Corsair and OCZ: New Standards in Fast DDR2
by Wesley Fink on August 4, 2006 5:50 AM EST- Posted in
- Memory
OCZ Ti Alpha PC2-8000 VX2: Memory Performance
The ASUS P5W-DH test platform provides a wide range of memory ratios that match available DDR2 memory. This allows end-users to select the memory ratio that matches their DDR2 memory speed if they wish, or to choose a speed value over or below the rated memory speed. For those reasons, all of the stock ratios are tested at the fastest stable timings that could be achieved at the given ratio. With ratios, CPU speed remains constant at 2.93GHz and memory speed is varied by choosing different ratios.
DDR2 memory is then pushed from the highest stock ratio that could be achieved in testing - in this case 1067 - to the highest FSB speed at the stock multiplier. The OCZ reached the same stable speed as the top Corsair - DDR2-1112. While the system could boot at speeds as high as DDR2-1130, the OCZ memory, like the Corsair, could not complete our benchmark tests at higher than DDR2-1112. Those who will use more exotic memory cooling will likely be able to move even higher with OCZ Titanium Alpha, but DDR2-1112 tied the OCZ with Corsair for the second highest DDR2 clock speed achieved in our DDR2 tests with the Mushkin XP2-8000 Redline reaching DDR2-1116.
While OCZ required a bit more voltage at some speeds, in the end the performance was all but identical to the Corsair 6400C3. OCZ and Corsair start with different rated speeds and different approaches to performance, but they have both ended up producing the overall fastest DDR2 memory we have tested thus far.
The ASUS P5W-DH test platform provides a wide range of memory ratios that match available DDR2 memory. This allows end-users to select the memory ratio that matches their DDR2 memory speed if they wish, or to choose a speed value over or below the rated memory speed. For those reasons, all of the stock ratios are tested at the fastest stable timings that could be achieved at the given ratio. With ratios, CPU speed remains constant at 2.93GHz and memory speed is varied by choosing different ratios.
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| Click to enlarge |
DDR2 memory is then pushed from the highest stock ratio that could be achieved in testing - in this case 1067 - to the highest FSB speed at the stock multiplier. The OCZ reached the same stable speed as the top Corsair - DDR2-1112. While the system could boot at speeds as high as DDR2-1130, the OCZ memory, like the Corsair, could not complete our benchmark tests at higher than DDR2-1112. Those who will use more exotic memory cooling will likely be able to move even higher with OCZ Titanium Alpha, but DDR2-1112 tied the OCZ with Corsair for the second highest DDR2 clock speed achieved in our DDR2 tests with the Mushkin XP2-8000 Redline reaching DDR2-1116.
While OCZ required a bit more voltage at some speeds, in the end the performance was all but identical to the Corsair 6400C3. OCZ and Corsair start with different rated speeds and different approaches to performance, but they have both ended up producing the overall fastest DDR2 memory we have tested thus far.
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epsilonparadox - Friday, August 4, 2006 - link
That also is your opinion. To me an elitist is someone who demands a higher standard that the common folk. An elitist to me in the computer industry is someone who buys items that he/she knows will raise the level of standards among his peers. The items this person purchases doesn't necessarily have to be the most expensive but usually demands a higher premium because of the proven value.yacoub - Friday, August 4, 2006 - link
Alas, labeling one an "elitist" has a distinctly negative connotation to it, and that is not an opinion, that is simply how it is (fact, if you will).So by discussing the term elitist, you further the point that those who seek the best bang for the buck are certainly not elitists in the commonly accepted sense. Not to mention your comment regarding a price premium also goes against the core ideology of the overclocker - ie, those who look for what is most cost-effective and NOT premiumly priced. Generally speaking they are items that (at least initially) are lesser-known and often rather cheap because their real potential is commonly unknown. If anything the nature of the overclocker is the opposite of your elitist, in that they are interested in taking common things and making them into superstars, instead of just buying premium-priced items that supposedly have better performance according to the manufacturer's marketing department.
rjm55 - Friday, August 4, 2006 - link
I want, therefore I have.araczynski - Friday, August 4, 2006 - link
thanks for a good read, i agree that the overclocking scale is looks like its designed by some marketing group, stop using that kind of junk.when shown in real scale those small differences are nothing.
jmke - Friday, August 4, 2006 - link
Would be cool to see the charts start at scale 0, which would show the rather small impact of overclocking/getting higher rated memory modules. With a scale starting close to the min. score, the increase shown in the chart is not quite realistically represented ;)Did you run into weird results with: DDR2 PC4200 low timings vs DDR2 PC5300 medium/high timings ?
Spacecomber - Friday, August 4, 2006 - link
Your comment beat me too it. I also was going to chide Anandtech for producing charts that dont have a scale starting from 0. You should stick to tables, if all you are trying to do is show the number of points difference between one speed to the next.Wesley Fink - Friday, August 4, 2006 - link
Tables are already included as a summary of results for each tested memory. The Corsir table is on page 4 and the OCZ on page 5. The charts are there to show the impact of memory speed scaling on performance, which is not well-illustrated in the table or in our common bar charts. We added a paragraph explaining that scales are reduced to better show the small differences in performance between these two memories.You are both right that charts using zero-based scales will make the differences appear smaller than the reduced scale charts, but we were trying to compare the small differences in the Corsair and OCZ. We do prefer zero-based charts and an explanation was definitely needed.
Googer - Saturday, August 5, 2006 - link
With the performance of these DIMMs being about the same it really comes down to price, warranty, and reliablity as the deciding factors when you are shopping for RAM.