Having looked at a few dual channel memory kits, I'm a firm believer that if you're looking for the best performance, and stability in your dual channel motherboard, one of these matched pairs is a must. Up until TwinMOS contacted us, the dual channel kits we've reviewed were from manufacturers who target enthusiasts. Granted, the nForce 2, and Canterwood are enthusiast boards, but I was surprised "OEM" memory manufacturers didn't jump on this bandwagon, especially since the Granite Bay, which also supports dual channel, was a workstation board.
is very well known in Asia, and have a reputation of making quality, and well-priced ram. They've been manufacturing PC3200 modules for quite some time, which have been getting good reviews online, but today we'll be looking at their Dual Channel PC3200 kit.
There isn't any information on their site about it, but I was told by our TwinMOS contact that the specifications are identical to their .
Specifications
Double Data Rate architecture
MRS cycle with address key programs
- CAS latency: CL2, 2.5
- Burst length: 2, 4, 8
- Burst type: Sequential & Interleave
2 variations of refresh
- Auto refresh
- Self refresh
Serial Presence Detect support
2 Banks to be operated simultaneously or independently
Package: TSOP/CSP
184 edge connector pads
Clock frequency: 133/166/200MHz
SSTL-2 interface: 2.6 Voltage +/- 0.2V
Pricing looks to be about 50$ per 256MB module. Per module you say? Yes, that is exactly what I said. From what I understand, this kit is not a matched pair. I explain this much more clearly in our past Dual Channel reviews, but in a nutshell, other kits we've looked at took same sized memory modules and tested them as a pair. When two DIMMs are "certified" as being a matched pair, they are then sold as a kit. Here's what TwinMOS had to say when I asked them about the certification process…
"TwinMOS had a very good connection with all motherboard manufacturers, usually we join the early design of motherboard and get the early motherboard sample with Dual Channel function to test the performance for Dual channel. You can see the real performance under SiSandra test software. It is almost double performance comparing with single channel."
Now, not that I want to nitpick, but basically they are saying they tested and verified that Dual Channel is faster than Single Channel. From experience, yes, this is the case, but the fact is this does not really test for true compatibility between two DIMMs. In anycase, we'll explore if this is a problem when we get into testing.
Update: I just got word that their kit will be sold in pairs (which was something I wasn't sure about).
You should be able to find the kits as pictured above.
Next Page - The TwinMOS Dual Channel PC3200 Kit
TwinMOS Dual Channel PC3200: With dual channel setups being all the rage, we take a look at a dual channel solution from a highly regarded memory manufacturer, TwinMOS. Does it have what it takes to deserve a spot in your rig?
