Print this article

OCZ PC4800 Platinum Elite Edition


Date
: 09/11/05 – 04:33:20 AM

Author
:

Category
: Memory

Page 1 : Index

Manufacturer
: OCZ Technology

Price
: $262 (Monarch Computer)

OCZ…it's amazing how three simple letters strung together can mean so much in the computer industry. Established in August 2000, OCZ has become one of the best known manufacturers in the world, not only for their memory but also for their line of power supplies and veteran heatsinks.

The two sentences to follow capture what is necessary in a company for an overclocker and what is imperative for a shopper.

OCZ was created for their love in the realm of overclocking; they will not settle for anything less than perfection.

What we're looking at today are the best memory modules available by OCZ. While many will settle with DDR400 @ 2-2-2-5, OCZ has stepped it up a level by providing us with sticks
guaranteed
to run DDR600 @ 2.5-4-4-10. A bold statement, and one we're going to put to the test!

Page 2 : Package

By using only three things, OCZ has a very simple package. Instead of making the package scream "buy me", it's the modules in the clear plastic casing that does all the talking.

Clearly visible are two memory modules with their specifications sticker stuck right on the heat spreader. That's 1GB of PC4800 memory, and at this day and age, it doesn't get any better!

You will notice that these modules, like all of OCZ's modules, are backed by a lifetime warranty! Not a lifetime limited warranty; you get the whole deal.

On the back of the package, the back of the cardboard backing is visible. A number of features are printed and some high praises by other websites are given.

Just at the top of the cardboard backing, OCZ is making it's claim: "The best performing DDR memory on the market. Period."

In a little while we will be putting this claim to the test, but first, we're going to cover specifications and take a quick look at what is under those blinding (platinum mirrored copper) heatspreaders.

Page 3 : Specifications

It's a known fact that OCZ uses premium parts. Since the BH-5 modules were fazed out, OCZ has been primarily using Samsung TCCD ICs. This is the power behind the PC4800 Platinum Elite Edition. Visiting the OCZ product page, we've found these specifications:

This is what OCZ has to say about their modules:

To cap off this section, OCZ has also provided to us a quote about Quality Control:

This brings peace of mind to those who worry about overclocking. Imagine the frustration you would have if you were tweaking your system and all of a sudden your ICs burned out due to some over-voltaging. It would be a sad thought, but with the ability to handle 3.0+ V, the maximum on most motherboards, you'll be able to get a safe nights rest knowing when you get up, your system will still be able to boot.

Page 4 : Package Contents

There's really not much to the contests of the package. Two sticks of memory sheilded in platinum colored heatspreaders.

Here's a close up picture of the specifications sticker:

The thermaltape used to adhere the memory modules to the heatspreaders is a lot smaller than the actual memory modules.

While this is an industry wide problem, it would certainly be great if someone could come up with a way to ensure proper contact all the way through. At 600 MHz, we can certainly expect these modules to get mighty warm.

Taking a look at the heatspreader itself, there is quite a shine. It can't be called Platinum without that mirror finish.

While your warranty is completely void when you remove the heatspreader, here at Overclockers Online, we do it so you don't have to. We're going to peel off the heatspreader, while praying that we don't rip off the ICs, and take a look at which Samsung TCCD's OCZ is actually using.

Using two Swiss Army knives, I was able to push out the two clips on the heatspreader. Even without these two clips, the thermaltape bonded to the ICs like there was no tomorrow. After about ten minutes of constant wiggling and prying with my knife, I managed to free the heatspreader from the memory sticks.

Here's a good look at the thermaltape:

Here's a look at the two sides:

You will notice two things on the PCB: the first are the Samsung TCCDs, no surprise there, and the second is the BP branding.

These Samsung 525 IC's labeled K4H560838F-TCCD can be found on Google, but they aren't an exact match. The commonly found Samsung 438 4H560838F-TCCD were a huge success back when 225 MHz was considered a lot, but these
are not
the same modules. The real kicker with these modules is the fact that they are screened and tested to ensure that they run beyond the factory specs.

This combination, a BrainPower PCB and Samsung TCCDs, will definitely help in pushing our modules past their rated speed. Just the way things should be done at Overclockers Online, so without delay let's install the modules and max them out.

Page 5 : Installation & Overclocking

Installation is a breeze, simply remove the existing memory modules and slide in the new ones. Make sure you follow your motherboard manual to determine which DIMMs to use for dual channel configuration.

Despite the fact that I have some top of the line memory modules, they don't get spared any overclocking. We're going to push these modules to the limit. When I first got these modules, I didn't expect them to reach much further than the rated PC4800 speeds. Using my week 15 Venice, I was already stuck at 305 MHz. That didn't deter me one bit as I set the memclock frequency at 250 and worked my way up until it wasn't stable. After beefing up the voltage to 2.9V, 0.1V above the stock voltage, I managed to reach a whopping
670 MHz
! I made sure this was stable by looping through all the benchmarks a few times, running RC5-72 for a few hours and completing a 32M SuperPi calculation.

For those who are curious, I was able to hit 680 MHz, but the 32M SuperPi calculation had failed after the first few iterations.

Below is a complete table of frequencies and timings I ran at during the benchmarking process.

Now that we know what this kit is capable of achieving, it's time to put her to the test and see how she actually performs.

Page 6 : Performance

For testing, I first let the memory run 48 hrs of Sisoft's Burn-in and then 48 hrs of Memtest to make sure the modules were ready for some action. Here is the test bed we will be using:

Our suite of software included Sisoft Sandra's Memory Bandwidth Benchmark, SuperPi 1M digit calculation, Everest Read, Write and Latency benchmarks and PCMark 2005. Sisoft Sandra and Everest give us a good gauge of the bandwidth as the frequency and latency are scaled. SuperPi is extremely sensitive to memory errors and it really shows the advantages of higher frequencies. FutureMark's PCMark 2005 gives us a quick look at how the overall system performance is relative to how various frequency and latency configurations.

This first page of benchmarks will only include the 1:1 settings. For your reference, here are the frequencies:

Without further ado, let's begin!

Sisoft Sandra Memory Bandwidth

SuperPi 1M Digits

Everest Memory Bandwidth

Everest Latency

PCMark 2005

As you can see, with 1:1 timing, the performance significantly increases as we scale up the ladder.

Page 7 : Overclocked Performance

Many will argue the usefulness of asynchronous timings, and while I agree it's not as effective as 1:1, it let's us throttle down the CPU and see how hard we can push the memory (With some systems, it'll be the exact opposite). Using the same suite of benchmarks, we tested out the kit at the different dividers and topped out the memory at 670 MHz.

Sisoft Sandra Memory Bandwidth

SuperPi 1M Digits

Everest Memory Bandwidth

Everest Latency

PCMark 2005

If you know your memory can go a lot further than what your processor can, by all means you should definitely run it in asynchronous. Comparing the 200/200 to the 200/250, there's definitely a boost in going to the 200/250. If you have a processor that will let you run 1:1 at 335 MHz, let me know cause I'd like to buy it from you!

Page 8 : Conclusion

After spending hours running different benchmarks and checking for signs of instability, we've come to the end of this review. OCZ has certainly lived up to its name as this is some the best performing DDR memory in the market. Period. While DDR600 at 1:1 is an impressive feat; it's the fact that we could hit 670 MHz with so much ease and stability. OCZ has certainly blown my socks off with these modules that every enthusiast will want in their machine. Without a doubt, these are Power products and it takes home the
Overclockers Online POWER Award
!

Advantages

300 MHz @ 1:1 is not a problem
Overclocked up to
670 MHz
!
Beautifully polished heatspreaders

Disadvantages

Too expensive for most

Overclockers Online would like to thank OCZ for making this review possible.