Conroe Buying Guide: Feeding the Monster
by Gary Key & Wesley Fink on July 19, 2006 6:20 AM EST- Posted in
- Motherboards
Kingston KHX8500D2K2/1G
The Kingston Hyper X is a dynamite performer, and frankly it would have been a top recommendation except for the fact Kingston provided a 1GB kit instead of the 2GB kit we tested for every other brand in this Buying Guide. You might ask why this matters?
Smaller capacity DIMMs usually clock higher than higher capacity memory, so the fact Kingston matches our leader Mushkin at the top does not mean a Kingston 2GB kit would perform the same. When comparing memory performance make sure you compare the same size DIMMs if you want to be sure you are choosing the best. Still, the Kingston is an excellent performer, and the 1GB kit is just $226. If 1 GB is enough memory for you, this 1GB kit would be a great choice.
Mushkin XP2-8000 Redline
It has been a while since we have reviewed a Mushkin Redline kit, and we were certainly impressed when we looked at the last Mushkin Redline kit for DDR. The 2GB Mushkin Redline kit turned in the highest overclock we have seen with any DDR2 memory at 1116. Mushkin also managed to reach the timings of the best high-performance DDR2 tested in this roundup - but generally at a lower voltage than others here. This is a winning combination, and you will likely be very happy if you choose the Mushkin 2GB Redline kit for your new Core 2 Duo computer.
OCZ PC2-8000 Platinum EL
We gave OCZ the Gold Editors Choice award when we first tested this dynamite OCZ PC-2-8000 Platinum 2GB kit last March. The OCZ is still one of the best performers we have tested in DDR2 memory, but it now has some company from Corsair and Mushkin. If you want the best DDR2 you can buy, then one of these three will fit your needs.
Comparing High-Performance Memory
It is no accident that all six of our high-performance memory kits for Core 2 Duo are based on Micron memory chips. Micron currently produces what are arguably the fastest DDR2 memory chips available. Using Micron memory chips is also the reason all six kits costs between $400 and $450 for the 2GB kit. Each manufacturer has their own binning (speed sorting) techniques, they choose or develop their PCB, and they also may have very unique customized SPD programming. Despite these differences, the performance of all six 2GB kits are more similar than not.
Three of the six memories stand out for better timings and/or lower voltages at each tested speed. The OCZ PC2-8000 Platinum EL has been highly praised in the past. It is now joined by the Corsair CM2X1024-8500C5 and the Mushkin Redline XP2-8000 as the top-performing DDR2 memory you can buy. Corsair, Mushkin, and OCZ have all three done an exemplary job in the manufacture of these 2GB kits.
In fairness the performance differences between any of these six kits is very small, and you can select any of the six based on the best pricing - confident you will get great performance from your new DDR2 memory. None of these memories come cheap, and many will find $400 to $450 for 2GB of DDR2 memory too much for their new Core 2 Duo system.
If you are in that group looking for value, you will want to take a close look at our test results with a group of seven value priced 2GB kits beginning on the next page. These 2GB kits, ranging from $117 to $170 for the 2GB kit, provide much better value on the Core 2 Duo platform than we first imagined. You will likely be pleasantly surprised at the performance you can get in this value DDR2 segment.
The Kingston Hyper X is a dynamite performer, and frankly it would have been a top recommendation except for the fact Kingston provided a 1GB kit instead of the 2GB kit we tested for every other brand in this Buying Guide. You might ask why this matters?
Smaller capacity DIMMs usually clock higher than higher capacity memory, so the fact Kingston matches our leader Mushkin at the top does not mean a Kingston 2GB kit would perform the same. When comparing memory performance make sure you compare the same size DIMMs if you want to be sure you are choosing the best. Still, the Kingston is an excellent performer, and the 1GB kit is just $226. If 1 GB is enough memory for you, this 1GB kit would be a great choice.
| Kingston HyperX - DDR2-1066 - 2x512MB Model # KHX8500D2K2/1G |
||
| CPU Ratio | Memory Speed |
Best Memory Timings (Voltage) |
| (4:3) | 400 DDR2 | 3-2-2-5 1.8V |
| (1:1) | 533 DDR2 | 3-2-2-7 2.0V |
| (4:5) | 667 DDR2 | 3-2-3-8 2.0V |
| (2:3) | 800 DDR2 | 3-3-3-9 2.1V |
| (1:2) | 1067 DDR2 | 4-4-4-14 2.2V |
| Highest Mem Speed (1:2) |
1116 DDR2 | 5-5-5-15 2.3V |
Mushkin XP2-8000 Redline
It has been a while since we have reviewed a Mushkin Redline kit, and we were certainly impressed when we looked at the last Mushkin Redline kit for DDR. The 2GB Mushkin Redline kit turned in the highest overclock we have seen with any DDR2 memory at 1116. Mushkin also managed to reach the timings of the best high-performance DDR2 tested in this roundup - but generally at a lower voltage than others here. This is a winning combination, and you will likely be very happy if you choose the Mushkin 2GB Redline kit for your new Core 2 Duo computer.
| Mushkin XP2-8000 Redline - 2x1GB DDR2-1000 |
||
| CPU Ratio | Memory Speed |
Best Memory Timings (Voltage) |
| (4:3) | 400 DDR2 | 3-2-2-5 1.8V |
| (1:1) | 533 DDR2 | 3-2-2-7 2.05V |
| (4:5) | 667 DDR2 | 3-2-3-8 2.1V |
| (2:3) | 800 DDR2 | 3-3-3-9 2.1V |
| (1:2) | 1067 DDR2 | 4-4-4-12 2.2V |
| Highest Mem Speed (1:2) |
1116 DDR2 | 5-5-5-15 2.35V |
OCZ PC2-8000 Platinum EL
We gave OCZ the Gold Editors Choice award when we first tested this dynamite OCZ PC-2-8000 Platinum 2GB kit last March. The OCZ is still one of the best performers we have tested in DDR2 memory, but it now has some company from Corsair and Mushkin. If you want the best DDR2 you can buy, then one of these three will fit your needs.
| OCZ PC2-8000 Platinum EL -2x1GB DDR2-1000 |
||
| CPU Ratio | Memory Speed |
Best Memory Timings (Voltage) |
| (4:3) | 400 DDR2 | 3-2-2-6 1.8V |
| (1:1) | 533 DDR2 | 3-2-2-9 1T 2.1V |
| (4:5) | 667 DDR2 | 3-2-3-10 2.1V |
| (2:3) | 800 DDR2 | 3-3-3-11 2.1V |
| (1:2) | 1067 DDR2 | 4-4-5-14 2.3V |
| Highest Mem Speed (1:2) |
1100 DDR2 | 5-4-5-15 2.35V |
Comparing High-Performance Memory
It is no accident that all six of our high-performance memory kits for Core 2 Duo are based on Micron memory chips. Micron currently produces what are arguably the fastest DDR2 memory chips available. Using Micron memory chips is also the reason all six kits costs between $400 and $450 for the 2GB kit. Each manufacturer has their own binning (speed sorting) techniques, they choose or develop their PCB, and they also may have very unique customized SPD programming. Despite these differences, the performance of all six 2GB kits are more similar than not.
Three of the six memories stand out for better timings and/or lower voltages at each tested speed. The OCZ PC2-8000 Platinum EL has been highly praised in the past. It is now joined by the Corsair CM2X1024-8500C5 and the Mushkin Redline XP2-8000 as the top-performing DDR2 memory you can buy. Corsair, Mushkin, and OCZ have all three done an exemplary job in the manufacture of these 2GB kits.
In fairness the performance differences between any of these six kits is very small, and you can select any of the six based on the best pricing - confident you will get great performance from your new DDR2 memory. None of these memories come cheap, and many will find $400 to $450 for 2GB of DDR2 memory too much for their new Core 2 Duo system.
If you are in that group looking for value, you will want to take a close look at our test results with a group of seven value priced 2GB kits beginning on the next page. These 2GB kits, ranging from $117 to $170 for the 2GB kit, provide much better value on the Core 2 Duo platform than we first imagined. You will likely be pleasantly surprised at the performance you can get in this value DDR2 segment.
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Gary Key - Wednesday, July 19, 2006 - link
We are looking forward to the value SLI boards in early August. Prices will range on average from $95 to $120. As soon as we can post a review up on these boards, it will be done. :)EODetroit - Wednesday, July 19, 2006 - link
Can Anandtech max out the memory and make sure these systems are stable in 64 bit Windows OS'? I'd really like to make sure that there's no time bombs if I buy 8GB of ram that will force me to RMA a lot of stuff. If you don't have 2GB sticks, at least test with 4x1GB. The motherboards advertise that they support 8GB, but no one ever seems to check them on it. If Anandtech could do that, it would be a great help.Thanks!
Genx87 - Wednesday, July 19, 2006 - link
Not bad for an older chipset to win the SLI benchmarks.I am curious what the new chipset can do!
supremelaw - Wednesday, July 19, 2006 - link
Dear Gary and Wesley,I'm thinking back to about 8 months ago,
when we first started assembling our
ASUS P5WD2 Premium motherboard
(which has recently become our primary
production machine).
We offered our assistance at the ASUS
User Forum, because a LOT of users
were stumbling over the IT8211F IDE
controller, which requires a device driver
to be extracted from the Support CD.
I fear that P965 motherboards are headed
for the same serious problems, particularly
if motherboards add an on-board IDE
controller that is NOT "native" e.g. JMicron.
Here's the scenario: a less-than-expert
user sees a PATA IDE port, and thinks
he can use (or recycle) a PATA optical
drive to run Windows Setup. And, he's
probably read (or heard) the stories about
SATA optical drives that just don't work
with Windows Setup.
Is this user headed for major problems?
I think so.
And here's why ...
If the BIOS has not been modified to
support native PATA / IDE optical devices,
a Catch-22 results: you need the device
driver from the Support CD, but you can't
read the Support CD without the device
driver -- not if the optical device is wired
to that on-board IDE controller.
If you want confirmation of this problem,
check out the ASUS User Forum for the
P5WD2 Premium, particularly the numerous
complaints Users were posting about the
ITE IT8211F on-board IDE controller.
To make this problem even more exasperating,
the User Manual failed to mention that the
F6 sequence will load the ITE driver during
Windows Setup, BUT one can STILL not
run Windows Setup from an optical drive
wired to that ITE controller. The device driver
can be added AFTER Windows XP is
successfully installed.
Fortunately, the P5WD2 Premium has a
BLUE native IDE port as well, and we
avoided all of these problems by running
Windows Setup from a PATA optical drive
wired to that BLUE native IDE port.
Thanks for all the great reviews!
Sincerely yours,
/s/ Paul Andrew Mitchell
Webmaster, Supreme Law Library
http://www.supremelaw.org/">http://www.supremelaw.org/
Gary Key - Wednesday, July 19, 2006 - link
Hi Paul,The scenario you listed is a very real possibility and as you have noted has existed in past boards. In fact, I was on the phone with Wes when our first P965 was fired up and the Optical Drive was not recognized. Of course, I had a few choice words to say about the situation. The only way to load the new OS image and Driver CD was through the Optical drive and that was not going to happen in this case. I ended up loading a new image on a drive in another system, installing the inf and network drivers in a folder, and then moving this drive to the new machine. The issue was a very early bios that did not support the hooks from the external IDE chipset into the ICH8. We received an updated bios a few days later and all was well from that point forward.
Since Intel has basically left a "lane" open in the ICH8 to support IDE (much in the same way as the LAN controller logic, being real simple here to keep it short), then the only issue is to ensure the bios has support for the IDE link. We have not seen this issue at all in the latest boards that we have received and have been told it will not occur in shipping boards. While most suppliers are going with the JMicron solution, Biostar included the VIA VT6410 that turned out to offer excellent performance in our upcoming storage tests. I hope this helps and thank you for your comments today.
:)
Andy4504 - Wednesday, July 19, 2006 - link
I was most surprized by the poor BadAxe (X975XBX) Overclocking. Because the memory controller isn't directly tied to the FSB speeds, the fact that you cannot incrase the memory voltage without hardware modification should make little / no difference in CPU overclocking.I personally own a X975XBX with an 805D. I've found that the best overclocking isn't done by selecting +30% OR + any percent for that matter, but rather choosing the higher bus speed, then selecting an underclock from that higher speed.
With full access to the memory multiplier range, most any ratio could be set.
Wesley Fink - Wednesday, July 19, 2006 - link
Conroe runs at 1066 FSB speed. 1333 support has been in and out of the different BIOS revisions. So with Conroe you can select no higher bus speed at worst, or a modest 1333 at best. 805D runs at 533 (166 quad) so you have differnt options. It really isn't possible to select higher bus speeds and clock down with Conroe on the BadAxe.Paladin165 - Wednesday, July 19, 2006 - link
In the review you mention that the 7600GT would work with the cheap ASrock board, I was thinking about going with this setup (if another ultra-cheap board doesn't come out soon). I was wondering, how much impact would the 4x PCIex speed have on the 7600GT? Are there any situations where it would choke off performance? Does it provide enough power?This cheap board seems like a good buy because new motherboards are going to be coming out so rapidly over the next six months it doesn't make sense to drop $250 on a bleeding-edge board.
Gary Key - Thursday, July 20, 2006 - link
The 7600GT works fine. I am trying to procure a 7600GS PCIe and AGP cards to directly compare the video performance on the board. Hopefully, I will have both cards before the full review goes up. We also have two other ASRock boards that are under $75 arriving shortly. I think the performance with the 7600GT will be fine unless you like to play Oblivion and even with the PCIe x4 interface you will not notice a real difference with this card.Paladin165 - Thursday, July 20, 2006 - link
"I think the performance with the 7600GT will be fine unless you like to play Oblivion"!!!
Oblivion is exactly what I want to play! What is it about this setup that hurts Oblivion performance?