|
Corsair
XMS3500 Platinum Series Memory
|
|
Author : Wayne
Date : 4th November 2002
|
A big thank you goes to The Overclocking Store
for loaning the original Platinum Series memory to us for testing
and also to Corsair (c/o Barbara Gascoigne-Pees) for providing
a further stick which now powers our test rig.
Introduction :
Not so very long ago we took our first look at
Corsair's XMS memory offering in the shape of their XMS3200
CAS2 and despite a little initial skepticism we had to conclude
that this stuff was simply faster than anything we'd seen previously.
Based on those results you can guess how thrilled I was when
The Overclocking Store asked if I'd like to take a look at a
stick of the newly announced XMS3500 CAS2 although the biggest
doubt at the back of my mind was how on earth I'd find a system
willing to be pushed far enough to test the claimed specs. Still,
I wasn't going to let a minor issue like that stop me so today
I'm happy to announce our look at this ridiculously fast memory.
Corsair weren't the first to announce a PC3500
memory module but where Corsair have the edge is with availability
and also with the fact that they're actually claiming that when
used in a single stick configuration their XMS3500 can be operated
at 434MHz at stock voltage and with a CAS2 and 1T CMD rate setting!
Mop up that drool, we've got a review to get through!
So who needs memory rated to run at 434MHz? Well
to be honest nobody does right now. Even some died-in-the-wool
overclockers are going to struggle getting their system to this
kind of speed without resorting to some pretty specific cooling
options and even then it's likely to be the motherboard, graphics
card or some other system component that spoils the party even
if the memory has headroom left. With any luck this situation
will begin to improve a little if and when we see JEDEC get
their pencils out of their ar mouths and actually define
a standard for DDR400 (PC3200) that manufacturers can work round.
Another possible area where we may see some advantage to memory
such as this is with nForce2 and its clock decoupled buses.
The problem with nForce2 is that it's clearly optimised for
asynchronous memory and FSB timings but no doubt a few adventurous
board makers will tweak things a little and allow DDR400 (and
faster) memory performance to see at least some kind of an advantage.
Let's do the specs.
FEATURES
- 512 Megabytes of memory
- Implemented using 32M x 8 DDR SDRAMs with 5.0 nanosecond access
time
- 100% tested at 434 MHz in highperformance KT400 - based motherboards
- Integrated aluminum heatspreader for improved thermal performance
- Benchmarked over multiple chipsets, processors, and motherboards
- Legendary Corsair reliability and service
- Life time warranty
TEST SPECS
- Each module is tested in an Asus A7V8X at 434 MHz
- Latency : 2-4-4-8-T 1 ( one module installed )
- SPD programmed at expected JEDEC values for PC 3200
<<<
Back to Review Index | Page
2 - A Closer Look >>>
Home
