Thoughts, HEXUS.awards & HEXUS.right2reply
Corsair's TWIN2X1024-8500 memory is aimed squarely at the enthusiast who wants every last drop of performance from their Intel-based machine. Our testing has shown that when used in conjunction with a 1066MHz FSB Pentium Extreme Edition 965 processor and i975X chipset, it is a touch faster than DDR2 667MHz memory that operates at far lower latencies than the '8500's 5-5-5-15. Run on an ASUS P5WD2-E Premium motherboard that utilises a 1:2 FSB:DRAM ratio, we've also shown that there's enough bandwidth in single-channel mode to provide excellent performance, too. What helps performance further is the synchronous speed between the memory and a 1066MHz FSB system.Memory manufacturers have been releasing DDR2 memory that are significantly faster than what a stock-clocked LGA775 processor needs to make do with. For example, even an overclocked CPU running at, say, 300MHz FSB will be catered for, theoretically, by dual-channel DDR2-600 memory, yet whilst there's not a whole deal to gain with faster and faster RAM, every little helps, especially when the memory controller in question isn't the most efficient. That's why the TWIN2X1024-8500 pack, running at 1066MHZ, is the fastest DDR2 we've thus far seen, and that's taking into account its relatively high latencies.
PC8500 will enhance performance if you're running a CPU with a 266MHz FSB. The maddest Intel-based overclockers haven't had a reason to complain about pure bandwidth for a while now, and Corsair's addition of the world's first PC8500 DDR2 puts the onus back on Intel to ramp up its CPUs' FSB.
In summary, Corsair's TWIN2X1024-8500 memory is overkill for the majority of users unless absolute performance is vital. Want the fastest memory around? Look no further than this pack. Priced at around £175 for a 1GByte set it's not cheap, but if you can afford an Extreme Edition CPU, do yourself a favour and pair it up with some ultra-high bandwidth memory. Now where's that PC8500 3-2-2-8 memory that I've been hankering for?
