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Although I've heard that Denver is an awesome place, there are very few things associated with Denver that I like. I hate the Denver Broncos (I'm a Steelers fan), I hate Coors beer, and the Colorado Rockies really let me down: now I have to hear all about the Red Sux from Paul until at least next April.
Now that I've finished my anti-Denver rant, let me introduce you to Mushkin, the enthusiast memory maker based in... you guessed it, Denver, CO. Today HL takes a look at Mushkin's newest kit,the HP2-8500.
Although DDR2 memory is far from dead (thanks in large part to DDR3's premium pricing, and generally cool reception), who would look at a PC2-8500 kit with 5-5-5-18 timings and come away impressed?
Sometimes, the specs that accompany a product are not representative of the performance, and as you'll see, Mushkin's latest HP2-8500 kit is a perfect example of this.
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Mushkin's performance line of memory is divided into four different categories. The Redline Series targets the hardcore enthusiast with 1GB and 2GB kits matching 4-5-4-11 latencies with PC2-8000 clock speeds. The XP Series is one notch below it, although no less impressive, with kits ranging from DDR2-667 at CAS3 to DDR2-1100 at CAS5. The HP Series is marketed as a balance between performance and budget with kits ranging from PC2-4200 to PC2-8500, supporting latencies from CAS3 to CAS5. The EM Series, targeting the budget market, offers clock speeds from PC2-4200 to PC2-8500, with latencies typically found on budget kits (CAS4 to CAS5).
Bring up the topic of RAM at any enthusiast forum, and you'll almost assuredly be bombarded with chit-chat regarding the ICs (Integrated Circuits) used on different kits, and there may even be talk about the PCB (Printed Circuit Board). At HardwareLogic, our philosophy is a bit different. While some ICs are known to perform better than others, no matter which chips are found under the heatspreader, you're never guaranteed a level of performance beyond that which is printed on the sticker. Moreover, it's the screening process that can really make or break a line of memory, and the specific chips used on a kit of memory are subject to change at any time depending on the market.
One of the more public examples of this occurred in DDR's heyday. Enthusiasts frothed at the mouth over kits sporting Samsung TCCD chips, which had a reputation for high overclocks. When it was discovered that OCZ had switched from TCCD to TCC9 chips in their Platinum Revision 2 line, the community was up in arms. However, users for the most part where experiencing the same level of overclocks because the screening process didn't change, just the specific chips used (which are never advertised in the first place).
In short, we don't put a big emphasis on the chips used, and are more concerned with what the kit's are advertised to handle, along with our real-world testing results. However, for those that must keep track of the ICs and PCBs, Ronald Goedbloed maintains an excellent list of specific kits and what lies underneath the hood.