Value DDR2-800 from Super Talent: Where Can You Go?

Final Words

All of the seven DDR2 memories we have previously tested have been based on Micron D9 memory chips. The best DDR2 memory we have tested is able to run at DDR2-800 3-3-3 timings and DDR2-1066 at 4-4-3. Performance at these settings is the best we have seen for DDR2, and they remain the standard against which other DDR2 memory is measured. It is worth repeating that all of the best DDR2 memory we have tested has been built with Micron memory chips, which have set the pace for high-end DDR2 memory performance.

The Super Talent DDR2-800 5-5-4, which is the subject of this review, is not built with Micron chips, it is not top-rated, and the price is definitely in the value segment. So what do you get then, with a Value DDR2-800 designed to sell for less than half the price of the top DDR2 memory available?

You get a lot more than you might expect with the Super Talent. For starters it runs DDR2-800 at 5-5-4 timings at the default 1.8V available on any Socket T or AM2 motherboard. This is something the top-end memory really can't do, since it is generally rated for performance at a higher DDR2 voltage. With just a little more voltage on the Super Talent T800UX2CG5 - a push to 1.95V - you can run stable 4-4-4-12 timings at DDR2-800. At those timings you will give up a few frames per second in games compared to 3-3-3 DDR2-800 timings, but the real performance difference is extremely small.

The Super Talent also will not perform with stability at DDR2-1067, something every other memory in our high-end testing has achieved. Again, this is a value memory and it will run at DDR2-1000, which is frankly outstanding performance for any memory that falls into the value category. The loss of performance at DDR2-1000 compared to DDR2-1067 to 1100 is very small. The biggest handicap might be small crimps in overclocking where you will need lower memory ratios to reach high CPU overclocks on the 965/975 Intel chipsets or the NVIDIA 680i. A modestly overclocked DDR2-1000 can all but match performance at 1066/1100 in the games most are running today.

The bottom line in all our results is that yes, the best DDR2 memory will give you the best performance. If absolute top performance is your goal then choose a memory that can do 3-3-3 at DDR2-800 and 4-4-3 at DDR2-1067. Your reward will be the best memory performance and highest frame rates you can achieve with any memory. However, if your concern is bang for the buck, you will be perfectly fine choosing a memory like Super Talent DDR2-800 5-5-4. Game performance will be only slightly slower, and you can more than make up for any small performance penalties by putting your savings towards a better video card or a faster CPU.

In the end the Core 2 Duo (and to a lesser extent the AM2) are not particularly memory bandwidth starved in present configurations. As a result the real advantages of faster memory are much smaller than we have seen in past architectures. You can take advantage of this fact by choosing somewhat slower memories with the knowledge that the real-world performance loss will be very small.

The Super Talent T800UX2CG5 is an excellent example of the kind of price compromises that make sense when total system cost is a big concern. If you are working within a tight budget, the Super Talent makes good sense as a value memory that will minimally impact performance, allowing the $100 to $200 savings to go toward a video card upgrade or CPU upgrade.

The Super Talent is certainly not the only good value choice and we will be testing others in the near future. Our advice would be to make sure your value memory choice can deliver solid performance at DDR2-800. Certainly the ability to do 4-4-4 or even better timings is desirable. Then look at where the memory tops out in overclocking tests. There are some good value products starting to appear in the DDR2 memory market and we have no doubt that many more are on the way. The Super Talent T800UX2CG5 is an outstanding choice where value and performance both matter.