Corsair XMS TWINX2048-3200 2GB Kit

Test Setup

Processor: AMD Athlon 64 3200+ Venice 512K Cache, OC: 2710MHz (271×10) @ 1.566v, 4x HTT Multi
Motherboard: MSI K8N Neo4 Platinum (nVidia nForce4 Ultra)
Graphics Card: HIS X1900GT IceQ 3 @ 700/800
Hard Disk: Seagate Barracuda 160GB SATA-II 8MB Cache
Power Supply: Tagan 2Force 480w (Single Rail Mode)
Software: Windows XP Home SP-2

Counter Strike: Source was run at my usual settings of 1600×1200, maximum graphics settings with 4x AA and 16x AF, with HDR Enabled. Color correction is disabled.

Benchmarks

When testing & benching the XMS, I wanted to make sure I covered all ground on performance and overclocking. Everyone has their own preference on how they like to run their ram. Low latency vs. high clock speed… so I tried to cover them both. Below is some information regarding the testing procedures and their results:

Stock Settings
The XMS does great at stock timings and settings. Providing both quick speeds and very stable operation, this ram blazed through all the benchmarks at stock without a hiccup.

Lowest Timings at Stock Frequency
I left the voltage at 2.6v which is stock for this memory, and tightened the RAM timings. I got to 2.5-3-3-6, after a few CMOS Clears.

Highest Frequency Overall
The highest I could get while maintaining a 1:1 ratio with the CPU & RAM was 225MHz, which also happens to be the max for both 3-3-3-8 @ 3-4-4-8, so naturally I tested at 3-3-3-8. Since that eliminates the possibility of any higher clocking, I decided to bench with my 24/7 settings too, with the CPU at 2.71GHz and the RAM at 225MHz. Sadly though, I only gained 25MHz over stock.

Highest Frequency at Highest CPU MHz
This is my 24/7 stable setting. The CPU at 2.7GHz, and the RAM at 225MHz 3-3-3-8 @ 2.6v. With the max frequency on the RAM and stock timings, this is stable as a rock.

Despite not overclocking very well, there is a secret to this RAM. It’s the first RAM that I’ve seen to feature ram chips by Promos. Whats even more interesting is that they’re 90nm IC’s, vs the smallest I’ve seen being 110nm. You’d think they’d overclock well with such a small manufacturing process, but I guess not. They do have their pro’s though, like being able to run at voltages lower than 2.60v when overclocked. They also run very cool, too.