Weakness: Requires higher voltages; can't get full 4GB in 32-bit windows
I upgraded my Windows XP 32-bit machine from two 1GB sticks to these two 2GB OCZ sticks. While I realized that I could not get access to the full 4GB in windows (need Vista 64-bit to do that), I was finding that I was hitting my 2GB RAM barrier when multitasking, so an upgrade was necessary. Installation, however, was not as easy as I might have liked. My previous RAM was also PC2-6400 (800MHz), but I used the default BIOS settings, and they worked just fine. I noticed that I could not boot up with this RAM! I had to go into the BIOS and bump up the RAM voltage to 2.1 Volts, as the 1.8 Volts default was not sufficient. I think this is a trick that OCZ uses to spec part at higher performace!
I ran memory tests, including memtest86, and everything checked out, so I'm satisifed.
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It runs flawlessly on AMD x2 BE-2300 with ECS AMD690GM mainboard which means this memory can run perfectly on the mainboard without the NVIDIA nForce SLI certificate. It is simple and easy to use. It is very good kit for the reasonable price.
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This offering from OCZ is pretty much top-of line DDR2 memory in their range. It comes with nice plain black heatspreaders with the SLI logo in the center- goes well inside my P182B case :) I don't overclock, so can't comment on timings, but out the box, they worked right away and I couldn't be happier.
Strengths: Looks, lifetime warranty plus OCZ performance.
Weakness: N/A
I must say that I like the look of the black heatspreader paired with the silver SLI logo. Very sharp looking. Performs admirably on a P35 chipset motherboard. No errors in memtest. CAS4 would give a tad better performance, but that'd only be noticeable running synthetic benchmarks. With the current prices how can you go wrong?
Out of the box, I was able to push it to 850mhz without any problem with 2.1v. I can push it to 900mhz but I didn't run stress test as I don't need to run as high FSB on my system. Even it sounds like it is made for nVidia systems, I have a non nVidia chipset motherboard and an ATI video card, it still works fine on my computer.
This kit of memory is good for mild overclocking. The best thing the kit has to offer is the large size (4GB) for a low price. At its default voltage of 2.1v, it is rated at 5-4-4-15 but can do 4-4-4-15 at DDR2-800. The ones I got could not do DDR2-1066 at any voltage or timing, which isn't good news for serious overclockers. However I got 8GB stable at around DDR2-900 with a slight voltage increase @ 4-4-4-15 timings, which is good enough for me. The high density of the modules leads to the higher timings, but the kit still performs well when tweaked.
Strengths: SLI ready is great for modest overclocking but I am
currently running @ 450 ddr900 @ rated specs
Weakness: not able to tighten timings much ,not a major issue though
running these sticks on an Asus p5ne32 plus board with e6300 OCed to 3.2ghz and no stability issues, I am running on Vista ultimate so only 3.3 gb but that as nothing to do with the ram
Strengths: Fast
Nice Looking Heat Spreaders
Doesn't run as hot as some
Rated timings detected at first boot
Lifetime warranty
2.2V max voltage and still covered under warranty
Weakness: First stick was DOA :(
First stick was DOA. Other than that it's been decent. The ram runs just fine at the rated settings and voltage (2.1V). I have had no problems with overclocking it and got it to and could probably get it further than 1000mhz but it would be running out of sync with my cpu(q6600) anyway.
It's "SLI ready" but works with any setup including crossfire and ati/single nvidia cards. It looks cool works as advertised, not much to say about the kit really.
Strengths: specifically engineered for nVidia chipset, very easy to install, reasonable price, exellent performance
Weakness: none
So far, OCZ has the lowest price of the SLI-ready 4GB pc2-6400 DDR2 ram with the mailling rebate compared to other brands on the market. My computer is now running a little bit faster than it used to. No problem with the heat. Highly recommended if you are looking for a 4GB PC2-6400 DDR2 desktop memory.
I bought OCZ SLI-Ready Edition 4GB DDR800 (two sticks), but the Asus MB detected the timing information wrong, so I had to manually adjust that in the BIOS. After that the Vista memory performance scored 5.1. This is a bit disappointing because I have 1GBx2 DDR667 sticks in a low-end Dell box, where the memory performance score is 5.9!!!
I haven't really tried to overclock the memory yet, because there is no need at this point. The games I run (including Crysis and GoW) are all GPU bound.
Strengths: These are hefty sticks of RAM, I wouldn't worry about snapping them or anything. They have built in sinks, so no need to use any after market coolers on them.
Weakness: None really, although I had no idea XP only recognizes 3GB, so that kinda irritated me. But oh well. At least I have it now so its there in the future.
This memory is great. If you're looking for dual channel SLI ready memory, you can't really beat this for the price. I picked up the pair for $80.. very happy with the results!
I was little bit worried about installing an OCZ brand memory into my PC. But this SLI-Ready edition has an excellent performance. Installation was super easy and the PC recognized the memory on start. So far so good. Great value on this 4GB RAM. I would highly recommend it.
Strengths: Cheap, reliable so far. Easily OC'd. Period.
Weakness: none so far
Popped it right onto my mobo and booted up perfect. So far, no issues with heat, but I'll OC the CPU later. More to come . Dual channel, SLI, what else can you ask for with this price!!!
OCZ 4GB PC2-6400 DDR2 RAM
Strengths: 4GB!!; fantastic price; heat-spreaders
Weakness: Requires higher voltages; can't get full 4GB in 32-bit windows
I upgraded my Windows XP 32-bit machine from two 1GB sticks to these two 2GB OCZ sticks. While I realized that I could not get access to the full 4GB in windows (need Vista 64-bit to do that), I was finding that I was hitting my 2GB RAM barrier when multitasking, so an upgrade was necessary. Installation, however, was not as easy as I might have liked. My previous RAM was also PC2-6400 (800MHz), but I used the default BIOS settings, and they worked just fine. I noticed that I could not boot up with this RAM! I had to go into the BIOS and bump up the RAM voltage to 2.1 Volts, as the 1.8 Volts default was not sufficient. I think this is a trick that OCZ uses to spec part at higher performace!
I ran memory tests, including memtest86, and everything checked out, so I'm satisifed.
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