Mid-Range DDR2-800 from G.Skill

Final Words

The best DDR2 memory in the market is able to run at DDR2-800 3-3-3 timings and DDR2-1066 at 4-3-4. Performance at these settings is the best we have seen for DDR2, and they remain the standard against which other DDR2 memory is measured. It is also worth repeating that all of the best DDR2 memory we have tested has been built with Micron D9 memory chips, which have set the pace for high-end DDR2 memory performance.

What a pleasant surprise then to find G.Skill DDR2-800 4-4-4-12 memory, with a mid-range price, built with Micron D9 memory chips. In fairness it is not exactly the same chip, since these Micron D9, designated D9GMH, are binned for lower performance than the very best, which are designated D9GKX. Still, we are dealing with the same excellent base memory chip, which have come through different sorts.

This same chip, binned to a lower speed and timings, does manage to reach the same performance level as the best at DDR2-800, but it requires much higher voltage to reach the 3-3-3 timings. However, if you are willing to compromise a bit, you can achieve the rated DDR2-800 at 4-4-4 timings with a very average 1.9V memory voltage. The G.Skill also became one of the few DDR2-800 kits tested at AnandTech that actually reached DDR2-1067. That memory speed required all our board could deliver at 2.35V to 2.4V and the timings still could not match the best D9 we have tested - 5-5-5 with G.Skill compared to 4-3-4 with the best D9-based DIMMs. However, this mid-priced memory acquitted itself very well, delivering more than we expected in our memory test suite.

The G.Skill DDR2-800 4-4-4-12 is not a ringer as you still get more with the very best money can buy - at DDR2-1067 and beyond. In other words you get what you pay for in this case. However, if DDR2-800 is as high as you will go, or DDR2-1067 at slower timings is still fine, then the G.Skill does deliver great value. It can be driven to the exact same memory speeds and timings as the best you can buy up to DDR2-800, although it will require more voltage to get there. If you don't want to use, or don't have that higher voltage available, then the G.Skill still perform\s at rated timings at a very respectable and always available 1.9V at DDR2-800.

We asked in the beginning if the G.Skill mid-priced DDR2-800 4-4-4-12 delivered value. Since you can reach all the same timings up to DDR2-800 if you have the voltage to supply, then it certainly can perform just as well as top-line to DDR2-800. The F2-6400PHU2-2GBHZ can also reach to DDR2-1067, with the performance improvements that can bring, although it does require slower timings than the best DDR2 tested at AnandTech. Finally, for those budget buyers who are using motherboards that can not supply voltages above 2.0V to 2.1V, the G.Skill will run at DDR2-800 4-4-4-12 at a very modest 1.9V. Overall, the G.Skill DDR2-800 gives excellent value, matching or coming close to the best we have tested to DDR2-800 with excellent overclocking beyond. There are certainly better performing DDR2 kits available, including some from G.Skill themselves, but for the money you will pay you definitely receive excellent value with this G.Skill 2GB DDR2-800 kit.