In the quest for computing nirvana, RAM plays a very important role. Those tweakers in the know, know that latency makes a BIG difference when it comes to the performance of your rig. Until now, DDR2 users have suffered with very high latencies. Let's see if what OCZ has prescribed is the right medicine to scratch that DDR2 latency itch.

The quest for CPU GHz has seemed to wane a bit in recent times, with the frequency limit seeming to top out for current technologies. However, doesn't mean we've capped the performance potential of our rigs, and this RAM is a perfect example of increasing performance while not neccesarily overclocking the CPU too much.

Let's dive in and see what OCZ has offered with this new Enhanced Latency DDR2 RAM.

Specifications

Here are the specs as provided by OCZ:

• 1000MHz DDR2
• CL 4-5-4-15
• Unbuffered
• 2.1v
• 240-pin DIMM
• Platinum Mirrored Heatspreader
• OCZ Enhanced Latency Technology

OCZ EL DDR2 PC2-6400 / 800 MHz / Enhanced Latency / Platinum Edition

To fill the growing demand for DDR2, the first member of the Platinum XTC family is the PC2-6400 EL Platinum XTC edition; OCZ specifically developed these modules for the extreme gamer and overclocker to give high end Intel based systems that extra performance edge that is demanded by today’s hard core gamers and enthusiasts.

The new OCZ PC2-6400 Platinum Edition utilizes the latest OCZ heatspreader design. XTC (Xtreme Thermal Convection) Heatspreaders allow increased ventilation and heat dissipation due to an innovative honeycomb design providing more direct access to the actual memory ICs.

As part of the award winning OCZ Platinum DDR2 series, the PC2-6400 Platinum XTC edition is built with leading edge technology designed and qualified with special selection of premium components to maximize performance in even the most demanding computing environments. At DDR2-800, these modules turn out heart-pounding 4-5-4 timings with flawless performance and stability.

OCZ PC2-6400 products are 100% hand-tested to ensure compliance with stringent quality standards. In addition, each member of the OCZ Platinum XTC family is backed by an industry-leading lifetime warranty, toll-free technical support and the exclusive EVP (Extended Voltage Protection) coverage.

With its ultra-fast performance, high quality and reliability, the OCZ PC2-6400 Platinum XTC edition is a perfect memory upgrade for today’s memory-hungry Intel platforms.

These sticks pack some eye candy. I really like the pimpin' (can I still say that?) chrome heatspreaders! Nothing like a little bling for your rig... Here is what OCZ has to say about their unique heatspreaders:

"XTC (Xtreme Thermal Convection) heatspreaders optimize the thermal management of memory modules by promoting greater airflow by means of micro-convection throughout what is usually the dead air space inside conventional heatspreader designs. In this manner, build-up of heat is avoided and thermal dissipation of the memory components is offloaded more efficiently through the honeycomb design. At the same time, mechanical stability is maintained. "

Installation

Installation was quick and easy... it's RAM... a monkey could do it. I have to say that it looks great in my system.

Let's get it on...

Benchmarks & Overclocking

System Specifications

The system I will be testing with consists of the following:

• Intel P4 530 3.0 LGA CPU
• Abit AA8-Uguru motherboard
• 1024MB OCZ Enhanced Latency PC6400 DDR2
• Ultra 530W power supply
• Sapphire ATI X600 PCI-E video card w/ ATI Catalyst 6.8 Drivers (no OC)
• 40GB Western Digital IDE Hard Drive
• Windows XP Professional SP2

Now I know some of you might be wondering why I'm using a legacy drive for benchmarking, and the simple answer is this: When this Abit motherboard starts overclocking, the integrated SATA chip stops detecting the connected SATA drives. IDE drives are fine, so I benchmark with this IDE drive.

I used the following applications to run the ram through it's paces

• Futuremark 3dMark2001SE
• Quake 3 Arena Timedemo Four
• Aida32 Memory Read Benchmark
• Aida32 Memory Write Benchmark
• SiSoftware Sandra 2007 Memory Latency Benchmark

All benchmarks were run at least 3 times; once with the advertised timing of 4-5-4-15, once with the memory running at 3:4 ratio, and once with the best overclock I could get at a 2:3 ratio. As an aside, my motherboard detected this RAM out-of-the-box as 3-4-3-10. Even when I changed the BIOS to read SPD settings, it still came up 3-4-3-10. I don't know if it's my motherboard reading the SPD chip incorrectly or what, but I had to FORCE the advertised 4-5-4-15 settings. After spending some quality time with this RAM at the different ratios, the following settings proved to be ideal for my configuration:

Using a 3:4 ratio (DDR533) I was able to yield timings of 3-3-3-10 @ 250MHz. The weird thing is, even with the loose advertised timings, I couldn't post past 250. 251MHz FSB simply would not post. This is definitely a result of the memory, because if you'll remember back to my Corsair review, I was able to get up to 260+ MHz out of this exact same motherboard and CPU.

Using the 2:3 ratio (DDR633) the best I could muster was 3-4-3-10 @ 235MHz. This is uncharted territory for me; I was barely able to run the Corsair at 210MHz with the stock timings, let alone these aggressive numbers! Let's see what the benchmark story is...