W1zzard
05-13-2005, 09:19 AM
[page=Introduction & Packaging]
Introduction
From the Manufacturer OCZ Technology (http://www.ocztechnology.com):
400MHz DDR
CL 2-3-2-5 (CAS-TRCD-TRP-TRAS)
Available in a 1GB (2x512) and 2GB (2x1024) Dual Channel Optimized Kit
Unbuffered
Enhanced Latency Technology
Titanium Mirrored Copper Heatspreader
2.6 Volts
184 Pin DIMM
OCZ Lifetime PowerSwap Warranty
3.0 EVP - OCZ's unique Extended Voltage Protection feature allows PC-3200 modules to handle voltages up to 3.0V ±5% without invalidating the Lifetime PowerSwap Warranty
OCZ is known as a memory manufacturer who produces high-end enthusiast memory. The recently released Titanium Line is more focused on stability of operation, than for overclockers. We tested this memory in three Intel/AMD systems and had no problems at all, running demanding MemTest86 for a few days showed no problems there either.
The phone support of OCZ is high quality. It is based entirely in the US (if you ever tried the phone support of the big computer manufacturer with D, you know what I'm talking about) and is delivered by people who know their stuff, not people who read from a support database.
PowerSwap Warranty
OCZ's Lifetime PowerSwap Warranty is a unique feature to the Titanium Series. If your memory breaks at any time, you call up OCZ and they will send out a replacement via Fedex on the same day. You can then ship the defective memory back to them within two weeks. If you now think "Hey I'll just report my memory as bad and keep the old one and the new one" - no way. You will have to give your credit card information, so OCZ can bill you for the memory if you do not ship it back.
Transit times for the package are one to two days for all destinations in the US and about four to five days for the rest of the world. Right now all replacements are sent from the US, but a european RMA center is being setup in the next weeks, so european customers experience the same shipping times as in the United States.
Packaging
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/OCZ/PC-3200Titanium/images/package1_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/OCZ/PC-3200Titanium/images/package1.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/OCZ/PC-3200Titanium/images/package2_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/OCZ/PC-3200Titanium/images/package2.jpg)
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/OCZ/PC-3200Titanium/images/sticker_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/OCZ/PC-3200Titanium/images/sticker.jpg)
Each module has a sticker on it, which gives the rated speed and the stock timings.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/OCZ/PC-3200Titanium/images/memory1_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/OCZ/PC-3200Titanium/images/memory1.jpg)
[page=Performance & Overclocking]
Test Setup
<table border="1" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="0" class="systable">
<tr><th colspan="2" style="font-size:larger;text-align:center">Test System</th></tr>
<tr>
<th width="100">CPU:</th>
<td>AMD Athlon64 3000+ Venice</td>
</tr><tr>
<th>Motherboard:</th>
<td>DFI LanParty NF4</td>
</tr><tr>
<th>Memory:</th>
<td>2x 512 MB OCZ EL DDR PC-3200 Titanium</td>
</tr><tr>
<th>Video Card:</th>
<td>ATI Radeon X850 XT PCI-E</td>
</tr><tr>
<th>Harddisk:</th>
<td>Maxtor Diamondmax 160GB</td>
</tr><tr>
<th>Power Supply:</th>
<td>HEC PurePower 475</td>
</tr><tr>
<th>Software:</th>
<td>Windows XP SP2, Catalyst 5.3</td>
</tr>
</table>
Performance
The first test we did, was test how the memory performs at a stock frequency of 200 FSB with the default timings recommended by OCZ.
Next, we increased the memory clock step by step to find out what the maximum clocks are when running at the default voltage of 2.6V. We reached 216 MHz, which is a rather dissapointing result.
Once we increased voltage to 2.8V, things were starting to become strange. The maximum overclock dropped a few MHz, to 213 MHz. With a really extreme voltage of 3.3V we could get an extra 2 MHz over the default 2.6V. So basically increasing voltage does not do anything at all.
The last test "JEDEC DDR400A" is for comparison with a generic DDR module running at JEDEC standard timings.
<table width="640" border="1" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="0" class="ramtable">
<tr>
<th colspan="9" style="font-size:larger"><strong>OCZ EL DDR PC-3200 Titanium</strong></th>
</tr>
<tr>
<th nowrap="nowrap">CPU Clock &<br />
Memory Ratio</th>
<th>Memory<br />
Speed</th>
<th>Memory<br />
Timings</th>
<th>Everest<br />
Read</th>
<th>Everest<br />
Write</th>
<th>Everest<br />
Latency</th>
<th>Quake 3<br />
Timedemo</th>
<th>3DMark<br />
2001SE</th>
<th>SuperPi<br />
Mod 1M</th>
</tr>
<tr>
<th>8 x 200 1:1</th>
<td>200 MHz</td>
<td>2-3-2-5 2.6V</td>
<td>4095 MB/s</td>
<td>2144 MB/s</td>
<td>51.3 ns</td>
<td>218.1 fps</td>
<td>19154</td>
<td>50.80 s</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th>8 x 216 1:1 </th>
<td>216 MHz</td>
<td>2-3-2-5 2.6V</td>
<td>4397 MB/s</td>
<td>2030 MB/s</td>
<td>47.4 ns</td>
<td>234.9 fps</td>
<td>20174</td>
<td>47.28 s</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th>8 x 213 1:1 </th>
<td>213 MHz</td>
<td>2-3-2-5 2.8V</td>
<td>4334 MB/s</td>
<td>1959 MB/s</td>
<td>48.1 ns</td>
<td>231.5 fps</td>
<td>19889</td>
<td>47.79 s</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th>8 x 215 1:1 </th>
<td>215 MHz</td>
<td>2-3-2-5 3.1V</td>
<td>4364 MB/s</td>
<td>1976 MB/s</td>
<td>47.5 ns</td>
<td>233.1 fps</td>
<td>20178</td>
<td>47.59 s</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th>8 x 219 1:1 </th>
<td>218 MHz</td>
<td>2-3-2-5 3.3V</td>
<td>4428 MB/s</td>
<td>2006 MB/s</td>
<td>47.0 ns</td>
<td>236.6 fps</td>
<td>20250</td>
<td>46.86 s</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th>JEDEC DDR400A </th>
<td>200 MHz</td>
<td>2.5-3-3-8 2.6V</td>
<td>3952 MB/s</td>
<td>1939 MB/s</td>
<td>53.5 ns</td>
<td>213.3 fps</td>
<td>18548</td>
<td>51.97 s</td>
</tr>
</table>
We also tried relaxed timings of 2.5-3-3-x and 3-3-3-x, but without much success, a few MHz could be gained, but this is not worth it if you take the performance loss into consideration.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/OCZ/PC-3200Titanium/images/everestread.gif http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/OCZ/PC-3200Titanium/images/everestwrite.gif http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/OCZ/PC-3200Titanium/images/everestlatency.gif http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/OCZ/PC-3200Titanium/images/quake3.gif http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/OCZ/PC-3200Titanium/images/3dmark2001.gif http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/OCZ/PC-3200Titanium/images/superpi.gif
Base performance is good. When overclocking, performance scales accordingly, except for the Sandra Write benchmark which shows best performance when the module is running at 200 MHz stock, everything above that results in less write bandwith, even though the other benchmarks show that total performance does improve.
For easier comparison with other modules, we set a maximum voltage of 3.1V und tested until we found the highest clock frequency and fastest timings for this memory. The benchmarks Everest Read, Everest Write and Quake 3 were run. We then calculated the performance increase in percent compared to some standard DDR400 memory running at JEDEC DDR400A (2.5-3-3-8). The average percentage of the three benchmarks is listed in following table:
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/OCZ/PC-3200Titanium/images/vsjedec.gif
[page=Value and Conclusion]
Value and Conclusion
<table width="100%" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" id="result">
<tr><th>http://www.techpowerup.com/images/dollar.gif</th>
<td>
Two 512MB OCZ PC-3200 Titanium modules set you back about $165, this is quite a hefty price, but you have to consider that the premium RMA handling you get with them, does add a lot of cost.
</td>
</tr><tr>
<th>http://www.techpowerup.com/images/thumbup.gif</th>
<td>
Top notch RMA process
Beautiful Heatspreaders
Warranty for higher voltage
Tight timings
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th>http://www.techpowerup.com/images/thumbdown.gif</th>
<td>
Little overclocking headroom
Expensive
Credit card required for PowerSwap Warranty
</td></tr>
<tr><th>7.4</th>
<td>OCZ does emphasize that this memory is not built for overclockers, but paying $165 for this kit sounds like a bit much to me. You can get 2x512 MB NoName memory for about $85, so just buy four modules for $170 and stash two away in case one breaks.<br />
There is no reason why overclockers would need this memory, it does not overclock much, no matter the timings, but for these people OCZ has a completely difference range of memories which are specifically geared to their needs.
</td></tr>
<tr><th></th></tr>
</table>
Introduction
From the Manufacturer OCZ Technology (http://www.ocztechnology.com):
400MHz DDR
CL 2-3-2-5 (CAS-TRCD-TRP-TRAS)
Available in a 1GB (2x512) and 2GB (2x1024) Dual Channel Optimized Kit
Unbuffered
Enhanced Latency Technology
Titanium Mirrored Copper Heatspreader
2.6 Volts
184 Pin DIMM
OCZ Lifetime PowerSwap Warranty
3.0 EVP - OCZ's unique Extended Voltage Protection feature allows PC-3200 modules to handle voltages up to 3.0V ±5% without invalidating the Lifetime PowerSwap Warranty
OCZ is known as a memory manufacturer who produces high-end enthusiast memory. The recently released Titanium Line is more focused on stability of operation, than for overclockers. We tested this memory in three Intel/AMD systems and had no problems at all, running demanding MemTest86 for a few days showed no problems there either.
The phone support of OCZ is high quality. It is based entirely in the US (if you ever tried the phone support of the big computer manufacturer with D, you know what I'm talking about) and is delivered by people who know their stuff, not people who read from a support database.
PowerSwap Warranty
OCZ's Lifetime PowerSwap Warranty is a unique feature to the Titanium Series. If your memory breaks at any time, you call up OCZ and they will send out a replacement via Fedex on the same day. You can then ship the defective memory back to them within two weeks. If you now think "Hey I'll just report my memory as bad and keep the old one and the new one" - no way. You will have to give your credit card information, so OCZ can bill you for the memory if you do not ship it back.
Transit times for the package are one to two days for all destinations in the US and about four to five days for the rest of the world. Right now all replacements are sent from the US, but a european RMA center is being setup in the next weeks, so european customers experience the same shipping times as in the United States.
Packaging
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/OCZ/PC-3200Titanium/images/package1_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/OCZ/PC-3200Titanium/images/package1.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/OCZ/PC-3200Titanium/images/package2_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/OCZ/PC-3200Titanium/images/package2.jpg)
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/OCZ/PC-3200Titanium/images/sticker_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/OCZ/PC-3200Titanium/images/sticker.jpg)
Each module has a sticker on it, which gives the rated speed and the stock timings.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/OCZ/PC-3200Titanium/images/memory1_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/OCZ/PC-3200Titanium/images/memory1.jpg)
[page=Performance & Overclocking]
Test Setup
<table border="1" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="0" class="systable">
<tr><th colspan="2" style="font-size:larger;text-align:center">Test System</th></tr>
<tr>
<th width="100">CPU:</th>
<td>AMD Athlon64 3000+ Venice</td>
</tr><tr>
<th>Motherboard:</th>
<td>DFI LanParty NF4</td>
</tr><tr>
<th>Memory:</th>
<td>2x 512 MB OCZ EL DDR PC-3200 Titanium</td>
</tr><tr>
<th>Video Card:</th>
<td>ATI Radeon X850 XT PCI-E</td>
</tr><tr>
<th>Harddisk:</th>
<td>Maxtor Diamondmax 160GB</td>
</tr><tr>
<th>Power Supply:</th>
<td>HEC PurePower 475</td>
</tr><tr>
<th>Software:</th>
<td>Windows XP SP2, Catalyst 5.3</td>
</tr>
</table>
Performance
The first test we did, was test how the memory performs at a stock frequency of 200 FSB with the default timings recommended by OCZ.
Next, we increased the memory clock step by step to find out what the maximum clocks are when running at the default voltage of 2.6V. We reached 216 MHz, which is a rather dissapointing result.
Once we increased voltage to 2.8V, things were starting to become strange. The maximum overclock dropped a few MHz, to 213 MHz. With a really extreme voltage of 3.3V we could get an extra 2 MHz over the default 2.6V. So basically increasing voltage does not do anything at all.
The last test "JEDEC DDR400A" is for comparison with a generic DDR module running at JEDEC standard timings.
<table width="640" border="1" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="0" class="ramtable">
<tr>
<th colspan="9" style="font-size:larger"><strong>OCZ EL DDR PC-3200 Titanium</strong></th>
</tr>
<tr>
<th nowrap="nowrap">CPU Clock &<br />
Memory Ratio</th>
<th>Memory<br />
Speed</th>
<th>Memory<br />
Timings</th>
<th>Everest<br />
Read</th>
<th>Everest<br />
Write</th>
<th>Everest<br />
Latency</th>
<th>Quake 3<br />
Timedemo</th>
<th>3DMark<br />
2001SE</th>
<th>SuperPi<br />
Mod 1M</th>
</tr>
<tr>
<th>8 x 200 1:1</th>
<td>200 MHz</td>
<td>2-3-2-5 2.6V</td>
<td>4095 MB/s</td>
<td>2144 MB/s</td>
<td>51.3 ns</td>
<td>218.1 fps</td>
<td>19154</td>
<td>50.80 s</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th>8 x 216 1:1 </th>
<td>216 MHz</td>
<td>2-3-2-5 2.6V</td>
<td>4397 MB/s</td>
<td>2030 MB/s</td>
<td>47.4 ns</td>
<td>234.9 fps</td>
<td>20174</td>
<td>47.28 s</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th>8 x 213 1:1 </th>
<td>213 MHz</td>
<td>2-3-2-5 2.8V</td>
<td>4334 MB/s</td>
<td>1959 MB/s</td>
<td>48.1 ns</td>
<td>231.5 fps</td>
<td>19889</td>
<td>47.79 s</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th>8 x 215 1:1 </th>
<td>215 MHz</td>
<td>2-3-2-5 3.1V</td>
<td>4364 MB/s</td>
<td>1976 MB/s</td>
<td>47.5 ns</td>
<td>233.1 fps</td>
<td>20178</td>
<td>47.59 s</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th>8 x 219 1:1 </th>
<td>218 MHz</td>
<td>2-3-2-5 3.3V</td>
<td>4428 MB/s</td>
<td>2006 MB/s</td>
<td>47.0 ns</td>
<td>236.6 fps</td>
<td>20250</td>
<td>46.86 s</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th>JEDEC DDR400A </th>
<td>200 MHz</td>
<td>2.5-3-3-8 2.6V</td>
<td>3952 MB/s</td>
<td>1939 MB/s</td>
<td>53.5 ns</td>
<td>213.3 fps</td>
<td>18548</td>
<td>51.97 s</td>
</tr>
</table>
We also tried relaxed timings of 2.5-3-3-x and 3-3-3-x, but without much success, a few MHz could be gained, but this is not worth it if you take the performance loss into consideration.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/OCZ/PC-3200Titanium/images/everestread.gif http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/OCZ/PC-3200Titanium/images/everestwrite.gif http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/OCZ/PC-3200Titanium/images/everestlatency.gif http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/OCZ/PC-3200Titanium/images/quake3.gif http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/OCZ/PC-3200Titanium/images/3dmark2001.gif http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/OCZ/PC-3200Titanium/images/superpi.gif
Base performance is good. When overclocking, performance scales accordingly, except for the Sandra Write benchmark which shows best performance when the module is running at 200 MHz stock, everything above that results in less write bandwith, even though the other benchmarks show that total performance does improve.
For easier comparison with other modules, we set a maximum voltage of 3.1V und tested until we found the highest clock frequency and fastest timings for this memory. The benchmarks Everest Read, Everest Write and Quake 3 were run. We then calculated the performance increase in percent compared to some standard DDR400 memory running at JEDEC DDR400A (2.5-3-3-8). The average percentage of the three benchmarks is listed in following table:
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/OCZ/PC-3200Titanium/images/vsjedec.gif
[page=Value and Conclusion]
Value and Conclusion
<table width="100%" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" id="result">
<tr><th>http://www.techpowerup.com/images/dollar.gif</th>
<td>
Two 512MB OCZ PC-3200 Titanium modules set you back about $165, this is quite a hefty price, but you have to consider that the premium RMA handling you get with them, does add a lot of cost.
</td>
</tr><tr>
<th>http://www.techpowerup.com/images/thumbup.gif</th>
<td>
Top notch RMA process
Beautiful Heatspreaders
Warranty for higher voltage
Tight timings
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th>http://www.techpowerup.com/images/thumbdown.gif</th>
<td>
Little overclocking headroom
Expensive
Credit card required for PowerSwap Warranty
</td></tr>
<tr><th>7.4</th>
<td>OCZ does emphasize that this memory is not built for overclockers, but paying $165 for this kit sounds like a bit much to me. You can get 2x512 MB NoName memory for about $85, so just buy four modules for $170 and stash two away in case one breaks.<br />
There is no reason why overclockers would need this memory, it does not overclock much, no matter the timings, but for these people OCZ has a completely difference range of memories which are specifically geared to their needs.
</td></tr>
<tr><th></th></tr>
</table>