Patriot PC2-5300LLK DDR2

     We all know that adding more RAM is one of the most cost effective ways to increase your systems performance. Enthusiasts and overclockers look for RAM modules that have the tightest timings or are built upon certain memory modules to gain the most benefit or have the highest overclocking potential. Whatever your individual approach may be, adding more system RAM can do nothing but help the way your PC performs. Right now, the only magic number in the world of Windows XP is four gigabytes. This is the maximum amount of physical memory that Windows XP can address on today's hardware. To overcome this limitation, you'll have to install Windows XP 64-bit edition, which also means you may be loosing performance with some non 64-bit applications - which includes most games. So while most of us leave the 64-bit edition for the true workstation class machines, Windows XP HOME and PROFESSIONAL continue to be the operating system of choice for the masses. With Microsoft hard at work on Windows Vista, the new operating system's requirements have been hinted at from time to time in various news releases and product briefs. For the 64-bit edition, two gigabytes of system RAM will be ideal. For the 32-bit crowd, one gigabyte is recommended with 512MB being the absolute minimum. These are just speculative numbers that have been tossed around with the BETA and we probably won't hear anything really concrete until closer to its official launch.

     There is one thing for certain, every system can benefit from more RAM. Take the above SiSoftware's Sandra "Windows Memory Information" module screen shot for instance. This was taken only moments after a fresh boot-up. Because RAM is used for more than just a place to store application data, each device you have installed (such as a sound card or a mouse) demands some amount of memory. While most address reservations are only 32K - 64K in size, some of the more complex devices, such as video cards, can reserve as much as 256K. If your system is running in a dual video card or even dual-monitor configuration, then you have even more memory being reserved than a typical system would. All of these addresses and reservations means less available memory for your applications to utilize. The situation gets a little worse when you start adding processes that run in the background or in the system tray; Anti-Virus and Spyware software, desktop enhancements utilities such as Windowblinds, keyboard and mouse configuration utilities, the list goes on and on. Anything that you install to make your machine more user-friendly and personable -- it all takes system memory.

     Since the latest chipsets from both AMD and INTEL sport a dual-channel memory configuration, memory manufacturers have been releasing memory in dual-channel kits for a long time now.  We're finally starting to see a wider variety in the larger 2GB kits, such as what we have here today from Patriot.  A dual-channel kit of their PC-5300 which is designed to be run with 4-4-4-12 timings at a 667MHz bus speed powered with 1.8 volts. These kind of latency timings paired with the flexibility of most motherboards should spell a fair bit of headroom when it comes to overclocking. Patriot states that each and every kit has been 100% tested and verified to be a true match for dual-channel configurations and covers them with a lifetime warranty.