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Introduction:::...
To
say memory manufacturers have had a bit of a rollercoaster
ride of late must be an understatement of epic proportions.
With prices in a seemingly endless freefall and motherboard
technology failing to create any new demand for faster
or new types of module it's been slim pickings for
even the biggest and best established names.
Of
course several companies have DDR2 products that they've
either announced or are about to, but once more it's
nothing more than revenue on hold until we see volume
shipments of motherboards capable of running it.
Innovation
has certainly been on display as manufacturers have
dug deep looking for new avenues of revenue. We've
seen speeds way beyond those the vast majority of
users will ever need. We've seen activity LEDs and
LCD thermometers on the heatspreaders. We've seen
preselected dual channel memory pairs and enhanced
bandwidth technologies. All very nice I'm sure, but
what about the kind of user who just wants high quality,
high performance memory that runs at industry standard
speeds and doesn't require you to hand over vital
appendages to cover the cost?
Today
I'm looking at some memory from a company that seems
to be gaining in stature in the enthusiast market.
GeIL, or Golden Emperor International Ltd if you prefer,
have a full range of DDR products in their inventory
ranging from "Value Series" PC2700 right
through to their "Ultra Series" PC4400.
I happen to have a pair of their newly announced Value
Dual Channel PC3200 to test.
Hand-picked
and paired by GeIL, the only obvious drawback is that
you can only buy this memory in 2x256MB or 2x512MB
configurations. Not that 512MB of memory is a bad
idea, in fact it's what I now consider to be the comfortable
minimum for a WindowsXP based system.
With
a couple of 512MB modules in hand, it's time to get
some testing done. First the specs:
Available
only in 512MB (2X256MB) and 1GB (2X512MB) Dual Channel
DDR Kits.
- 184pin,
Non-ECC, Un-buffered, high performance DDR memory
modules.
- GeIL
5ns 32x8 Density DDR Chip.
- 6
Layers Ultra Low Noises Shielded PCB.
- Optimized
SPD for Dual Channel DDR motherboards.
- Blue
Aluminum Heat Spreader.
- Lifetime
Warranty .
- CAS
2.5 7-4-4 @ DDR400 PC3200
- 2.55V-2.95V
- Retail package.
The
inclusion of a lifetime warranty was nice to see.
I was sure GeIL would offer a less generous period
of cover for their value range but it seems not.
The
continuing disapearance of genuine, low latency memory
seems to be picking up pace. Though it matters far
more for AMD platforms than it does for Intel, good
CAS 2 memory seems to be getting rarer than rocking
horse manure.
While
I'm sure most merciless oiverclockers may be turning
up their noses at the thought of "mere"
PC3200 memory running 2.5-7-4-4, these parameteres
nmatter a lot less as the frequencies get cranked
up. The question however remains "cane these
frequencies be cranked up?". We shall see!
I
was curious to see the voltage range quoted at 2.55
to 2.95V too. I certainly wouldn' run my own memory
at anything above 2.8V for any prolonged period of
time. For the more adventurous though it seems GeIL
consider 2.95V on their chips to be an acceptable
torture.
Time
for a look at the actual modules:
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