OCZ PC2-4200EB: Reaching for DDR2-800
by Wesley Fink on December 21, 2004 3:37 PM EST- Posted in
- Memory
In our first DDR2 roundup, DDR2 Roundup: Reaching for 667 and Beyond, we quickly dispelled conventional wisdom about DDR2 performance and timings just a few weeks after the launch of DDR2. While all of the eight DDR2 memories that we tested were rated at the expected 4-4-4 timings, we found that almost all of them actually performed very well at DDR2-533 at 3-3-3 timings. Even more significant, every memory in the roundup also performed well at DDR2-667, the next expected speed bump, at 4-4-4 timings. All the DDR2 also reached DDR2-686, which was the test limit of the best Intel 925X that we had available at that time. That first roundup certainly proved that the misgivings about ramping DDR2 were unfounded.
What was not different in our performance tests in that roundup was that DDR2, at 533 and 3-3-3, still performed about the same as fast DDR400 memory. As we first saw in the 925X/915 launch review using the Intel D925XCV, DDR2 had to reach higher frequencies at lower latencies if it was going to give old faithful DDR a run for the money.
While sales of the platforms using DDR2 - the 925X/915 motherboards - have been lackluster in the 6 months since launch, the developments around the new Intel technology have been coming fast. Most significant of these was the launch of the 925XE chipset, which increased the FSB from 800 to 1066, and also brought DDR2 back to a 1:1 performance ratio, since the 266 multiplier of 1066 is a direct DDR2 conversion to DDR2-533. The widely expected move to DDR2-667 just didn't happen, as we now have a new 1:1 DDR2-533 and a new "next" speed bump of the 3:4 ratio of DDR2-711.
The 1066 FSB was a very limited introduction with just one $1000+ CPU at the new 1066 speed - the 3.46EE Socket 775 CPU based on the Xenon .13 technology. However, more 1066 are on the way, although we do not expect a wholesale switch by Intel until some time nest year. Despite the limited first launch, 1066 is where we are going in Intel and Socket 775, and manufacturers quickly embraced the new 925XE chipset on Enthusiast-oriented boards like the Abit Fatality AA8, the Asus P5AD2-E, and the Gigabyte 8AENXP-D. The 925XE is clearly, and quickly, the new board of choice among Intel enthusiasts, and not just for the 3.46EE chip. The new 925XE boards offer very flexible options to extract the most from any Socket 775 chip - 800 FSB or 1066 FSB.
So, what do we feed the new 925XE beasts? Several manufacturers like Corsair, Crucial, and OCZ introduced DDR2-667 memory. Most 667 were just hand-picked 533 that performed a bit better, since every DDR2-533 that we tested already reached 667 with ease. Most offered official 3-3-3 timings at 533 and decent timings at 667, but the reach at the top was only a bit further than the best of the regular DDR2-533. No one, it appeared, was doing much more with DDR2 memory. That is, until today.
Today, we are benchmarking the first of a truly new breed of DDR2 memory. It is rated modestly at DDR2-533, but at the very unmodest timings of 3-2-2-8. This is the first DDR2 actually to claim memory latencies more in line with what we see in DDR memory. Add to this that OCZ has heard the cries for fast 1GB DIMMs because these are 1GB DIMMs rated at 3-2-2-8. What's more, we are seeing early reports that this OCZ PC2-4200EB (Extended Bandwidth) is reaching unheard of performance levels on 925XE motherboards. That's a lot to live up to, and we couldn't wait to see what this new memory could really do in our memory testbed.
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MS - Tuesday, December 21, 2004 - link
JasonIt is certainly true that if you have a system backbone that is not capable of taking advantage of the peripherals it will put a little damper on the enthusiasm. On the other hand, don't blame the components for that.
One of the biggest issues is that the P4, no matter what you do cannot take advantage of latencies or bandwidth. The Prescott is a little better than the Northwood in that respect but it is still the bottleneck. Chances are that Intel finally will wake up and do something about this problem but maybe not. However, from the standpoint of a memory manufacturer, all we can do is try to provide THE very best solution and I firmly believe that we have done just that. Whether anybody wants it or not is a different story --- even though the latter could become our problem... :)
Wesley Fink - Tuesday, December 21, 2004 - link
#9 - We don't often mention exact price in a review because it is always changing and reviews are read and reread in the future. This is particularly true with memory. Right now, a 2x1GB kit is about $818. The 1GB kit with SS 512MB dimms is about $435.As we said in the review, this is expensive memory.
formulav8 - Tuesday, December 21, 2004 - link
This was most likely a HAND-Picked Dimm that OCZ sent to anandtech. Wait until there is real experiance with this memory to see if it is real or not.Jason
skunkbuster - Tuesday, December 21, 2004 - link
how much does this cost? i dont think i saw it mentioned in the reviewbcoupland - Tuesday, December 21, 2004 - link
What I find ironic with all this huge bandwidth on the 1066 fsb p4's, is that a S754 3700+ with 3.2 GB/s can still beat it in most tests, some more than others. Nice Ram, though.bigtoe36 - Tuesday, December 21, 2004 - link
GuysI haven't seen any other DDR2 clock as good as these dimms. Running 3-2-2- at DDR700+ is pretty impressive. Maybe we need to blame the boards or the cpu's for the lack of speed. Im sure if AMD moves to DDR2 running dimms at DDR700 3-2-2 would be pretty damned fast.
CBone - Tuesday, December 21, 2004 - link
How did the other sticks do in the 1066 FSB bench? I'm going to guess that if there was a difference, it was so slight as to be negligible.It seems that everyone is waiting for the great white hope in DDR2, but manufacturers are delivering the great white hype. So far it looks like ALL DDR2 performs and overclocks about the same so you should buy as cheap as you can and not bother getting the overpriced Corsair or OCZ.
formulav8 - Tuesday, December 21, 2004 - link
Was it mainly just for the oc or the lower timings? I guess if for ocing it is nice. But for timings it is worthless?? That is what I was trying to understand with my above post.Jason
formulav8 - Tuesday, December 21, 2004 - link
Unless I was looking at the wrong numbers, this memory is worthless. There was NOT EVEN 1% increase in performance? It increased the points in some benches but by a wopping 0.5%-0.9% on average???I am not sure why this review is so excited about this memory??
You get a much higher performance increase with DDR1 at low timings compared to high timings. Up to 4-5% increase in almost every bench.
Did I compare the wrong numbers or something??
Jason
Icehawk - Tuesday, December 21, 2004 - link
I'm very impressed that they got dual channel 1gb sticks working so well in DDR2 - wish they could do the same for DDR :( A64 + 2gb DC would be nice...