| 1024MB OCZ EL DDR PC3200 Dual Channel Gold - Page 3 of 3 |
Overclocking and Testing (continued):
Here we see how it stands up to some high end TCCD. For comparison I used a 1GB kit of some G.Skill LE. Ok it is apples and oranges comparing BH5 chips to TCCD, but it’s all about bandwidth and what your computer is capable of. The chart below shows both Sandra’s and Everest’s finding for each set of kits at stock with the same voltages and timings. As you can see both sets are almost identical in all tests.
As you can see, the tight timings on the OCZ memory let it run much "slower" than the G. Skill memory, but still outperform it on 3 of the 4 test modules used. For those wanting excellent performance without the need for extreme overclocking, the OCZ Gold kit is worth consideration.
The G. Skill TCCD chips could not hold the 2-2-2-5 timings much higher than the initial test. The timings had to be loosened considerably to keep them in the same ball park with the OCZ BH5 chips. As a side note, the TCCD does not respond well to voltages above approximately 2.9V. Timings were changed on the G. Skill memory to a sad 2.5-4-3-7 (several other timings also had to be loosened) and CPC was disabled or 2T setting. The multiplier also had to be dropped from a 9 to an 8 to keep the processor from going over its overclocking limit of about 2480MHz. So for this last chart we set the TCCD to 290MHz, this is how high it had to be set in order to achieve a comparable bandwidth to the tighter timings of the OCZ’s BH5 chips.
Conclusion:
If you want tight timings and easy overclocking OCZ’s PC-3200 gold is an excellent choice. The BH5 chips allow the user to maintain low latency even with a huge jump in front side bus speeds and even bigger jump in bandwidth. The ease of overclocking makes it desirable for every computer enthusiast. As seen in this review, to overclock a set of memory to 252MHz (DDR 504) without loosening timings is unheard of with most memory. Also, this testing was done out of the package with no burn in period and it has been said that they get better with age. The Winbond BH5 memory also will take nearly any voltage thrown its way, to the extents of 3.6V!!!
The overclocking may be a strong point, but OCZ is marketing the PC-3200 Dual Channel Gold to gamers that may not be interested in extreme overclocking, but are interested in solid performance on a budget. A search of PriceGrabber shows the OCZ DDR PC-3200 kit is available from most major online retailers starting at around $150 (US).
The OCZ DDR PC-3200 Dual Channel Gold 1GB kit earned a solid 4.5 out of 5 stars... "Readily Recommended".
Final Rating (4.5 out of 5 stars):  
Pros:
• Low latency 2-2-2-5 1T timings
• Lifetime warranty (under 3V)
• Winbond BH5 chips
• Price
• Gold heatspreaders
• Ease of overclocking
Cons:
• Voltage hungry (not supported by all mother boards)
Special thanks to OCZ for providing the EL DDR PC-3200 Dual Channel Gold to Bigbruin.com for review!
Please drop by the Bigbruin.com Forum and feel free to discuss this review.
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