OCZ DDR2 PC2-6400 Platinum EB
Introduction
Last month we took a look at two recent sets of memory from Corsair and Kingston that were pushing DDR2 technology ahead, offering higher clock speeds and lower latencies to complement leading edge motherboard technologies. Each set did very well in our benchmarks, offering up premium peformance with solid stability. But, besides death and taxes, the only other constant in this world is that the speed of most PC components increase every six months or so. While Kingston was the first to reach the 750MHz barrier with their HyperX KHX6000D2K2/1G memory, we now have faster sets on the market, including today's entry from OCZ Technology, a 1GB set of 800MHz rated DDR2 called the OCZ PC2-6400 Platinum Enhanced Bandwidth Dual Channel. It's quite a long name for two shiny, short sticks of RAM, but breaking it down to basics means we should be looking at high speed RAM with low latencies.
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| Each OCZ PC2-6400 EB Dual Channel Kit is hand tested as a matched pair across a wide variety of motherboards. In addition, OCZ DDR2-800 EB offers integrated platinum mirrored copper heatspreaders for efficient heat dissipation, a lifetime warranty, toll-free technical support and the exclusive EVP (Extended Voltage Protection) coverage. |
| Specifications: ·_800 MHz DDR2 ·_CL 4-3-3-8 (CAS-TRCD-TRP-TRAS) ·_Available in 1GB (2x512MB) Dual Channel Optimized Kits ·_Unbuffered ·_Platinum Mirrored Copper Heatspreader ·_Lifetime warranty ·_2.1 Volts ·_240 Pin DIMM |
Special Features: ·_OCZ Enhanced Bandwidth Technology - provides intelligent bandwidth management by offering the lowest possible page access times ·_2.2 EVP - OCZ's unique Extended Voltage Protection feature allows {C2-6400 modules to handle voltages up to 2.2V and still be covered by their Lifetime Warranty Part Numbers: ·_OCZ29001024EBDCPE-K |
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As with most memory kits we've recevied, the two sticks are prominently shown in plastic clamshell type package that contains little else but the memory and fact sheet. Luckily, the shell is not sealed in that "grab the knife and start cutting" method, so we were able to get the sticks out without any issue. The pair of sticks are encased within platinum colored copper heat-spreaders with OCZ's logo machined right into the center on both sides.
Other than the logo, there's not much else to note except for the identification sticker placed on the left edge. This sticker contains all of the necessary descriptive information, in an easy to read format and thus easy to identify parts later. OCZ's nomenclature labels the memory as "PC2-6400", which should be read as DDR2 rated for speeds as high as 800 MHz. Each stick consists of 512MB of memory that have been tested and paired for stable dual channel operation. The CL timings listed here were 4-3-3-8. Although we had seen lower CAS ratings with the Corsair memory we previously reviewed, these were timings for running at 675MHz, and not the 800MHz that the OCZ sticks can operate at.
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Using CPU-Z version 1.30, we can get an inside look at the programming of the modules. This will tell us how the RAM is officially detected with the on board Serial Presence Detect (SPD) PROM. The SPD timings are shown to be a little looser than what was officially stated. According to OCZ's website and the sticker on the heatspreaders, these sticks were supposed to be running at 4-3-3-8, but in CPU-Z the SPD Timings Table listed the RAM as capable of running at 4-4-4-8 at 400MHz. Even though the SPD timings on the RAM were close to the rated values, the Asus P5WD2 set the timings to 5-5-5-15 at 334.5 MHz, using the FSB:DRAM ratio of 3:5. As the P5WD2 reported the same timings for all three kits that we will be testing, this is obviously an issue with the motherboard and not the OCZ memory.
