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SDRam Shootout


Date
: 03/9/01 – 12:09:49 AM

Author
:

Category
: Memory

Manufacturer:

128MB Mushkin High Performance RAM

Mushkin
Price: $112

128MB Crucial PC133 CAS2 RAM

Crucial
Price: $54.89 (Web Price)

128MB OCZ Performance MAX RAM

OCZ
Price: $99.99

Introduction

Today Overclockers Online is having a RAM special. We will take a look at some of the most popular memory brands, but also look at a new brand that appear to kick some serious butt. Are you interested in finding out which RAM is best suited for your needs and of course which one will overclock best? Then keep on reading because all your questions will be answered :).

The contenders

Mushkin

The first contender is Mushkin. They supplied us with a 128MB stick of their fastest SDRam: the High Performance Rev. 3.
Before I give you all the details on their latest product, lets see who or what Mushkin is …

Mushkin, one of the biggest memory manufacturers, opened their doors 7 years ago, in 1994 to be more specific. In those 7 long years Mushkin evolved from the new kid on the block to one of the big market leaders!
Today, we all know Mushkin because they deliver high quality products at affordable prices. I can remember their Rev 2 memory I bought more than a year ago. That stick was able to do 146MHz CAS 2-2-2, which was very rare at that time. I am still using that memory in one of my test computers and it never ever failed on me or showed signs of instability.

Like I said earlier, Mushkin sent us their latest SDRam, the Rev 3 memory. This
RAM is rated at 150MHz, although it still is PC133 RAM. This shows that they are confident that their products have high quality components in it. Here is a list of the specifications:

- Hand Picked High Yield!
- Rated 2-2-2 @ 150
- Uses 128-Megabit Chips
- 16Mx64 Module
- 16Mx8 chip density
- Unbuffered
- 6-Layer PCB
- Gold Contacts
- 168pin 3.3v DIMM

As you can see, Mushkin is selling this memory pretested at 150MHz CAS 2-2-2 and also very important they use a 6-layer PCB. The 6-layer design is used because it increases stability and also the overclocking capabilities. The CAS rating is also something to take in mind when buying RAM, because 133MHz CAS 2-2-2 will kick 150MHz CAS 3-3-3 almost every time!

Last but not least, note that Mushkin uses gold contacts on their RAM to ensure that there is good contact and that there is no data lost or damaged will going from the memory to the mobo or the other way round. Of course it is for the best that your motherboard also features gold contacts …

Mushkin has a very original and very effective way to pack their memory modules.

They put it inside a plastic bag which is then inflated so the RAM is surrounded by an ‘airpillow’. The bag is then put in a box and that box is what you get from the nice people at FedEX.
I tested the plastic bag with the RAM in it to see if it is strong enough to survive the worst delivery ride ever! I sat down on it, threw it against the wall, … nothing happened and the RAM was perfectly ok. Job well done Mushkin …

Crucial

Because people were demanding high quaility memory, Micron – the biggest RAM manufacturer in the USA and part of the top three for the entire world manufacturing – launched Crucial Technology. All of this happened back in 1996, and since then Crucial kept on growing. Up until now, Crucial is the only store that is selling RAM and that is part of a major RAM manufacturer.

Crucial sent us 3 sticks of 128MB PC133 CAS 2 RAM, their fastest SDRam currently available. Here are the specifications of the memory:

- Part Number CT16M64S4D7E
- Module Size 128MB
- Package 168-pin DIMM
- Feature SDRAM, PC133
- Configuration 16Meg x 64
- DIMM Type Unbuffered
- Error Checking Non-parity
- Speed 7.5ns
- Voltage 3.3V
- SDRAM Timings CL=2

Crucial is selling their memory at 133MHz CAS2, whereas Mushkin guarantees that their memory will do 150MHz CAS2. As you will see in our tests, the Crucial memory can easily reach 150MHz also, but Mushkin guarantees it so if it does not do 150MHz you get your money back, which ain’t the deal with Crucial.

The Crucial RAM is packed in a small box covered with foam so it will not get damaged. Crucial also includes a manual with the necessary instructions on how to install your brand new memory. Most people won’t need it, but still it is a very good idea to include one … you might never know :).

OCZ

OCZ is a relative new company that was born only a few months ago! OCZ first
started as an overclockers store selling overclocked cpu’s, pretested combo’s, …
Some time ago they evolved and now the overclocked stuff is sold by The Overclockerz Store and they started another shop called OCZ which sells
only their own brand … ‘OCZ‘. They carry videocards, memory, coolers,
cases, …

Some time ago, OC Online tested the OCZ
Performance Value RAM, but today we are reviewing their fastest and also most expensive OCZ Performance MAX RAM. Here is a list with the specs of this high performance material:

- Package 168-pin DIMM
- Rated at 175MHz CAS 3
- Only available in 128MB sticks
- Hand picked

Yes … you are reading it correctly! OCZ is selling this RAM rated at 175MHz! Of course it is CAS 3, but this means that the RAM should be able to pull 160MHz CAS 2 at least :). Unfortunately I did not have a system that could use the entire potential of this stick, as the highest I could go with my KT7A RAID was 157MHz. I can boot at 160MHz but the system freezes before loading windows … I think the PCI devices can not take the 40MHz PCI bus that come with the setting …

The test

In order to see what all these sticks are up to, I installed them in my test system and started benching them.

Test System:

- AMD Duron 600 (unlocked & tested stable up to 1035MHz)
- Abit KT7A RAID
- Hercules GeForce GTS Ultra
- Creative SB Live!
- IBM DeskStar 30GB (x2) in RAID0 Setup
- Windows 2000 + SP1 + UDMA100 FIX + VIA 4.29 + Detonator 6.50

Testing memory is not an easy task … I decided to test every stick with the Sisoft Sandra suite (the memory test) and see what it would pull
off. Of course I tested each memory stick seperately to see how high I was able to push it!

Mushkin

Like I said earlier, Mushkin sells their RAM pretested at 150MHz CAS 2. Of course the stick reached 150MHz without a sweat and I was rockstable too. After a lot of testing and rebooting I managed to get this RAM stable at 157MHz CAS 2 with a I/O Voltage of 3.5v (3.3v = default). Mushkin clearly proves that they know what they are doing, and that is no different with this piece of RAM.

As you can see in the test, Mushkin delivered some fine quality in our bunker! I believe the RAM might go a bit higher too but I was unable to test it above 157MHz because the KT7A RAID was not stable (or a component in my pc wasn’t) and I did not have an unlocked Intel cpu available :(. Btw, did I mention that Mushkin uses a black PCB? This is a mere detail but I certainly looks kick-ass :).

Crucial

Crucial … the cheapest memory stick we tested in this small shootout. Crucial sells there 128 MB stick at half the price Mushkin and OCZ sells it. Why? Easy … Crucial sells it as PC133 CAS2 memory whereas Mushkin and OCZ sell at 150MHz CAS2 and 175MHz CAS3 respectivily. That’s the premium you got to pay for …

So does this means that Crucial’s RAM won’t do over 133MHz CAS2? Not at all … but Crucial doesn’t guarantee it, that’s all. I managed to get the Crucial RAM rockstable at 155MHz CAS2!! Not bad for a stick that costs a little bit less then $55 … I also tested stability by loading all three memory banks on the KT7A RAID with the Cruacial RAM. Not a single hickup was generated.

OCZ

OCZ, the new kids on the block. These guys appeared some time ago and already to manage to deliver the fastest rated RAM ever seen! Like I said in the specs list, this RAM is pretested at 175MHz CAS3. I could not test this because I have no computer that will do 175MHz FSB, but the RAM did run stable at 157MHz CAS2, the highest value I could get from my KT7A RAID board. I’m sure the memory will do what it is advertised to do, but since I could not test it I don’t know …

It might be interesting to buy this RAM because that way you will be safe for the next speed jump … But on the other hand, the next mobo you’ll buy will probably feature DDR RAM and then this stick is no good anymore :(. This choice is entirely up to you of course.

Conclusion

So what RAM should you buy? It all depends on what you want from it and what your budget is. If you want the fastest SDRam available, there is only one choice: OCZ Performance MAX. You will be paying more for the OCZ RAM then for the Mushkin RAM and the Crucial RAM, but you have the guaruantee that it will do 175MHz CAS3 and a little less, like 170MHz CAS2.

Mushkin is situated somewhere in the middle of all this. The Mushkin will do 157MHz CAS2 and I think it will do 160MHz CAS2 also because I can boot at that speed but the pc hangs at boot because the PCI bus is overclocked too much. Mushkin has a great delivery service.

Last but certainly not least, comes Crucial. Crucial managed to deliver the cheapest RAM for this test, and it performs very well! It runs at 155MHz CAS2 without a hitch, not even with all banks filled and 4-way interleaving enabled. For me this RAM is the clear winner because it performs almost on pair with Mushkin, and it is a lot cheaper then both other brands too.
You must not forget that the next generation of boards uses DDR memory or RAMBUS (depending on your choice) so I don’t think it is a very good idea to invest a lot of money in SDRam if you want to upgrade within the next year or so.