To begin with, I will boot to the OS with the stock
speed and timings to test the performance of the
modules and their performance without tweaking the
system at all. Checking for the lowest timings that
the modules could handle, I found out that unfortunately
the modules could not stay stable with 2/2/2/6 timings,
nor any lower timings than the rated 2/3/3/6. Hence
I settled for the stock 2/3/3/6 timings at stock
speed and then tested their maximum overclocking
capability by setting them the timings at 2.5/3/3/6.
Finally, I tested the maximum overclocking capability
of the modules by setting them at the slow 3/4/4/8
timings. Through my testing, I also found out that
high voltages would hinder the overclocking capability
of the modules instead of helping it, so I set the
voltage at 2.8V through all of the tests.
Note 1 : Stability is tested by running Memtest
for at least 30 minutes at the test settings to
ensure that there are no errors.
Note 2 : The direct comparison between the tested
module speeds and timings is not recommended, as
the processor HTT and clock speeds differ. Both
the HTT speed and processor clock speed can severely
affect the test results.
Memory at 200MHz (400MHz DDR), 2/3/3/6
timings
CPU-Z Timings verification
Sisoftware Sandra 2005
sandra-200-2336
sandrau-200-2336
dont have flash installed? then click here
for a jpeg
The motherboard correctly recognized
the SPD timings and set them to 2/3/3/6 by default.
At this speed, the modules offer very good performance
without any effort or stability issues. The real
advantage of the modules over generic PC3200 modules
is that the GX XTC modules can work at 1T command
without issues, unlike many generic 1GB modules
which need the command rate set to 2T in order to
properly work on a great number of motherboards.
This gives the OCZ GX XTC a great advantage over
generic RAM, even at stock speeds.
Memory at 250MHz
(500MHz DDR), 2.5/3/3/6 timings
CPU-Z Timings verification
Sisoftware Sandra 2005
sandra-250-25336
sandrau-250-25336
dont have flash installed? then click here
for a jpeg
After trying the overclocking capability
of the modules while using the acceptable 2.5/3/3/6
timings, I found their capabilities surprising.
No, these are not the best modules for overclocking,
but for modules aimed at the mainstream market,
they sure overclock very well, as they reached 250MHz.
This is a very respectable 25% overclock, without
using more than their rated voltage. The modules
consequently had a considerable performance gain
across all of the tests.
Memory at 257MHz
(500MHz DDR), 3/4/4/8 timings
CPU-Z Timings verification
Sisoftware Sandra 2005
sandra-257-3448
sandrau-257-3448
dont have flash installed? then click here
for a jpeg
By setting the timings at 3/4/4/8,
which are the slowest acceptable timings for DDR
RAM, the modules gained an insignificant 7MHz overclock.
With the timings being so much slower than before
the real world performance suffers, so the 7MHz
gain becomes ineffective. Strangely, setting the
command rate of the modules at 2T would not enhance
their clocking ability at all. This was strange
in my opinion, as at 2T the modules are relaxed
greatly and should overclock at least a bit
higher. Perhaps on another motherboard the OCZ GX
XTC would cooperate better, although they did great
on the DFI Ultra-D.
