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Packaging and
Installation
 The XTune DDR3-1600
modules ship in the familiar plastic blister
pack. This revised packaging still accents the coloring of the DDR3 heat
spreaders but features much more information to help you make an
informed purchase decision. The front details speed and
voltage numbers and a short note describing the lifetime warranty
and testing. One of the more surprising details is the
statement "No Overvoltage Required", this should mean the XTune
modules are stable at stock voltages across the speed spectrum. The
packaging includes an installation guide with a more detailed data
sheet and the complete warranty details inside.
Lets take a closer look at the polished black heat sinks.
The Aeneon design takes the standard sandwich design and caps it
with a wraparound on top. The over all look and feel is solid
and no extra goop can be seen between the modules.
Testing and
Overclocking
I installed the XTune DDR3-1333 modules on my Asus P5E3 Deluxe which has an Intel
X38 chipset. This is going to mean that adjusting the memory speed
is going to require adjusting the FSB. A variety of FSB speeds
will be used to achieve the default SPD settings and to see how far
we can push these modules. Take a closer look
at the test system:
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Hardware |
Model |
|
Motherboard: |
Asus P5E3 Deluxe WiFi-AP @n
Edition |
|
CPU |
Intel Q6600 |
|
Video Card |
eVGA 8800GT 512 KO |
|
Storage |
Seagate 250GB SATA |
|
Optical |
Plextor PX-755SA 16X DVD+/-RW |
|
Memory |
Aeneon XTune
PC3-12800 |
|
Cooling |
Cooler Master Hyper 212 |
The
Asus P5E3 deluxe features the X38 chipset updated to the latest
BIOS version (1109). Thanks to Intel's XMP profiles we
should have a pretty easy starting point for our overclocking
efforts. Historically DDr3 tends to have less headroom
than DDR2 and looser timings overall. These modules are no
exception with timings like 10-10-10.
Default SPD Settings:
The Aeneon SPD settings over a wide
range of default timings from the aggressive 833 MHz mark to the XMP
powered 800 MHz settings. More curious are the sub 800 MHz
speeds. Is there really a DDR3 board with 667 MHz front side
bus speeds? Notice that only the XMP profile requires an
increase in the voltage, and that should be handled automatically.
Since the XMP profile sets
everything up automatically it makes a great starting point for our
tests. For most users this setting should be everything you
need out of these modules with none of the headaches manual setup
can bring.
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