Gigaram PC3200 Dual Channel Kit
Jul 15th, 2004 | By Archive
Gigaram PC3200 Dual Channel Kit
Date
: 07/15/04 – 03:21:37 AM
Author
:
Category
: Memory
Page 1 : Introduction
Manufacturer
: Giga
ram
Price
: $220 USD
Not to long ago I took a look at the
Ultra Products 2*512MB PC3200 Dual Channel Kit
. Today I am fortunate enough to take a look at Giga
ram
's 2*512 MB PC3200 Dual Channel Kit.
Giga
ram
has been around since 1996 and their engineers have over twelve years of experience in the memory industry. Not bad for a company that's only eight years old.
Without any more delays, lets get right to the nitty gritty details of this review.
Page 2 : Package
The package was shipped in a Federal Express "Small" Box via International Priority. I was told it was packed and shipped on Thursday night and by the following Friday at noon, it was already at my doorstep.
Opening up the FedEx box and clearing away all the foam reveals another small box, this time made and labeled by Giga
ram
.
Opening her up reveals two modules in a static bag wedged into the box. I personally don¡¦t think this is the best place to put the ram. If a reseller dropped the retail package then the only thing protecting you from damaged sticks is 1 mm of cardboard.
However, because my retail package came directly from Giga
ram
and packaged safely inside the FedEx box, I was good to with undamaged sticks.
Page 3 : Specifications
Thanks to Giga
ram
, I was able to obtain these specifications on the module:
Bandwidth: 3.2GB/s
Warranty: Lifetime
184 Dual In-Line Memory Module (DIMM)
* Unbuffered DDR DIMM based on 256M bit, organized as 32MB X 8 bit
* Inputs and outputs are SSTL-2 compatible
* VDD = VDDQ = 2.5V ± 0.2V
* SDRAMS have 4 internal banks for concurrent operation
* Differential clock inputs
* Data is read or written on both clock edges
* DRAM DLL aligns DQ and DQS transitions with clock transitions
* Address and control signals are fully synchronous to positive clock edge
* Programmable Operation:
– DIMM *CAS Latency: 2.5
– Burst Type: Sequential or Interleave
– Burst Length: 2, 4, 8
– Operation: Burst Read and Write
* Auto Refresh (CBR) and Self Refresh Modes
* Automatic and controlled precharge commands
* 7.8 us Max. Average Periodic Refresh Interval
* Serial Presence Detect EEPROM
* PCB height = 1.25 inch
Upon removing the heat spreader, you'll notice that the IC's used are produced by Mosel Vitelic. As a matter of fact, the modules used are of the very same ones used in my Ultra Products 2*512 MB PC3200 Dual Channel Kit. What a coincidence.
Here's a close up of the IC.
Here's a break down of the code:
V58C2256804SAT5B
V -Mosel Vitelic Manufactured
58 – DDR SDRAM
C – CMOS
2 – 2.6 Volts
25680 – 256Mb 8K Refresh x8
4 – 4 Banks
S – SSTL
A – Component Rev Level (A=0.14 micro)
T – Component Package TSOP
5B – Rated for 200 MHz @ 2.5-3-3
Another copy and paste from Mosel Vitelic Specifications:
- Data Mask for Write Control
- Four Banks controlled by BA0 & BA1
- Programmable CAS Latency: 2, 2.5, 3
- Programmable Wrap Sequence: Sequential or Interleave
- Programmable Burst Length: 2, 4, 8 for Sequential Type or 2, 4, 8 for Interleave Type
- Automatic and Controlled Precharge Command
- Power Down Mode
- Auto Refresh and Self Refresh
- Refresh Interval: 8192 cycles/64 ms
- Available in 66-pin 400 mil TSOP or 60 Ball SOC BGA
- SSTL-2 Compatible I/Os
- Double Data Rate (DDR)
- Bidirectional Data Strobe (DQS) for input and output data, active on both edges
- On-Chip DLL aligns DQ and DQs transitions with CK transitions
- Differential clock inputs CK and CK
- Power Supply 2.5V ± 0.2V
- Power Supply 2.6V ± 0.1V for DDR400
- QFC options for FET control. x4 parts.
- Note: (-5B) Supports PC3200 module with 2.5-3-3 timing
Page 4 : Installation
Once I pulled out my Ultra Products modules, I popped in the Giga
ram
sticks. I must admit, the silver colored heat spreaders aren't nearly as cool as the gold ones, but heck, if it does the job then I'm happy.
Here's the rig I popped the modules into.
Abit NF7-S rev 2.0
AMD Mobile Athlon XP 2500+ (using 11x multiplier)
HIS 9550 VIVO(provided by HIS)
asetek KT03A-L30 Water cooling (provided by asetek)
Windows XP + SP1 + Latest drivers
I set the BIOS to have the module run by SPD, and the timing was 3-3-3-8. I must admit this was a very loose timing, and clearly not acceptable by me. I quickly adjusted it to 2-3-3-7 and without any issues, the system booted up nicely at 200*11.
When I found out the modules used the same IC as those on the Ultra Products, I already had a certain level of expectation. I tested out the module at 2-2-2-5 and I had no luck with POSTing despite the maximum voltage being applied.
At 2-3-3-7, I hit a clock speed of 422. When I loosened the timing to 2.5-3-3-7, I went up to 446 MHz on a 1 to 1 ratio. Any further and my mobile Athlon XP 2500+ just couldn't take it. After playing with the FSB/DRAM ratio, I stopped at 141 FSB, 470 DRAM. Not too shabby as this was a whole 3 MHz higher than the Ultra Products.
I could boot at 473 MHz and 476 MHz with Windows running perfectly stable as I benched away, however MemTest 3.1 stated I had approximately 600 and 12000 errors respectively. I suspect that if I went to the 3-3-3-8 timing, I could top off close to DDR 500 speeds!
Page 5 : Benchmarks
I did a couple standard benchmarks on the RAM. I started with SiSoft SANDRA memory benchmark, went to both PCMark2002 and 2004, and finished with the Science Mark MemBench.
SiSoft SANDRA INT Buff
SiSoft SANDRA FLOAT Buff
PCMark 2002
PCMark 2004
Science Mark MemBench
Page 6 : Conclusion
Now that you've seen the numbers, you can probably draw some conclusions yourself. The color of the PCB, material used for the heatsink, and other variables don't change the result all too much if the ICs are the same. Giga
ram
was able to edge out in front compared to the Ultra Products, especially at the higher clock speeds.
All in all, do your homework before going out and buying RAM. If you see two companies using the same ICs (don't be afraid to email tech support and find out what they use) I say go for the cheaper one. You may be surprised at the results you see.
Advantages
Highly overclockable
Affordable
Lifetime Warranty
Disadvantages
No 2-2-2 timing support
Not the safest packaging
Now that I'm done, I'd like to thank Giga
ram
for providing me with the sample and for all their support.