OCZ VX Revisited: DDR Updates on DFI nForce4

Final Words

Conclusions have not really changed in our update to DDR performance testing on the DFI nForce4. Across the board, OCZ VX is the fastest memory that we have tested when comparing equivalent speeds. However, we also found that other top-performing DDR memory also does better on the DFI nF4. The result is that other top DDR memory is capable of achieving similar performance to VX, although they require higher CPU speeds and memory speeds to offset the slower memory timings and slower performance of the memory chips at the same speed. Results were closer between top competing memory than it appeared in our initial review, and we found this to be almost completely attributable to the better performance of nVidia 71.84 compared to the earlier 61.77 drivers.

In the end, the fastest memory that we have tested is OCZ PC4000 VX Gold. Across the range from DDR400 to DDR533, it outperforms any DDR memory that we have tested. This certainly proves that timings do indeed still matter, and 2-2-2 timings combined with a faster memory chip can yield impressive performance levels. The "gotcha" is that you will need a lot of voltage - up to 3.6 volts - to reach these performance levels. The DFI nF4 pair are the only productions boards we are aware of that can supply these kinds of voltages. You can also achieve these voltages on some motherboards by using the OCZ DDR Booster.

There is certainly good news for other top memory on the DFI nF4, however. Almost all of the memory could achieve roughly equivalent performance to the OCZ VX Gold at higher memory speeds and higher CPU speed. TCCD at 318x9 or 280x10 were roughly equivalent to VX performance at 267x10. This required both higher CPU speed and higher memory speed to offset the advantage of fast 2-2-2 timings and fast Winbond chips in OCZ VX. Crucial Ballistix came closest to OCZ VX performance across the curve, since Micron chips do appear more equivalent in performance to Winbond than Samsung TCCD. However, TCCD can reach higher memory speeds, which offsets the Ballistix advantage if your system is capable of the higher speeds. Corsair was particularly fast for a TCCD memory in the 466 to 533 range, exactly where it is targeted. The Corsair did not do as well at the highest speeds on the DFI as it has done on other platforms, but that can likely be fixed with a BIOS revision. In the end, everyone's top performances were pretty comparable.

If you have the means to reach the voltage levels required by VX , then OCZ Gold VX is definitely the fastest memory that you can buy. It tops out at DDR533, but it is just as fast at that speed as TCCD at DDR636 or DDR560 at higher CPU speeds. All 4 memories can achieve similar top performance levels, but OCZ VX Gold does it at the lowest DDR speed and fastest timings. Across its bandwidth of DDR400 to DDR533, OCZ VX Gold is the fastest memory that we have tested. At the top, other top DDR can match VX performance, but they require higher CPU speed and/or memory speed to offset the memory timing advantages of OCZ VX Gold.