New DDR Highs: Shikatronics, OCZ, and the Fastest Memory Yet
by Wesley Fink on June 29, 2004 12:05 AM EST- Posted in
- Memory
Performance Test Configuration
We tested both the OCZ PC4400EL Gold and the ShikaXRAM PC4400 on our standard Intel Pentium 4 Memory testbed. The hardware for evaluating these two new memories is the same used in our earlier reviews of DDR400 and faster Memory.The Return of 2-2-2: Corsair 3200XL & Samsung PC4000
OCZ 3700EB: Making Hay with Athlon 64
OCZ 3500EB: The Importance of Balanced Memory Timings
Mushkin PC3200 2-2-2 Special: Last of a Legend
PMI DDR533: A New Name in High-Performance Memory
Samsung PC3700: DDR466 Memory for the Masses
Kingmax Hardcore Memory: Tiny BGA Reaches For Top Speed
New Memory Highs: Corsair and OCZ Introduce DDR550
OCZ PC3700 Gold Rev. 2: The Universal Soldier
OCZ 4200EL: Tops in Memory Performance
Mushkin PC4000 High Performance: DDR500 PLUS
Corsair TwinX1024-4000 PRO: Improving DDR500 Performance
Mushkin & Adata: 2 for the Fast-Timings Lane
Searching for the Memory Holy Grail - Part 2
All test conditions were as close as possible to those used in our earlier memory reviews. We have also eliminated from our charts any memory that has been discontinued, including Winbond BH5 versions from several vendors and earlier versions of several current memory products.
| INTEL 875P Performance Test Configuration | |
| Processor(s): | Intel Pentium 4 2.4GHz (800MHz FSB) |
| RAM: | 2 x 512MB ShikaXRAM PC4400 (DS) 2 x 512MB OCZ PC4400 EL Gold (DS) 2 x 512MB Corsair 3200XL PRO (DS) 2 x 256MB Samsung PC4000 (SS) 2 x 512MB OCZ 3700EB (DS) 2 x 512MB OCZ 3500EB (DS) 2 x 512MB Mushkin 2-2-2 Special (DS) 2 x 512MB PMI4200 Gold (DDR533 DS) 4 x 256MB Samsung PC3700 (DDR466 SS) 2 x 512MB Kingmax DDR500 Hardcore Series (DS) 2 x 512MB Kingmax DDR466 Hardcore Series (DS) 2 x 512MB Corsair XMS4400v1.1 TwinX (DS) 2 x 512MB OCZ PC4400 DC Kit (DS) 2 x 512MB OCZ PC3700 Gold Rev. 2 (DS) 2 x 512MB OCZ 4200EL(DS) 2 x 512MB Mushkin PC4000 High Performance (DS) 2 x 512MB Corsair TwinX4000 PRO (DS) 2 x 256MB Adata DDR450 (SS) 2 x 512MB Adata PC4000 (DS) 2 x 512MB Corsair PC4000 (DS) 2 x 512MB Geil PC4000 (DS) 2 x 512MB OCZ PC4000 (DS) |
| Hard Drives: | 2 Western Digital Raptor Serial ATA 36.7GB 10,000RPM drives in an Intel ICH5R RAID configuration |
| PCI/AGP Speed: | Fixed at 33/66 |
| Bus Master Drivers: | 875P Intel INF Update v5.00.1012, SATA RAID drivers installed, but IAA NOT installed |
| Video Card(s): | ATI 9800 PRO 128MB, 128MB aperture, 1024x768x32 |
| Video Drivers: | ATI Catalyst 4.6 |
| Power Supply: | Vantec Stealth 470 Watt Aluminum |
| Operating System(s): | Windows XP Professional SP1 |
| Motherboards: | Asus P4C800-E (875) with 1016 Release BIOS |
We have found the fastest performance on Intel 865/875 to be achieved at Cycle Time or tRAS of 5, or the fastest tRAS setting that is stable with the tested memory. Intel platform benchmarks were run with the fastest stable tRAS timings that we could achieve with the memory being tested.
Test Settings
We ran our standard suite of memory performance benchmarks. The following settings were tested with both ShikaXRAM PC4400 and OCZ PC4400EL Gold:- 800FSB/DDR400 - the highest stock speed supported on 875/865 and K8T800/nF3/SiS755 motherboards.
- 1000FSB/DDR500 - a standard speed rating that we have used in testing the highest speed memory available.
- 1100FSB/DDR550 - the rated speed of both ShikaXRAM PC4400 and OCZ PC4400EL Gold.
- Highest Stable Overclock - the highest settings we could achieve with this memory and other memory that we have tested.
AMD Athlon64 Tests
We verified that both the Shikatronics and OCZ DDR550 could run at DDR500 on several of the Athlon64 Socket 939 motherboards that we are currently testing. However, we could not achieve stable operation at DDR550 with any of the boards that we are testing. We are in the process of evaluating a number of Athlon64 Socket 939 boards, and we will standardize on an A64 memory test bed in the near future.Please keep in mind that only the Asus P4C800-E and DFI LANParty 875B manage to run consistently at DDR550 1:1 in our Intel tests. The fact that DDR550 would not run on the Athlon 64 test beds in our lab does not mean that DDR550 will not run on Athlon 64. In fact, we had no problem running DDR533 speed on the MSI K8N Neo2 and a pre-release Asus A8V Deluxe. When we have completed reviews of the new Socket 939 motherboards, we will select a motherboard for our Athlon 64 Memory Test platform.
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jediknight - Wednesday, July 7, 2004 - link
I wish you would have put in some "generic" or inexpensive PC3200 RAM as a base to compare the performance of these chips to..Pumpkinierre - Thursday, July 1, 2004 - link
The smaller multiplier allows you to finetune better Trog that's all. Remember the mutiplier is locked. Even though the 2.4 gets all the limelight, some 2.6s get over 300MHz as well (and I did see a post on the net once where 2.4 would only get 230- a bit like an AMD ahmmm scratch that!). Its just the luck of the draw. Mine is a phillipines one and I think the Costa Ricans average better. I overclocked the 2.6 using 5:4 mem on my abit IC7-G which is good to over 300 MHz FSB using async. But at 1:1 it appears that the ASUS P4C800s are the better boards as the high end mem. manifacturers only seem to guarantee their modules on that particular board. My 2.6 gets to 246MHz (3.2Gig) on default voltage, 250 takes an extra .1V and 260 an extra .125V past that again. I use an Aero4 copper heatsink with the turbine removed and an external tube to a fitered Sunon 50cfm on the case (without a fan directly on the heatsink to avoid the dead spot). Temperature is 35-45C (core sensor idle- load) with ambient of ~22C (far worse in summer). Naturally liquid N2 like the cold finger on one of the mass spectrometer sources I worked on would be better but lets be serious!I'd be happy with the 246 as I dont like overvolting (especially with the current leakage sudden death rumors) but I want the 1:1 low latency RAM to match that and that would be my final memory upgrade for the system (probably 2Gig). I thought a year after buiding my system it would be plentiful given the fast development curve from 266 to DDR400 with low latency. But I am still waiting.
MoToR - Thursday, July 1, 2004 - link
Wesley, please correct me or the text below:-quote-<i>
The 6400 <b>unbuffered</b> Sandra 2004 memory bandwidth that we achieved at DDR580 is the highest result we have seen so far on our Intel test bed, as is the 3750 unbuffered memory bandwidth.
</i>-quote-
6400 is buffered isn't it?
Regards,
MoToR.
TrogdorJW - Thursday, July 1, 2004 - link
That's what you get for going with the higher 13X multiplier of the 2.6C instead of a 2.4C, Pumpkin. ;) Of course, a better cooling setup might potentially help (not sure what you have). Anyway, considering 260 = 520 = ~PC4200, there's really not a whole lot more room to overclock anyway. As the article points out, only Asus and DFI boards are able to reach these high clockspeeds. Given the variation in quality among RAM and motherboard parts, a "lesser" Asus or DFI might not clock quite as high. CAS 2 at 250 MHz would be nice, though. Wonder when (if?) we'll actually see it? Maybe when we start getting 90 nm memory parts?Pumpkinierre - Tuesday, June 29, 2004 - link
Even though its nice to see your 2.4c approach the 300MHz FSB at 1:1, not all of us are so lucky. My 2.6c maxes out at 260MHz so I'm still looking for that DDR500 CAS2 holy grail. Along, I suspect with many others, I'll buy when I see good evidence of this in a memory module.pjwalker - Tuesday, June 29, 2004 - link
CompuSmart Brandon has dealt with Shikatronics for over 5 years and have always received top quality products and excellent customer service. We have purchased from several other memory suppliers over the 10+ years in business and Shikatronics has had the least DOA and quickest replacement time of any of them.Way to go Shika keep Kicking Ass!
Wesley Fink - Tuesday, June 29, 2004 - link
We seem to get this question in every new review with graphs that have a lot of bars. We can't provide a different color for the tested item right now no matter how much we agree with all of you. It is a limitation of our current graphing engine, which is used for all reviews.There is good news, however, in that a new Graphics Engine is now testing that WILL provide a highlight color for the tested item. It is expected to go live next month. Your patience will be rewarded :-).
Fr0zeN2 - Tuesday, June 29, 2004 - link
nonono whatever you do don't reduce the number of graphs -- it's much better seeing all memory on one chart than poking around the archives. I agree on the highlight thing though.unas - Tuesday, June 29, 2004 - link
It sounds great, but with the GIANT lots of memory which are included in every test, it becomes hard to find the graph which belongs to the actually tested RAM. Either you reduce the number of graphs to only four or five for each diagram, or you emphasize the tested memory's graph by making it light blue, red, green or whatever colour. It's even becoming hard in an Athlon 64 Mobo roundup. Please do something about that.Unas
unas - Tuesday, June 29, 2004 - link