SiSoft Sandra XI Memory Bandwidth
There isn't much of a difference between the two
kits which isn't terribly surprising since no matter the brand,
if the clock speeds and timings are the same, the results will
be likewise. Since this is a bandwidth test, the capacity does
not factor in this test.
DVD Shrink
The Mushkin HP2-6400 is 2 seconds faster than the
Corsair 6400Pro.
PiFast
Another test where we see little difference in the
results. The Mushkin HP2-6400 holds a slight advantage.
Photoshop CS2
This is probably the most significant argument that
more ram is always better. Photoshop is a memory hog, and the
Mushkin HP2-6400 holds a clear victory here.
Doom 3
One FPS is what separates the two kits.
Overclocking
We tested the Mushkin HP2-6400 at five different
speeds and timings, all at 2.5v, which isn't something we would
do for extended periods.
| Speed |
Result |
| DDR2-610 @ 5-5-5-15 |
Pass |
| DDR2-604 @ 5-4-4-12 |
Pass |
| DDR2-558 @ 5-4-4-12 |
Pass |
| DDR2-510 @ 4-3-4-8 |
Pass |
| DDR2-429 @ 4-3-3-9 |
Pass |
I should point out that we tried different speed and timing variations
outside of what you see above, but the numbers we've presented
were FSB speeds Windows was able to POST at.
Final Words
The Mushkin HP2-6400 kit performed very well in
our tests today and for the most part, performed a little better
than the Corsair 6400Pro which did suffer from a 2GB capacity
disadvantage. While the difference in performance between 2GB
and 4GB isn't terribly large in day-to-day applications, if you're
in a specialized environment, the extra ram will play dividends.
This is very clear in our Photoshop and DVD tests.
Stability was never an issue and in fact, we would
dare say that this was one of the most stable ram kits we've had
a chance to work with. We have a lot of Corsair kits in our lab,
and while we've generally never had issues with them, a recent
MSI P35 review gave us nothing but headaches. We had similar issues
with one of our OCZ memory kits as well. The system would boot
up 15% of the time, and crash at random intervals, even when not
benchmarking.
Naturally, we tried the usual troubleshooting steps
such as replacing the power supply, reseating components and even
went so far as to replace the motherboard. The Mushkin HP2-6400
plugged right in and immediately the MSI P35 booted right up and
we were able to use the system. The system booted up, and rebooted
(user initiated) without any issues.
Overclocking was decent, albeit not spectacular.
The stock timings are already quite low, so when we relaxed them,
we were able to push more out of them. Stock performance was very
good though, and frankly, we think the value lies more in the
stock performance and overall capacity.
The main thing of course is do you need 4GB of memory?
The answer will depend on how you use your computer. We limited
our testing to Windows XP and 32-bit. 64-bit computing at the
consumer level isn't exactly lighting the world on fire and much
of the same can be said about Windows Vista. That said, there
is value in 4GB, especially if you're into multimedia and photo
editing.
If
you have any comments, be sure to hit us up in our forums.
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