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Testing
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The majority of testing will be done using SiSoft Sandra Pro
Business version 2007.9.10.105. ClubOC has been using SiSoft
Sandra for many years and it's pretty much our favorite
benchmarking program for testing memory and processors. |
The Crucial Ballistix DDR2-8000 contains information
for both 400 MHz and 500 MHz speeds. Although many systems do not
support PC2-1000 speeds without overclocking, most enthusiast boards
like the P5W DH Deluxe offer a vast array of simple tweaks to get you to
the 500 MHz speed and beyond.
| Memory
Bus Speed: |
800MHz |
| Memory
Voltage: |
2.2v |
| Memory
Timings: |
4-4-4-12 |
| CPU Bus
Speed: |
266MHz |
| Final CPU
Clock Speed: |
1.86GHz
(default) |
To
get an idea of the baseline performance, I first set the memory to the
lower 400 MHz setting. Installing the RAM is as simple as plugging it
in. To get the correct timings and voltage did require a quick
trip to the BIOS but even without the BIOS changes we were able to boot
and benchmark. As DDR2-8000 becomes more common, I expect newer
BIOS revisions to run these sticks at the 500 MHz speeds automatically.
Above you can see the scores at 400 MHz with the rest of the system set
to defaults. The Sandra score of 5275/5258 is solid but only the
tip of the iceberg for these modules.
| Memory
Bus Speed: |
889MHz |
| Memory
Voltage: |
2.2v |
| Memory
Timings: |
5-5-5-15 |
| CPU Bus
Speed: |
266MHz |
| Final CPU
Clock Speed: |
1.86GHz
(default) |
Without overclocking the system via the FSB, the next available setting
listed in the BIOS was PC2-889. This middle setting is interesting
only as a comparison to the default settings and as a measure of about
the maximum speed you will be able to achieve with a 800MHz processor
like my Pentium D 940. This time I received a Sandra score of 5309/5357. To
really see this memory perform you will have to pair it with a 1000 MHz
processor and clock things up to the PC2-1000+ level.
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