The Basics:

Before taking this DDR2 kit for a test ride, we'll take a quick look at the modules themselves. The below left image shows the two 512MB PC2-8500 DDR2 side by side. They sport green PCBs shrouded in heavy black aluminum heatspreaders held on by good old fashion steel clips. Many manufacturers have gotten away from mechanical fasteners to hold heatspreaders in place and rely solely on adhesive. I have to say I prefer clips.


One side of each module features the XTune logo, while the other side has a white label that lists some manufacturing data and product specifications. A close up of this label is shown in the above right image.

The image below attempts to show the thermal tape that bonds the memory chips to the heatspreader. The modules are single sided, and there are only chips found on what would be the top side in the image below. The tape makes good contact, and actually wraps around the edges of some chips. On the blank side of the module, three layers of thermal tape are used to build up enough thickness to make the heatspeader tight. They were obviously designed for double sided modules, but Aeneon has made them work on this kit, too.


Configuration:

The Aeneon XTUNE 1GB DDR2-1066 Dual Channel Memory Kit was installed in a system with the following components for this review:

» Intel Core 2 Duo E6850 Dual Core processor
» ASUS P5KC P35 ATX motherboard
» Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD7500AAKS 750GB hard drive
» PC Power and Cooling 750 Quad Silencer power supply
» ASUS EAH3850 TOP Overclocked Radeon HD3850 graphics card
» Ultra Products m998 Mid-Tower ATX case
» Windows XP Professional

The module's specifications indicate default timings of 5-5-5-15 at 1066MHz, with a voltage of 1.8V. The screenshots below were taken from CPU-Z Version 1.44.1 in order to check what the modules had to say about their timings. The below left image shows the memory timings achieved with the BIOS set to auto, and it shows that the only difference is that tRAS is 18 instead of 15. The below right screenshot confirms that 5-5-5-15 is actually what the SPD was programmed for at 1066MHz. This image also provides information about the programmed timings for other speeds, as well. You get the 1066MHz "EPP" profile, as well as two "JEDEC" profiles for 800MHz operation.


The BIOS was then set to manual and all timings were set to match the published specifications before proceeding with initial testing.