Introduction
was founded in August of 2000. Their original products heatsinks, which sold very well for OCZ, allowing them to grow. Since then OCZ has grown into a memory company that is respected by many overclockers around the world. I have used OCZ memory in the past and have always been pleased with its performance and overclocking prowess.
Today we will be testing OCZ's memory alongside with memory from Corsair and XtremeDDR. We will be using the Asus A7N8X mainboard, as it allows memory to be run asyncrounosly with the frontside bus, which will test the limits of the memory, and not the processor.
In order to eliminate any "cherry-picked" samples from getting into the mix, we had ship us a stick of OCZ memory from their normal stock. provided both the stick of Corsair and the stick of XtremeDDR. I appreciate the vast amount of support that companies like BulletPC and PlainLabelPC give Viperlair, as the support of these companies ensures that our readers are viewing reviews of stock parts, and not what the manufacturer wants us to review.
Features
Aluminum Heat Spreader - Optional Copper Heat Spreader
ULN Technology: (U)ltra (L)ow (N)oise shielded PCB
Lifetime Warranty
Available In 256MB Or 512MB Modules
CL 2-2-2 1T Timings
166(333) MHz
184 Pin DIMM
Unbuffered
Revision 3.2
The first thing that stands out about this memory is it's copper heatspreader. Many people claim that heatspreader's are of little use, but they actually help dissipate heat when used properly and help ensure greater stability over long durations of time. Mostly though, heatspreader's are just eye candy.
OCZ's memory utilizes ULN technology. ULN is a technology where the PCB has added shielding between layers to separate the electrical traces and the signal traces, thus ensuring better data integrity.
Overclocking
Having talked to John Apps, who reviewed the model of memory at The Tech Zone a while back, I was sure this module would do 400 MHz DDR with ease. In order to keep the tests fair, we didn't overclock the processor at all, and even underclocked it at times, as overclocking memory via the A7N8X is done via percentages of the front side bus.
This particular module overclocked to 418 MHz. The module was able to run at the most aggressive timings up to 388 MHz, at which point it would not boot. Upping the timings to CAS 2.5 with a RAS to CAS delay of 3 allowed the memory to boot and complete all of the stress tests. At 400 MHz the memory would not operate properly unless we upped the voltage to 2.7 Volts, at which point the module would successfully complete the Memtest86 loop. The memory operated with maximum stability and performance up to 418 MHZ, at which point it would often lock up, and gave us Memtest errors. While upping the voltage to 2.8 would allow the module to be pushed a little further, I am reluctant to run any module at 2.8 volts, and cannot declare the 428 MHZ we got out of the module while at 2.8 volts a successful overclock, as the module may eventually be destroyed if it runs at this voltage.
A nearly 100 MHz overclock is hard to come by in a memory module, and we applaud the effortless overclocking of OCZ's PC2700 Revision 3.2 memory. Let's see how the memory performs at stock settings, as well as overclocked. Truth be told, running in asynchronous mode doesn't yield the greatest performance increase, but it does allow us to test the true limits of the memory.
Test System
Asus A7N8X
OCZ Rev 3.2 PC2700 memory
ATi Radeon 8500 Video Card
Athlon XP 1700+ processor
Windows XP Pro
470 Watt Coolmax PSU
The test software is as follows...
SiSoft Sandra 2002 Standard
Quake 3 TimeDemo
SiSoft Sandra 2002
We'll be testing Sandra Memory Bandwidth at 333 MHz and 400 MHz, CAS 2, 1T Command.
Sandra Memory Bandwidth (333 MHZ) CAS 2 1T COMMAND
I expected the memory to run just fine at 333 MHZ, and it did just that. The single 256 MB module also turned out an impressive score when compared to the Corsair and XtremeDDR memory. As a matter of fact, the OCZ performed on par with the Corsair, while the XtremeDDR showed some fight, but not enough to compete on OCZ's level. It is of interest that I mention that in a previous test, XtremeDDR managed to outperform and outclass OCZ's revision 3 PC2700 memory, so it is obvious OCZ has optimized the SPD on the later revision module for better performance. Next let's see how the modules performed when overclocked to 400 MHZ.
Sandra Memory Bandwidth (400 MHZ) CAS 2 1T COMMAND
Well, first of all, congratulations go to XtremeDDR, as they earned the right to not have to go through this benchmark session, since their PC2700 wouldn't boot at 400 MHZ. 
Now let's see how the Corsair and OCZ fares.
The OCZ module has a slight edge over the Corsair memory, although I doubt the edge will carry over into real world performance. Speaking of which, how does it do for Quake 3?
Quake 3 TimeDemo1 @ 333 MHZ CAS2 1T COMMAND
As I thought, at equal timings and clock speed, neither module outperforms the other. Upping the memory speed yielded little increase in performance, with a 3-4 MHZ increase coming when the memory was clocked at 400 MHZ.
Conclusion
The fact that this is rated as a 333 MHZ part and manages to perform at operate with total stability at 418 MHZ under aggressive timings is a testament to the solid build quality of OCZ's modules. The only thing I could really find to be a problem with the module was how quickly the heatspreader tarnished. Any doubt that OCZ isn't a leader when it comes to high performance memory has just been settled. It overclocks better than our XtremeDDR module, while outperforming both the Corsair and XtremeDDR, although the victory over the Corsair is barely noticeable, and certainly not enough to effect real-life performance.
I guess the real question is whether or not you should purchase OCZ memory. I think when you factor in that it is cheaper than Corsair memory, and outperforms XtremeDDR by a fairly substantial amount, it becomes apparent that OCZ memory is a great value for overclockers and users seeking great performance. OCZ is currently available at many retailers in the US, Canada and United Kingdom, so availability won't be an issue.
Once again, thanks to our sponsors for providing the modules needed to make this review possible.
Pros
Great performance
Very competitive pricing
Excellent overclockability
Cons
Copper heatspreader tarnishes very easily
Bottom Line
OCZ PC2700 Revision 3.2 memory offers the best mix of performance, stability and overclockability available today. If you got any comments, be sure to hit us up in our forums.
