Xtreme 256mb PC3200 DDR Review
Posted by Mike
@ 11:45 P.M. on 01/10/03
Background
Special thanks goes to Joey,
for supplying us with this ram!
The speed of
memory is very important in today's computers, especially
for overclockers. RAM can really make or break your overclock.
I'm sure that we have all experienced a time where the system
was unable to boot because our ram couldn't handle the speeds
it was given. As a result, we had to lower the memory divider
and took a major hit in lost memory bandwidth.
Some overclockers
are starting to look past PC3200 (400mhz) ram because of
the fact that newer motherboards actually support it and
run it at 400mhz stock. Since the ram is already running
what it is supposed to, it may not overclock much higher
than 400mhz, where as with PC3500 (433mhz) ram people can
rest assured that they have some room to overclock. However,
PC3200 is a major upgrade for most of us and it can often
overclock very well, while costing less than PC3500.
Hmmm, I think I know which looks better...
We will be
looking at a stick of Xtreme DDR's 256mb PC3200 ram. Like
any other high quality ram, Xtreme DDR puts an aluminum
heat spreader on the module. In order to match your case,
the heat spreader is available in silver, purple, red, green,
gold, and blue. While most people think this actually cools
the ram and allows further overclocking, it's mainly just
for looks. It also adds some weight, which really makes
it feel high quality.
A view of the heat spreader
from the side.
Xtreme DDR has their logo stamped
into the heat spreader, and also a sticker that shows various
information and if your warranty was voided by opening the
heat spreader.
Xtreme DDR
used Samsung B3 6ns chips for this ram. What you may not
know is that 6ns is only rated for PC2700. This means that
this ram actually is a stick of pc2700 ram that was pre-tested
to be stable at pc3200. This may explain to us why Xtreme
DDR's recommended timings are quite relaxed. This may also
prove to damper overclocking.
Ram
specs:
· Available
in 512MB Double Sided Module
· Available in 256MB Single Sided Module
· Color Aluminum Heat Spreader
· Samsung B3 -6ns Chip
· Lifetime Warranty
· 3-6-3 2T Timings
· 400 (200) MHz
· Unbuffered
· CL 2.5
