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On to the Modules

First I should clarify that some modules obtained were direct from manufacturers, while others were borrowed from friends with current DDR2 setups. Rams borrowed included the Corsair PC5400 and 4300 Pro modules, as well as the Kingston PC5400. All other modules were submitted by the manufacturers for evaluation.

Corsair XMS2-Pro PC2 5400

These modules are spec’d to run at a 667MHz frequency, therefore in most cases will require overclocking a motherboard to a 250fsb using the 3:4 ram multiplier available on the 925X, 925XE, and 915P chipset motherboards for DDR2. Using latencies of 4 4:4:12 (CL:tRCD:tRP:tRAS) one might at first consider this to be quite poor, however given DDR2’s speed, and the P4 architectures forgiveness of high latency memory, this isn’t the performance albatross one might imagine. The Corsair Pro series was the first line of computer memory that used LED activity lights. These lights are both aesthetic and functional as they do show memory activity and can be beneficial when troubleshooting a problematic system.

Corsair XMS2-Pro PC2 4300

Actually introduced later than the PC5400 modules, these memory modules were able to run at lower latency at the memory speeds of 533MHz. Latencies of 3 3:3:8 (CL:tRCD:tRP:tRAS) are used to produce what one might consider to be a slightly more performance oriented module even at less absolute frequency. Given the asking prices found on the internet, it’s common to see the 4300 modules commanding slight price premium over their 5400 siblings. It will be interesting to see if that is warranted or not. Virtually identical in appearance to the PC5400 Pro seen above, only the stickers indicate the difference in the product. The same Pro activity lights insure the end user a nice visual display at somewhat of a price premium.

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