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Introduction:
First a little about the company,
Corsair Memory, Inc. This next blurb is from
their website:
“The Performance Memory Leader Since 1994: Corsair has been
a leader in the design and manufacture of high-speed modules
since 1994. Our focus has always been on supporting the
special demands of mission-critical servers and high-end
workstations, as well as the performance demands of extreme
gamers. Memory That Meets The Toughest Demands: As a pioneer
in high-speed module design, Corsair is a trusted supplier
to many computer manufacturers. In high-density memory
solutions, Corsair has always been one of the first
suppliers to achieve advanced qualifications on Intel, Tyan
and SuperMicro server platforms. We also work closely with
other major server platform manufacturers to release product
that is 100% compatible with their latest server products.
Memory & Products For Enthusiasts, Servers & Average Users:
Our flagship memory products are part of the XMS (Xtreme
Memory Speed) family which is designed for the unique
demands of the serious enthusiast community. The XMS memory
line has become the world's most awarded memory, garnering
more awards and Number One rankings from review sites and
users' polls than any other performance memory. The XMS
family includes XMS2, high performance DDR2 modules that
have broken world speed records; XMS Xpert, the first
modules with real-time display of parametric data; Pro
Series, gaming memory with real-time activity LEDs; and XMS
Classic with black or platinum heat spreaders. Our
ValueSelect line of desktop memory brings our quality and
compatibility standards to cost-effective products for
today's most popular desktops and laptops. Value Select is
available in DDR1 and DDR2. We also offer a large range of
ultra-reliable server memory and memory for laptops and OEM
desktop systems. Corsair has expanded beyond memory modules
to offer performance water cooling units under our Corsair
COOL brand. In addition, we offer a line of Flash memory.
Our world's first water-resistant, shock-proof Flash Voyager
USB is winning kudos for its sleek and functional rubber
housing. Our range of SD and CF cards offer a lifetime of
reliable performance for popular photo and MP3s devices,
cell phones and PDAs.” ~
more
info
I've reviewed many memory products from Corsair over the
years. One important thing to note is the overall unmatched
quality, system
compatibility and stability of their memory. Corsair in many
respects are leaders in the memory industry.
The demands that are put on current memory are great. With
image/video editing packages and games requiring more and
more memory, 1GB of memory is hardly enough anymore. Games
like F.E.A.R. and Battlefield 2 require a minimum of 2GBs to
play at high resolution. Upcoming games being released in
2006 will further benefit from having a 2GB
kit installed. Also, most new memory has tight timing and
can be pushed to very fast speeds. Let's see what this
memory can do.
Packaging:
This product was shipped in a cardboard FedEx
box. The memory itself comes in a plastic protective casing.
This is the standard memory casing that most memory
manufacturers use. It works well because while holding memory
modules into place, it also is relatively easy to open. Corsair also
had a few rubber bands around the casing to insure it would
not open during shipment. On the back of the casing there
are a number of review awards and comments on a paper insert. Also note, their support
information, The Ram
Guy.
Also, on the opposite side of this paper insert is
Multilanguage Installation Instructions.
Specifications:
The speed on
this memory is 500MHz DDR or PC-4000; it has a CAS of 3, and
a memory timing of 3-4-4-8. Now what does DDR and CAS mean?
DDR
stands for Double Date Rate and that means it doubles the
bandwidth of the memory by transferring data twice as fast
on both the rising and falling of the clock cycle.
CAS
stands for Column Access Select or Column Access Strobe and
that essentially means the number of cycles for the memory
to get information and then process that information. Also
keep in mind that a lower CAS is much better then higher CAS.
So try and keep CAS as low as possible when overclocking.
This memory is also Dual Channel which means better overall
memory bandwidth resulting in superior performance. In order
to benefit from this technology you will need to have a dual
channel motherboard. Non-dual channel motherboards do not
have two fully independent 64-bit memory controllers, but
dual channel boards do which means they have a 128-bit
memory interface. Now they can be installed singly but
obviously performance will be much less at the same MHz.
Details Specifications:
Speed: XMS4000 (PC4000) or DDR500 (250MHz)
Size: 1024x2 = 2048MB kit
Configuration: 64MB x 8
Chips:
Samsung UCCC IC
Latency: 3-4-4-8 1T
Package Type: 184 DIMM
Heat Spreader: Platinum
Voltage: 2.75
A closer look:
All memory must have some sort of memory heat spreader.
Corsair has chosen the Platinum heat spreader for this
memory. They are held into place with two clips at the top
of each module.
While these heat spreaders do a great job at
keeping the modules cool it's not going to win any beauty
contests. Of course having less fancy heat spreaders results
in a lower cost and that's a good thing. Each module has
Corsair's logo and their URL at the left and at the right is
a holographic sticker with memory information.
Testing:
For testing the Corsair XMS-4000PT DDR500 2GB Memory I
used the following test setup:
Motherboard: DFI UT nForce4 SLI DR Motherboard
CPU: AMD Athlon™ 64 3000+ @ 2.4GHz (2385 MHz) Processor
PSU:
SilverStone ST60F Modular SLI Power Supply
Video Cards: 2 x BFG 7800 GT Video Cards
Hard Drives: 2 x WD Raptor 74GB HDDs in RAID0
Drive: Plextor PX-712A DVD±R/RW Drive
Memory:
Corsair XMS-4000PT
DDR500 2GB Memory
Sound Card: Creative Audigy 2 ZS Sound Card
Please note that in order to find the maximum stable
overclock I increased the CPU voltage to 1.7
with a HT
multiplier set to 9.
Set the memory voltage to 2.9 using a timing of
3-4-4-8
1T.
I started at the default speed of 250MHz (DDR500) and slowly
increased until I hit 275MHz. Unfortunately, 275MHz was not
that stable and would go crazy from time to time. So I backed
it off a little and found 265MHz (DDR530MHz) to be stable
when both running Prime95 and games. Please keep in mind
that these overclocking results will vary from module to
module and system to system.
Below are the results. The first results are at the default
speed DDR500MHz (250MHz). The second results are at
DDR530MHz (265MHz):
Conclusion:
While Corsair is a little late implementing their UCCC
solution they have done a great job. I was a little
disappointed in the overclocking result as I expected a
little more. But remember, this memory is at a high default
speed as it is. Getting the extra few MHz's out of it is a
bonus. I can't see the true hardcore gamer purchasing this
memory though, or for that matter anyone who enjoys pushing
their memory to the overclocking limit. Of course I'm
referring to people who want to hit 300MHz+ speeds. This
product is really targeted at the price conscious gamer/pc
who requires 2GBs of memory with a guaranteed DDR500MHz
speed. Overall though this memory performs well and is a
fantastic 2GB solution!
Pros:
- Affordable 2GB solution
- Compatible, reliable and stable
- Lifetime warranty
Cons:
- Unattractive heat spreaders
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