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The Test System:
For testing, I installed the Tenth Anniversary DDR2
into the same build I recently used to test Crucial's top
Ballistix PC2-8000 modules to allow for ease of comparison.
The rest of the build includes an Intel Pentium Core Duo 2 6300 cooled
by an
AeroCool GT-1000 cooler, 2 x WD 74 GB Raptors in a RAID0, a
Seagate 750 GB storage drive and a
Plextor PX-755SA 16x DVD burner. The system was mounted in the new
Antec Nine Hundred case and powered was provided by the
Kingwin Mach 1 600 W Power supply.
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Hardware |
Model |
|
Motherboard: |
ASUS P5W DH Deluxe |
|
CPU |
Intel Core
2 Duo E6300 |
|
Video Card |
Connect3D X1900 GTX |
|
Power Supply |
Kingwin Mach 1 600 W |
I installed the memory modules
using the ASUS default settings in the BIOS. All BIOS settings were set
to Automatic and the memory timings were selected using the Speed
settings. Like most major manufacturers Crucial programs their
DDR2 modules with the JEDEC specified latency settings into the memory
SPD EEPROM, which allow the motherboard's BIOS to detect and select the
proper timings automatically.
Using the latest version of
CPUID's CPU-Z, we can see
that the Tenth Anniversary modules are detecting with three different
speed settings. Keep in mind these modules are rated at 3-3-3-12
using a voltage of 2.2 V.
Our trusty ASUS motherboard has no
problem booting in the stock settings but some tweaking will be needed
to get these modules to perform at their rated speeds.
Testing:
The majority of testing will be done using SiSoft Sandra Pro Business
version XI (Final 11.17). ClubOC has been using SiSoft Sandra for many
years and it's pretty much our favorite benchmarking program for testing
memory and processors.
CAS 3 tRCD 3
tRP: 3
tRAS 12 @ 2.2 volts
After a quick trip to the BIOS we have
corrected the Voltage and speed settings of our Tenth Anniversary Memory
and can generate a solid baseline for testing. With so many
different types of modules appearing, it is becoming increasingly common
to have to make these changes by hand. Thankfully, most high
performance can handle a variety of timings allowing a default boot for
manual tuning.
| Memory
Bus Speed: |
667MHz |
| Memory
Voltage: |
2.2v |
| Memory
Timings: |
3-3-3-12 |
| CPU Bus
Speed: |
266MHz |
| Final CPU
Clock Speed: |
1.86GHz
(default) |
Using
Sisoftware's Sandra Version
XI to record the baseline performance, we can establish what
type of performance a system builder can expect without tweaking their
system beyond the recommended settings. Above you can see the
scores at the factory recommended settings. The Sandra score of
5188/5200 is a great starting point!
| Memory
Bus Speed: |
711MHz |
| Memory
Voltage: |
2.2v |
| Memory
Timings: |
3-3-3-12 |
| CPU Bus
Speed: |
266MHz |
| Final CPU
Clock Speed: |
1.86GHz
(default) |
For our first attempt at overclocking the Tenth
Anniversary modules I increased the memory FSB to 711 MHz or the
equivalent of PC2-5700. This is a relatively easy bump but the resulting
scores of 5483/5501 show great
potential for increased performance.
| Memory
Bus Speed: |
711MHz |
| Memory
Voltage: |
2.2v |
| Memory
Timings: |
3-3-3-11 |
| CPU Bus
Speed: |
266MHz |
| Final CPU
Clock Speed: |
1.86GHz
(default) |
Next I started dropping the the timing starting with
the tRAS. The resulting Sandra score of
5503/5522 is a nice step up. Lets see if there is any
room to drop the rest of the timings.
CAS 3 tRCD 3
tRP: 3
tRAS 11 @ 2.2 volts
| Memory
Bus Speed: |
711MHz |
| Memory
Voltage: |
2.2v |
| Memory
Timings: |
3-3-3-10 |
| CPU Bus
Speed: |
266MHz |
| Final CPU
Clock Speed: |
1.86GHz
(default) |
The timings for CAS, tRCD and tRP proved to not
successfully boot below the current timings, so its back to the tRAS
again! The tRAS drop to 10 was the lowest successful boot achieved in
this setup. The resulting Sandra score of
5487/5489 shows that we have reached the point of diminishing
returns with the timings.
CAS 3 tRCD 3
tRP: 3
tRAS 10 @ 2.2 volts
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