Corsair XMS2 5400UL 1Gb Kit DDR2 Review

Memory by KeithSuppe @ 2005-11-12

Corsair originally designed their XMS2 5400UL for optimum performance on the nVIDIA C19 chipset. Unfortunately there have been some problems innate to the C19 and it seems there?s a Pink Elephant in nVIDIA?s living room. Today we not only test Corsair?s Twin2X-5400UL,, but in the process discuss the Pachyderm stepping on motherboard maker?s toes.

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Tests/Conclusion

Intel Test System
CPU Pentium 630 Retail (SL7Z9 3.0GHz 2MB L2 1.25V ~ 1.388Vcore) Socket-775
Mainboards 1.) Asus Asus P5AD2-E Premium (BIOS 1005)
2.) Asus P5ND2-SLI Deluxe (BIOS 0605)
Memory Corsairmicro 5400UL (2x512MB DC CL3-2-2-8)
Graphics 1.) AOpen Aeolus 7800GTX-DVD256
2.) 2x Gigabyte GV-NX68T256DH (SLI)
Power Supply PCPower&Cooling TurboCool 850 SSI
Cooling Alphacool 12V Cora 662 XP (passive H20-system)
Operating System Windows XP


Although optimized for the C19 chipset, this memory was highly flexible and I had no trouble popping into three different mainboards without experiencing any compatibility issues. Corsair may not be as large as some of the memory behemoths, however; their products are always tested thoroughly prior to hitting the shelves.

We begin our test suites with SiSoftware Sandra 2005.SR3.

Madshrimps (c)


As another bandwidth test I've chosen Lavalys Everest Home Edition Memory bandwidth READ and Write tests.

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For latency tests I've included both SuperPi v.1.40 running at 1M and once again LavalysEverest Home Edition Latency benchmark.

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For a total system benchmark I've included Futuremark PCMark05.

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Onto gaming tests, I've included both Futuremark 3DMark2001 and 3DMark05 on the graph below.

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No benchmark suite would be complete without DOOM 3 Timedemo1 I ran the demo twice recording each result in 800x600.

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Finally HardwareOC Far Cry Benchmark v1.4.1 is very demanding on physical memory with many devotees now updating their systems with at least 2GB of DDR2. I've been promoting the use of 2GB kits for over a year now and many are coming around to the prospect 1024MB of memory just doesn't cut it in a multitasking, video saturated world.

Madshrimps (c)


Conclusion

Corsair's Twin2X1024A-5400UL proves to be flexible, fast and easy to use. Whether you’re an Overclocker pushing the boundaries of DDR2 performance, a Gamer wanting tight latencies for that extra FPS, or the average end-user whom simply runs his/her memory at SPD, this memory fulfills. Running this memory at 850MHz was easy, and in fact I've been running it at that speed now for the last two weeks without a glitch. I would like to thank Vivian at Corsair whom has had the patience of a saint given my leaky H20 system and my propensity for breaking stuff.

Pros
+ Fast
+ Versatile timings
+ SPD runs to 850Hz at CL4-5-5-19
+ Manually runs to 850MHz at 4-4-4-14
+ Runs at Command Rate 1T
+ Compatible with a multitude of motherboards and chipsets
+ Future Proof

Cons
- None

Corsair Twin2x1024A-5400UL can be purchased through Newegg for $252 w/free FedEx 3-Day and OverclockersUK for $189.

Questions/Comments: forum thread
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