OCZ DDR2 PC2-8000 2 x 2 GB Platinum Edition Review

Testing:

So memory is memory, right? Is there a difference? Well the only way to be sure is to put it to the test. I am going to benchmark the OCZ Platinum memory and compare it against other brands to see how well it performs in comparison. The other memory sets will be run at the same speeds to show overall performance while stock and overclocked. Overclocked settings are shown in the next section below.

Testing Setup:

• Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo E6750 @ 2.66GHz
• Motherboard: XFX NForce 680i SLi
• Memory: OCZ DDR2 PC2-8000 2 x 2GB Platinum Edition
• Video Card: Foxconn NVidia 8600GTS 256MB
• Hard Drive 1: 1x Western Digital 80GB SATA
• Hard Drive 2: 1x Seagate 750GB SATA 3.0
• Optical Drive: Lite-On 8x DVD+/-RW Drive
• Fan Controller: Vantec Nexus Multi Fan Controller
• Case: Ultra M998 Mid-tower
• Operating System: Windows Vista Premium Edition
• Comparison Memory #1: 4GB Patriot Extreme Performance PC2-9600
• Comparison Memory #2: 4GB Crucial Balistix PC2-8000

Benchmarks:

• CPU-Z Version 1.42
• Windows Task Manager
• PCMark Vantage
• SiSoft Sandra XII
• Far Cry

CPU-Z: This application shows us the settings that we have chosen in the BIOS. Items shown in this application include CPU speed and bus settings, motherboard manufacturer, BIOS revisions, memory timings and SPD chip information.

Task Manager: We use this utility to show physical memory, kernel memory, page file usage and processor usage (%).

Overclocking:

Overclocked settings:

• Processor: 2.66GHz (333MHz x 8)
• Memory: 533MHz, 5-7-7-20 @ 2.2v

Since OCZ is known for its overclocking, I really wanted to see how far these modules would go. However, after hours of changing CPU speeds, memory speeds, timings, and voltages, the highest I could get the modules stable (passing memtest86+) was 1066MHz (533MHz DDR2) with timings of 5-7-7-20 at 2.2v. Any further and it would error out or lock up the computer during the boot sequence , giving me a memory error on the POST code.