Overclocking and pricing
Overclocking tests were carried out using the maximum stated voltages for the modules, except in the case of the OCZ Reaper HPC PC2-9200 modules where the Enhanced Voltage Policy allows for up to 2.35V, to give results representative of what can be achieved without voiding the warranty.
This means that the Patriot PDC22G9200ELK was run at 2.3V; the Corsair DOMINATOR XMS2-10000 was at 2.4V; the Kingston HyperX KHX9600D2K2/2G and OCZ Reaper HPC Edition PC2-9200 at 2.35V.
The Corsair was run using the included DOMINATOR Airflow fan, while the other modules were cooled passively.
Testing was carried out using 3-3-3-9, 4-4-4-12 and 5-5-5-18 latencies, with the maximum stable speed over a 30-minute stress-test recorded for each module.
Putting on the hurt with tight timings, the sample Patriot modules do well, just being eclipsed by the airflow-cooled Corsair DOMINATOR RAM.
A steady loosening of latencies allows the modules to scale higher. The Patriot does well at our much-used 4-4-4-12 timings but falls a little way short when pure MHz is the key.
Pricing
We've established that the Patriot PC2-9200 is fast and overclocks well, especially with tight timings, but just how much value does it provide in relation to the competition?| Modules | Patriot PDC22G9200ELK | Corsair DOMINATOR XMS2-10000 | Kingston HyperX KHX9600D2K2/2G | OCZ Reaper HPC Edition PC2-9200 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing as at 24/07/07 | £158 | £469 | £137 | £159 |
The Corsair DOMINATOR TWIN2X2048-10000C5DF modules are the fastest but exorbitantly expensive. Indeed, you could purchase the Patriot, Kingston and OCZ modules and still have money left over for a bit of fun. We note, however, that Corsair lists a number of 1000MHz+-rated modules at competitive prices.
In comparison to the other modestly-priced 2GiB packs, then, the Patriot modules offer reasonable value for money. The faster-clocked Kingston modules come out on top yet, admittedly, they're hard to find in stock.
