nice to look pretty while waiting for a tow...."

GR: Unless your system is already all or mostly AL based, I would think it might be better to use two peices of copper soldered onto a peice of copper tubing. This would be as easy or easier to make, and argueably more effective to the extent that ram cooling is at all useful.
MC: But it just won't be pretty dammit!

Opinions vary...

I have no particular desire to cool my RAM, but if I were to do it, I would probably get a peice of Cu tubing approx as big in OD as the thickness of the modules and as long, plus enough extra to fit tubing on each end. I would then solder a length of RAM sized plate onto each side of the tube making a sort of 'tong' setup that I could slide over the module. Polish it up and put a layer of clearcoat on it, and I think it would look real nice and perform as well as any other product.

Gooserider