Crucial PC133 Memory Review

Author : Wayne Date : 9th May 2001

3DVelocity would like to thank Crucial and especially Liz Anderson for their help and courtesy in providing this memory for review.

Introduction :

Because of the way memory prices have tumbled over the years, we have developed a tendancy to become far less choosy about what we slot into our systems. For many people, if it says PC133 on the label, then it's good enough, and I've got to admit I'd fallen into the very same trap and installed generic no-name RAM in my personal system to save a few pennies.
A few years ago when memory was running out at £20 (around $29) per Mb, people were a damned site more fussy about what they splashed their money on.

To dig out an old chestnut, there's never been a better time to buy memory, but is it a mistake to assume all memory is created equal? Before we look at the memory itself, let's take a quick look at the company behind it.

Who are Crucial? :

Crucial Technology, a division of Micron, is one of the three largest memory upgrade providers in the world. Created less than four years ago as a direct sales and service division of Micron, Crucial quickly became a leader in the $4 billion memory upgrade industry, largely because of its unique business model. At this time, Crucial is the only factory-direct memory upgrade provider to end users. Crucial's direct model fulfills the promise of the Internet by creating a direct link between customers and the manufacturer, using the latest technology to facilitate an excellent customer experience and relationship.

As the only memory upgrade provider that is part of a major manufacturer, Crucial gives you direct access to the highest quality memory available. Crucial is a division of Micron Technology, Inc., which manufactures dynamic random access memory (DRAM) chips and assembles them into memory modules for the global computer industry. Located in Boise, Idaho, Micron is currently the largest DRAM manufacturer in the United States and one of the top three in the world. Micron is a leading supplier of memory to the major original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) including Dell, Compaq, HP, Gateway, Apple, Micronpc.com, IBM, and more!

Why so cheap? :

As manufacturing techniques inproved, so memory yields increased to the point where the market became flooded with memory modules. Even governments got involved with enforced quotas to try to stem the flow and push prices up a little, but ultimately it is we, the consumers who have gained.

The fact that memory is so cheap is astounding when you actually consider how much work goes into the creation of a basic chip, and I strongly suggest you get clued up on the process by taking a read of Crucial's Manufacturing Guide, it's pretty mindblowing the steps involved.

Introducing the memory :

First up I want to look at Crucial's PC133 SDRAM.

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The Spec :

Access Time / Bus Clock Rate	7.5 ns / 133 MHz
Data Width / Check Width	64 bit / 0 bit
Data Integrity Check	Non-parity
Type / Form Factor	DRAM / DIMM 168-PIN
Features	Unbuffered
Technology / Supply Voltage	SDRAM / 3.3 V
Module Configuration / Data Width	16 x 64 / 64 bit

Testing :

For testing, I used DFI's AK75-EC motherboard with an Athlon 1GHz installed, and a Chaintech 6AIA4 fitted with a PIII 550. Graphics were catered for by an AGP overclock friendly Radeon 64DDR, and of course the memory used was generic PC100, PC133 and a 128MB stick of Crucial PC133.

SiSoft Sandra 2001 Memory Bench (Athlon)

	Generic PC133	Crucial PC133
INT Alu	358	369
Float Fpu	383	403
Int Alu (4 way interleaved)	427	441
Float Fpu (4 way interleaved)	495	541

Particle Fury Memory Bench (Athlon)

	Generic PC100	Generic PC133	Crucial PC133
Frames Per Second	17.8	22.8	23.3
Peak	571	720	748
Average	559	711	732

 

3DMark 2001 (Athlon)

Generic PC133	Crucial PC133
2937	2944

 

Sachs marine Aquarium D3D (Athlon)

Generic PC133	Crucial PC133
84 FPS	84 FPS

Generic PC133 (PIII)	Crucial PC133 (PIII)	Generic PC133 (Athlon)	Generic PC133 (Athlon)
140MHz 2-2-2	147MHz 2-2-2	140MHz 2-2-2	147MHz 2-2-2
147MHz 3-2-2	160MHz 3-2-2	145MHz 3-2-2	150MHz 3-2-2

I didn't go all out in the chase for the maximum FSB setting partly because there's no guarantee the RAM you buy will match the Ram I have, and partly because it's hard to be certain if system instability is actually attributable to the RAM or if it's another system component rocking the boat. I was actually pretty surprised to see the Crucial memory trash my generic memory in just about every test, though perhaps I shouldn't have been when I consider the vast experience Micron has behind it in the manufacturing of quality memory.

Conclusion :

PRO's
Excellent performance
Excellent stability
Factory direct prices
Available in the UK
Secure and efficient ordering over the 'net
Extreme quality control at source

CON's
Nothing springs to mind

Okay, I admit to being sucked into the game. By buying generic to save a few pounds I thought I wasn't really missing out on much, but the results from Crucial's memory have set me straight.

Because I'm in their affiliate scheme, I was secretly kind of hoping performance was going to be good, but not so good that I was left with nothing bad to say. In the end it looks like I'm going to have to face the accusations that I'm a Crucial puppet, because I really can't find anything bad to say. Sure, I've seen memory reviews that showed better O/C results, but unless I use it on my rig I can't be certain I'd see the same figures, plus a lot of the performance memory out there comes at a price premium.

By cutting out the middle man, Crucial is able to offer factory direct products at the keenest of prices. This in itself is a great incentive to buy, but when you couple that with a solid all round performance, you have a class product that does what it sets out to do and more. At this moment in time, Crucial has become my first choice for quality memory at realistic prices.