The model name is correct at the top of the sticker, so I'm guessing it's a pre-release sample and the "512MB" is simply a typo. As Wes mentions, it doesn't appear that Corsair has an equivalent 2x512MB kit (yet?).
I would still like to see how budget DDR2-800 performs too. For some reason you guys left them out of the feeding the monster article. Do you guys think it's better to just go with value PC5300/5400 and overlock it? However, I would think you could overlock value DDR2-800 to around 1000mhz. In honesty I'm posting this out of selfishness since I ordered Corsair XMS2 1GB kit (my games I run never hit 1GB PF usage) TWIN2X1024-5400C4 4-4-4-12 1.9V for $108 is great for relatively low latency low voltage highly compatible ram.
Your articles with specifics such as voltage and latencies you use for stable overclocks really save us users some time and we thank you for that.
Oops made a bad com error. I should mention I meant to say it would be nice to compare which is better, lower latency lower voltage value pc5300/5400 or higher volt higher latency value pc6400 ram. Sorry tired from waiting on news for new motherboards last night lol.
Wesley,
In the discussion of his article, “Conroe Buying Guide: Feeding the Monster” (July 19th, 2006) Gary Key replied to a question on G.Skill memory, saying “We still have additional memory selections from a variety of suppliers arriving for further memory reviews at this time.” Is this what he meant, or are you guys going to review the G.Skill? I don’t want to sound ungrateful for the reviews you do, but G.Skill is a memory that of a lot of us (system builders) are interested in because it seems to offer the best performance/price.
On a separate but related note, do you know when the next round of motherboard reviews will be posted? I’m sitting on some Core 2 Duos and I need systems to put them in for back-to-school. Thanks a bunch!
-EarthsDM
The enthusiast, by definition, is always looking for more - more speed, more power, more performance. The quest is for the best - performance so good and speeds so fast that no one can touch their results. You may even consider the enthusiast an elitist, but that is no different than the car enthusiast, a photography enthusiast, or any technology area where hobbyists can be found.
Well that's your opinion and I'd disagree with it. Enthusiast does not always equal elitist (in fact it rarely does) nor a need to have the most expensive and latest item. One can be an enthusiast of cars without owning an exotic supercar. One can be a photography enthusiast without ever taking a picture, but simply appreciating the work of others.
I'm not picking a nit, but pointing out the fallacy that if you buy the most expensive and newest item you must be an ethusiast. On the contrary, (reviewers excluded) you're most likely just a sucker for marketing or poor monetary management.
Most computer enthusiasts for that matter are much more interested in building the best bang-for-the-buck system, not the most expensive one they can find, and generally not even using the latest parts. I would say the overclocker is the epitome of the computer enthusiast, as 'he' not only looks for the best performance but often elicits it 'him'self by taking budget parts and using 'his' knowledge and resources available, runs them at the speeds of much more expensive items, thus getting the best of both worlds - cost and performance.
The most expensive is not always the best performance, as we have pointed out many times. The enthusiast seeks the best. The quest for best performance for "x" dollars is also seeking the best. So is overclocking a cheap part for best performnace.
I suppose my point was that the enthusiast is not one to "settle" for mediocrity or buy a cookie-cutter system. Your points are well taken and I am in basic agreement.
Then they aren't elistists, as elistist brings to mind a rich person who just buys the latest and greatest because 'it is'. Overclockers are economical people to a fault. The two don't match up, hence the discrepancy. =)
That also is your opinion. To me an elitist is someone who demands a higher standard that the common folk. An elitist to me in the computer industry is someone who buys items that he/she knows will raise the level of standards among his peers. The items this person purchases doesn't necessarily have to be the most expensive but usually demands a higher premium because of the proven value.
Alas, labeling one an "elitist" has a distinctly negative connotation to it, and that is not an opinion, that is simply how it is (fact, if you will).
quote: e·lit·ism or é·lit·ism ( P ) Pronunciation Key (-ltzm, -l-)
n.
The belief that certain persons or members of certain classes or groups deserve favored treatment by virtue of their perceived superiority, as in intellect, social status, or financial resources.
The sense of entitlement enjoyed by such a group or class.
Control, rule, or domination by such a group or class.
elitist
n : someone who believes in rule by an elite group [ant: egalitarian]
So by discussing the term elitist, you further the point that those who seek the best bang for the buck are certainly not elitists in the commonly accepted sense. Not to mention your comment regarding a price premium also goes against the core ideology of the overclocker - ie, those who look for what is most cost-effective and NOT premiumly priced. Generally speaking they are items that (at least initially) are lesser-known and often rather cheap because their real potential is commonly unknown. If anything the nature of the overclocker is the opposite of your elitist, in that they are interested in taking common things and making them into superstars, instead of just buying premium-priced items that supposedly have better performance according to the manufacturer's marketing department.
Would be cool to see the charts start at scale 0, which would show the rather small impact of overclocking/getting higher rated memory modules. With a scale starting close to the min. score, the increase shown in the chart is not quite realistically represented ;)
Did you run into weird results with: DDR2 PC4200 low timings vs DDR2 PC5300 medium/high timings ?
Your comment beat me too it. I also was going to chide Anandtech for producing charts that dont have a scale starting from 0. You should stick to tables, if all you are trying to do is show the number of points difference between one speed to the next.
Tables are already included as a summary of results for each tested memory. The Corsir table is on page 4 and the OCZ on page 5. The charts are there to show the impact of memory speed scaling on performance, which is not well-illustrated in the table or in our common bar charts. We added a paragraph explaining that scales are reduced to better show the small differences in performance between these two memories.
You are both right that charts using zero-based scales will make the differences appear smaller than the reduced scale charts, but we were trying to compare the small differences in the Corsair and OCZ. We do prefer zero-based charts and an explanation was definitely needed.
With the performance of these DIMMs being about the same it really comes down to price, warranty, and reliablity as the deciding factors when you are shopping for RAM.
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18 Comments
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Beaner - Friday, August 4, 2006 - link
Just curious...The picture of the Corsair DIMMs show the bottom one as 512MB.
Was the wrong one used for the photo?
JarredWalton - Friday, August 4, 2006 - link
The model name is correct at the top of the sticker, so I'm guessing it's a pre-release sample and the "512MB" is simply a typo. As Wes mentions, it doesn't appear that Corsair has an equivalent 2x512MB kit (yet?).CrappyLuckMan - Friday, August 4, 2006 - link
I would still like to see how budget DDR2-800 performs too. For some reason you guys left them out of the feeding the monster article. Do you guys think it's better to just go with value PC5300/5400 and overlock it? However, I would think you could overlock value DDR2-800 to around 1000mhz. In honesty I'm posting this out of selfishness since I ordered Corsair XMS2 1GB kit (my games I run never hit 1GB PF usage) TWIN2X1024-5400C4 4-4-4-12 1.9V for $108 is great for relatively low latency low voltage highly compatible ram.Your articles with specifics such as voltage and latencies you use for stable overclocks really save us users some time and we thank you for that.
CrappyLuckMan - Friday, August 4, 2006 - link
Oops made a bad com error. I should mention I meant to say it would be nice to compare which is better, lower latency lower voltage value pc5300/5400 or higher volt higher latency value pc6400 ram. Sorry tired from waiting on news for new motherboards last night lol.EarthsDM - Friday, August 4, 2006 - link
Wesley,In the discussion of his article, “Conroe Buying Guide: Feeding the Monster” (July 19th, 2006) Gary Key replied to a question on G.Skill memory, saying “We still have additional memory selections from a variety of suppliers arriving for further memory reviews at this time.” Is this what he meant, or are you guys going to review the G.Skill? I don’t want to sound ungrateful for the reviews you do, but G.Skill is a memory that of a lot of us (system builders) are interested in because it seems to offer the best performance/price.
On a separate but related note, do you know when the next round of motherboard reviews will be posted? I’m sitting on some Core 2 Duos and I need systems to put them in for back-to-school. Thanks a bunch!
-EarthsDM
Wesley Fink - Friday, August 4, 2006 - link
We have the latest G. Skill on the way. We will schedule a review when it arrives.EarthsDM - Friday, August 4, 2006 - link
Thanks!yacoub - Friday, August 4, 2006 - link
The enthusiast, by definition, is always looking for more - more speed, more power, more performance. The quest is for the best - performance so good and speeds so fast that no one can touch their results. You may even consider the enthusiast an elitist, but that is no different than the car enthusiast, a photography enthusiast, or any technology area where hobbyists can be found.Well that's your opinion and I'd disagree with it. Enthusiast does not always equal elitist (in fact it rarely does) nor a need to have the most expensive and latest item. One can be an enthusiast of cars without owning an exotic supercar. One can be a photography enthusiast without ever taking a picture, but simply appreciating the work of others.
I'm not picking a nit, but pointing out the fallacy that if you buy the most expensive and newest item you must be an ethusiast. On the contrary, (reviewers excluded) you're most likely just a sucker for marketing or poor monetary management.
Most computer enthusiasts for that matter are much more interested in building the best bang-for-the-buck system, not the most expensive one they can find, and generally not even using the latest parts. I would say the overclocker is the epitome of the computer enthusiast, as 'he' not only looks for the best performance but often elicits it 'him'self by taking budget parts and using 'his' knowledge and resources available, runs them at the speeds of much more expensive items, thus getting the best of both worlds - cost and performance.
Just a thought.
Wesley Fink - Friday, August 4, 2006 - link
The most expensive is not always the best performance, as we have pointed out many times. The enthusiast seeks the best. The quest for best performance for "x" dollars is also seeking the best. So is overclocking a cheap part for best performnace.I suppose my point was that the enthusiast is not one to "settle" for mediocrity or buy a cookie-cutter system. Your points are well taken and I am in basic agreement.
yacoub - Friday, August 4, 2006 - link
Then they aren't elistists, as elistist brings to mind a rich person who just buys the latest and greatest because 'it is'. Overclockers are economical people to a fault. The two don't match up, hence the discrepancy. =)epsilonparadox - Friday, August 4, 2006 - link
That also is your opinion. To me an elitist is someone who demands a higher standard that the common folk. An elitist to me in the computer industry is someone who buys items that he/she knows will raise the level of standards among his peers. The items this person purchases doesn't necessarily have to be the most expensive but usually demands a higher premium because of the proven value.yacoub - Friday, August 4, 2006 - link
Alas, labeling one an "elitist" has a distinctly negative connotation to it, and that is not an opinion, that is simply how it is (fact, if you will).So by discussing the term elitist, you further the point that those who seek the best bang for the buck are certainly not elitists in the commonly accepted sense. Not to mention your comment regarding a price premium also goes against the core ideology of the overclocker - ie, those who look for what is most cost-effective and NOT premiumly priced. Generally speaking they are items that (at least initially) are lesser-known and often rather cheap because their real potential is commonly unknown. If anything the nature of the overclocker is the opposite of your elitist, in that they are interested in taking common things and making them into superstars, instead of just buying premium-priced items that supposedly have better performance according to the manufacturer's marketing department.
rjm55 - Friday, August 4, 2006 - link
I want, therefore I have.araczynski - Friday, August 4, 2006 - link
thanks for a good read, i agree that the overclocking scale is looks like its designed by some marketing group, stop using that kind of junk.when shown in real scale those small differences are nothing.
jmke - Friday, August 4, 2006 - link
Would be cool to see the charts start at scale 0, which would show the rather small impact of overclocking/getting higher rated memory modules. With a scale starting close to the min. score, the increase shown in the chart is not quite realistically represented ;)Did you run into weird results with: DDR2 PC4200 low timings vs DDR2 PC5300 medium/high timings ?
Spacecomber - Friday, August 4, 2006 - link
Your comment beat me too it. I also was going to chide Anandtech for producing charts that dont have a scale starting from 0. You should stick to tables, if all you are trying to do is show the number of points difference between one speed to the next.Wesley Fink - Friday, August 4, 2006 - link
Tables are already included as a summary of results for each tested memory. The Corsir table is on page 4 and the OCZ on page 5. The charts are there to show the impact of memory speed scaling on performance, which is not well-illustrated in the table or in our common bar charts. We added a paragraph explaining that scales are reduced to better show the small differences in performance between these two memories.You are both right that charts using zero-based scales will make the differences appear smaller than the reduced scale charts, but we were trying to compare the small differences in the Corsair and OCZ. We do prefer zero-based charts and an explanation was definitely needed.
Googer - Saturday, August 5, 2006 - link
With the performance of these DIMMs being about the same it really comes down to price, warranty, and reliablity as the deciding factors when you are shopping for RAM.