Value DDR2-800 from Super Talent: Where Can You Go?
by Wesley Fink on November 29, 2006 12:05 AM EST- Posted in
- Memory
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.
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.
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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