Value DDR2-800 from Super Talent: Where Can You Go?
by Wesley Fink on November 29, 2006 12:05 AM EST- Posted in
- Memory
Overclocking Performance (Highest Ratio at Highest Speed)
The Super Talent DDR2-800 value memory performed extremely well to its rated speed of DDR2-800. It also was able to reach beyond rated speed to DDR2-1000 at the DDR2-889 memory ratio, but the Super Talent could not manage stable performance at the next standard speed of DDR2-1066. While this overclocking performance is the worst of the seven tested memories, keep in mind that the Super Talent DDR2-800 is the only value memory tested so far. This is outstanding performance for a value memory rated at DDR2-800 5-5-4.
With a maximum available voltage of 2.4V we could not reach above DDR2-1000. In fact we needed just 2.3V to reach a stable DDR2-1000 and additional voltage did not help extend overclocking.. Since value memory will likely be used on boards that supply less memory voltage than 2.3V, it is likely the top speed at lower voltages will be lower than DDR2-1000.
A value DDR2-800 memory that can reach to DDR2-1000 should be considered excellent performance. However, it is also very important for potential buyers of this value memory to take notice that the Super Talent reaches its rated DDR2-800 speed at a stock 1.8V, and it reaches significantly faster timings of 4-4-4 at a modest 1.95V which many low-cost boards can supply.
The Super Talent DDR2-800 value memory performed extremely well to its rated speed of DDR2-800. It also was able to reach beyond rated speed to DDR2-1000 at the DDR2-889 memory ratio, but the Super Talent could not manage stable performance at the next standard speed of DDR2-1066. While this overclocking performance is the worst of the seven tested memories, keep in mind that the Super Talent DDR2-800 is the only value memory tested so far. This is outstanding performance for a value memory rated at DDR2-800 5-5-4.
With a maximum available voltage of 2.4V we could not reach above DDR2-1000. In fact we needed just 2.3V to reach a stable DDR2-1000 and additional voltage did not help extend overclocking.. Since value memory will likely be used on boards that supply less memory voltage than 2.3V, it is likely the top speed at lower voltages will be lower than DDR2-1000.
A value DDR2-800 memory that can reach to DDR2-1000 should be considered excellent performance. However, it is also very important for potential buyers of this value memory to take notice that the Super Talent reaches its rated DDR2-800 speed at a stock 1.8V, and it reaches significantly faster timings of 4-4-4 at a modest 1.95V which many low-cost boards can supply.
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Wesley Fink - Wednesday, November 29, 2006 - link
Super Talent has advised:"This kit is on sale at ewiz for $241.02. You could point readers to
http://www.ewiz.com/detail.php?name=T800UX2GC5">http://www.ewiz.com/detail.php?name=T800UX2GC5&quo...
The kits will also appear at other resellers in the near future.
Frumious1 - Wednesday, November 29, 2006 - link
Try searching for "T800UX2GC5" and you should find it.http://www.ewiz.com/detail.php?name=T800UX2GC5">eWiz
Not in stock anywhere else that I see right now, but Newegg has the T800UX2GC4 at $280 with a $20 mailin rebate, so I bet they'll get the C5 as well, and hopefully closer to $200. In the mean time, try http://froogle.google.com/froogle?hl=en&q=T800...">using a search engine like Froogle/
Postoasted - Wednesday, November 29, 2006 - link
Shouldn't we be suspicious of reviews where the test sample is provided by the product maker?Frumious1 - Wednesday, November 29, 2006 - link
Yes, and we should stop reading hardware websites because that's where all their hardware comes from. We should only pay attention to Newegg.com reviews, because all of those people really purchased the products they're reviewing! (/sarcasm)I've rarely (if ever) been able to match AnandTech performance results with the same RAM chips they use, but then I rarely have the same CPU and motherboard that they've got either. If they push everything to the same limit, you can at least figure the relative differences are there. Truthfully, I don't think more than a small fraction of people that worry about having the biggest epenis need more than DDR2-800 memory. That will get you just about everywhere you need to go with overclocking (except perhaps with the E6300/E6400 on extreme overclocks), so unless you care about the extra 3% potential performance there's not much reason to buy $500 RAM kits.
Wesley Fink - Wednesday, November 29, 2006 - link
Product on AnandTech is not a one-shot deal. If memory or motherboard manufacturers supply hand-picked hardware and users can't duplicate what we find the RMAs go through the roof. This is very expensive for the manufacturer. They quickly learn it is in their best interest to supply a sample with typical performance. The supply issue becomes self-policing.As Editors and enthusiasts we are also not idiots. We do buy samples on a regular basis and compare them to what we find with manufacturer samples. If results are out of line we scream loudly - to the manufacturer and in these pages. Accepting samples from manufacturers for review gets you information MUCH faster, but a review at AT is a privilege - not an obligation. Manufacturers who abuse the "typical sample" rule get moved down in queues or out of our review cycle.
The performance of the Super Talent is nothing spectacular; it is good performance from a fairly rated DDR2-800 memory. There is nothing in our results to raise any concerns. The point of the review was that value DDR2 is almost as good in performance as the best DDR2, and if you are on a tight budget you can save money with value DDR2, within reason, and get more performance by putting the difference in a video card upgrade or a CPU upgrade.
We have asked Super Talent to provide info on where this memory can be purchased. We will pass that along as soon as we receive an answer.
lopri - Wednesday, November 29, 2006 - link
What if the manufacturers are big, I mean HUGE, or if they command a monopoly/duo-poly status in the market? Namely, Intel, AMD, NV, ASUS, et al. Do they consider it an honor to be reviewed @AT? I remember Anand's E6600/E6700/X6800 all hitting ~4.0GHz when they debuted. Retail samples still can't achieve such clocks even months after the initial review, let alone at that time they were merely achieving 3.30~3.60GHz. But it'd be hard to ignore Intel's new products, I'd assume?Wesley Fink - Wednesday, November 29, 2006 - link
There is variation in overclocking among Core 2 Duo samples, but almost all of our retail chips - those we bought - will do in the 3.6GHz to 4.0GHz range. My last retail E6800 does 3.6+ at stock voltage and right at 4GHz on good air cooling. The retail runs 2100 FSB while the Intle sample will not do 1MHz over 1800 FSB.Intel supplied the pre-launch chips, but we have bought everything since. There is definitely variation, but our retail purchases do not vary significantly from the Intel supplied chips, except in maximum FSB which we commented on in the nVidia 680i launch review.
Hippiekiller - Wednesday, November 29, 2006 - link
Poop comes from butts teehee