Turn off the Ad Banner  

To print: Select File and then Print from your browser's menu.

    -----------------------------------------------
This story was printed from CdrInfo.com,
located at http://www.cdrinfo.com.
-----------------------------------------------


Appeared on: Monday, November 19, 2007
OCZ OCZ3P16002GK


1. Features, Package

The new PC3-12800 Platinum Edition was developed to offer enthusiasts a memory solution that takes full advantage of all the capabilities of the Intel P35 and X38 Express chipsets. At 1600MHz, the OCZ PC3-12800 Platinum is rated to run CL7-7-7 to truly take these next generation platforms to new heights.

OCZ Platinum DDR3-1600 modules will be available in 2x1024MB dual channel kits. OCZ has been working closely with the leading platform providers to ensure optimal performance and compatibility on all the next generation computing platforms that will be introduced later this year. Each module is 100% hand-tested for quality assurance and compatibility and features a proprietary platinum-mirrored XTC (Xtreme Thermal Convection) heatspreader for the most effective heat dissipation. As part of OCZ’s line-up of premium memory, the DDR3 series is backed by a Lifetime Warranty and industry-leading technical support for unparalleled peace of mind.

- Main features

Special Features

* XTC (Xtreme Thermal Convection) heatspreaders optimize the thermal management of memory modules by promoting greater airflow by means of micro-convection throughout what is usually the dead air space inside conventional heatspreader designs. In this manner, build-up of heat is avoided and thermal dissipation of the memory components is offloaded more efficiently through the honeycomb design. At the same time, mechanical stability is maintained.

* 1.95V EVP
: OCZ EVP (Extended Voltage Protection) is a feature that allows performance enthusiasts to use a VDIMM of 1.95V without invalidating their OCZ Lifetime Warranty.

- Retail package

OCZ provided us with the retail package of 2x1024MB memory modules (OCZ3P16002GK). The retail price of the kit is around $500~520, depending your location and currency. Note that OCZ offers two version of the same product, the standard Platinum Series (7-7-7 memory timings) and the Enhanced Bandwidth with lower memory timings (7-6-6). The memory modules come packaged in a plastic shell.

Removing the memory modules from their packaging we can have a clearer view. In front there is only a small logo with the part number, the memory rating and of course the optimal cache latency. The black aluminium heatsinks on the outside are designed to dissipate the heat from the surface of the memory module:

At the back, there's a big Z3 product logo embossed on the heatspreader.

After installing the modules and using CPU-Z v1.41 we have more information about the memory. The OCZ OCZ3P16002GK has embedded standard JEDEC timings for various frequencies, 467/571/666 and 781MHz. The OCZ modules are not supporting Intel's XMP profiles, which shouldn't be considered as a negative:


2. Testing configuration

In order to test memory modules we used the following setup:

While for benchmarking we used:

We overclocked Intel E6600 up to 3.60GHz in order to eliminate the CPU factor as much as possible. By keeping the voltage at 1.90V we managed to get DDR3-1600 at the promised CL7:

Memory Frequency/Timings
Real Frequency
Voltage
Memory Ratio (FSB:RAM)
CPU x
FSB
CPU Speed
DDR3 1333 CL6-6-6-16
666,50
1,80
3:5
9
400
3600
DDR3 1600 CL7-7-7-17
800,00
1,90
1:2
9
400
3600
DDR3 1800 CL8-8-8-21
900,00
2,00
1:2
8
450
3600
DDR3 1853 CL8-8-8-24
924,10
2,25
1:2
7
462
3234

Keeping the FSB at 400MHz and the CPU multiplier at 9x we could directly compare DDR3-1333 and DDR3-1600. Then we dropped the CPU multiplier at 8x and we raised the FSB up to 450MHz in order for our CPU to operate again at 3.6GHz . Finally for finding the maximum memory speed, we dropped the CPU multiplier at 7x and we increased the FSB. Below are the highest memory speeds we achieved with 2.25V. We hit the roof at 1853MHz which should be considered as very good performance compared to other DDR3-1600 rated products:

In all cases, the memory modules had to pass all memory synthetic tests without any problem. Note that the results vary from module to module and at this very high overclocking speeds, you need a very good cooling solution for the northbridge and of course the CPU.


3. SiSoftware Sandra, RightMark

SiSoftware Sandra (the System ANalyser, Diagnostic and Reporting Assistant) is an information & diagnostic utility. It should provide most of the information (including undocumented) you need to know about your hardware, software and other devices whether hardware or software. It works along the lines of other Windows utilities, however it tries to go beyond them and show you more of what's really going on. Giving the user the ability to draw comparisons at both a high and low-level. You can get information about the CPU, chipset, video adapter, ports, printers, sound card, memory, network, Windows internals, AGP, PCI, PCIe, ODBC Connections, USB2, 1394/Firewire, etc.

Sisoft Sandra offers two tests, unbuffered and buffered. We sum them, divide them in half and present you with the results.

At Sisoft SandraXII, the results were a mixed bag. At DDR3-1333 and DDR3-1800, the OCZ DDR3-1600 had the highest performance, while at DDR3-1600, the Crucial DDR3-1600 performed better.

 

Before this test packet was created there was no proper software for measuring vital system parameters such as CPU/Chipset/RAM providing steady and reliable (reproducible) test results and allowing for changing test parameters in a wide range.

Vital low-level system characteristics include latency and real RAM bandwidth, average/minimal latency of different cache levels and its associativity, real L1-L2 cache bandwidth and TLB levels specs. Besides, these aspects are usually not paid sufficient attention in product technical documentation (CPU or chipset). Such test suite, which combines a good deal of subsets aimed at measuring objective system characteristics, is a must have for estimating crucial objective platform parameters.

RightMark offers a variety of test results, including both read/write performance from synthetic and performance tests:

The OCZ DDR3-1600 had the highest scores at the Synthetic Real Read tests. Again the OCZ DDR3-1600 showed very good performance at the Real Write and Real Performance tests:


4. Science Mark 2.0, SuperPI

Science Mark 2.0 is an attempt to put the truth behind benchmarking. In an attempt to model real world demands and performance, SM2 is a suite of high-performance benchmarks that realistically stress system performance without architectural bias. Science Mark 2.0 is comprised of 7 benchmarks, each of which measures a different aspect of real world system performance.

At ScienceMark 2 benchmark, the OCZ DDR3-1600 had very high performance in all memory timings.

 

SuperPI has become an utility to benchmark modern systems. In August 1995, the calculation of pi up to 4,294,960,000 decimal digits was succeeded by using a supercomputer at the University of Tokyo. The program was written by D.Takahashi and he collaborated with Dr. Y.Kanada at the computer center, the University of Tokyo.

A Total SuperPI result from Intel XE6800

This record-breaking program was ported to personal computer environment such as Windows NT and Windows 95 and called Super PI. The software offers up to 32M calculations of PI numbers, for all memory settings we tested only the 2M calculations.

With SuperPI 2M calculation time, the OCZ DDR3-1600 again performed very good.


5. Everest Ultimate Edition 2007, PCMark05

- Everest Ultimate Edition 2007

Click for official website!EVEREST Ultimate Edition is an industry leading system diagnostics and benchmarking solution for enthusiasts PC users, based on the award-winning EVEREST Technology. During system optimizations and tweaking it provides essential system and overclock information, advanced hardware monitoring and diagnostics capabilities to check the effects of the applied settings. CPU, FPU and memory benchmarks are available to measure the actual system performance and compare it to previous states or other systems. Furthermore, complete software, operating system and security information makes EVEREST Ultimate Edition a comprehensive system diagnostics tool that offers a total of 100 pages of information about your PC. The software has build-in several tests for memory and CPU/FPU.

With Everest Ultimate 2007 we confirmed the previous results...

Click for homepage!PCMark®05 is everything you need to reliably and easily measure the performance of your PC and determine its strengths and weaknesses. With PCMark05, you will be able to select the optimal upgrades for your existing PC, or choose the right new PC that fits your specific needs. This easy-to-use product gives you the same tools and knowledge that virtually every professional tester in the industry uses. Below you can see all three available scores, memory, CPU and total.

Finally, the PCMark 05 Memory Benchmark. At DDR3-1800 the OCZ DDR3-1600 got the highest rank.


6. Summary

OCZ's proposal for the DDR3-1600 market comes with the codename OCZ3P16002GK. The 2x1024MB kit promises CL7 at 1600MHz with 1.95V. We confirmed those numbers and compared them to other DDR3-1600 rated memory products. We found the OCZ DDR3-1600 to be faster in almost all the benchmarks! From an overclocker's point of view, we managed to get the memory modules up to 928MHz with the voltage set at 2.25V. While the voltage is too high, it shows that this memory product has good overclocking potentials.

Now to the interesting part...The memory price. Taking a quick peek at the prices of various DDR3 memory modules we compared and found that the price vary from country to country and of course in on-line shops.

Memory Modules
Price ($)
SuperTalent DDR3-1600CL7
Crucial DDR3-1600CL7
OCZ DDR3-1600CL7
500 (-$20 rebate)

The comparison showed that OCZ DDR3-1600CL7 is middle priced. The SuperTalent DDR3-1600CL7 is $10 cheaper, while the Crucial DDR3-1600CL7 costs $80 more, all that after the $20 rebate on Newegg. I would say that OCZ DDR3-1600CL7 had the highest performance in all our tests, so if you can afford the extra money, then go for it. A very good product with high performance and high overclocking abilities.



Home | News | All News | Reviews | Articles | Guides | Download | Expert Area | Forum | Site Info
Site best viewed at 1024x768+ - CDRINFO.COM 1998-2024 - All rights reserved -
Privacy policy - Contact Us .