Privacy Policy | Copyright | etc.
news
forums
articles
reviews
utilities
about
contact
123 Compare Prices
EverGlide
GamersStuff
ISI Technologies
Light-Mods
Microsoft
Plextor
RedOctane
Shop Bot
SilverStone
ThermalTake
XtracPads
1SweetPC
A1-Electronics
Adrian's RojakPot
Ascully
Bjorn 3D
Creative Mods
Extensive Mods
Hot-Mods
HW Logic
LAN Addict
Mikhailtech
OC Portugal
Pimped-Out Cases
PimpRig
Shop Bot
Steamed Turtle
Tech Dreams
TekBunker
TweakNews
TwistedMods
PDP Systems Patriot XBL PC3200 Memory
Date: March 15, 2005
Reviewer: Michael Brim
Score: 9/10


   The highly treasured Winbond BH-5 is gone from the market; thus begins a new search for the enthusiast's new best friend. Currently contending for the right to be BH-5's successor are: OCZ's VX (Voltage Extreme), Micron's G and Samsung's TCCD. Today I'll be looking at PDP Systems contribution to the enthusiast market, the 512MB PC3200 Patriot Memory w/ XBL Technology featuring Samsung's TCCD ICs. PDP Systems is a relative newcomer to the memory market, at least relative to the likes of corporate giants Crucial, Corsair, Kingston and OCZ, and while their prior inexperience was shown in our review of their value module, I expect great things out of the Patriot XBL.

   

   The Patriot XBL comes equipped with a maroon colored heat-spreader, and whether the heat-spreaders are there for temperature or cosmetic reasons, they do look nice. Unfastening the two clips holding the heat-spreaders in place and applying a bit of force we find our beloved Samsung TCCD Week 437 ICs. The ICs are situated on a Brainpower PCB which is said to allow an estimated extra 10mhz over-clock over the reference JEDEC PCB. The specifications of the Patriot XBL are PC3200 (200MHz) 2-2-2-5 @ 2.6V. Putting the TCCD's to good use, Patriot also says the chips will run fine at PC 4200 (267MHz) 3-4-4-8 @ 2.85V. But really, what kind of enthusiast doesn't run his memory out of spec?



The Test Bed:
  • A64 2800+ NewCastle
  • DFI Lanparty UT nF3 250Gb (BIOS version)
  • ATi Radeon 9800 Pro
  • 500W MGE Xtreme Gamer PSU
   



   

   The 2800+'s multiplier was dropped to 8x for all tests so that the processor would not be a limiting factor. All over-clocking and timing adjustment was done via A64 Tweaker V0.31 and ClockGen for the nForce 3 chipset. The Tcl (CAS Latency) timing of 1.5 was achieved through A64 Tweaker, however it may not be available in all motherboard's BIOS.

 Everest
Memory Read mb/s
1.5-2-2-5 @ 200MHz 3040
2-2-2-5 @ 200MHz 3029
2-2-2-5 @ 220MHz 3329
2.5-3-3-9 @ 250MHz 3771
2.5-3-3-9 @ 260MHz 3920
range: [ 0 , 4000 ]
Memory Write mb/s
1.5-2-2-5 @ 200MHz 1197
2-2-2-5 @ 200MHz 1166
2-2-2-5 @ 220MHz 1272
2.5-3-3-9 @ 250MHz 1334
2.5-3-3-9 @ 260MHz 1465
range: [ 0 , 1500 ]
Memory Latency ns
1.5-2-2-5 @ 200MHz 53.2
2-2-2-5 @ 200MHz 53.9
2-2-2-5 @ 220MHz 49.0
2.5-3-3-9 @ 250MHz 49.9
2.5-3-3-9 @ 260MHz 47.1
range: [ 0 , 55 ]

   Starting with my favorite benchmark, Everest (formerly AIDA32), we see that for all tests, the tighter 1.5 Tcl timing proves to have no significant advantage over the SPD. Other than that, we see that tighter timings may mean more than a higher clock speed (as shown in the difference between the 220 2-2-2-5 and 250 2.5-3-3-9)

 PCMark 04
Memory Marks
1.5-2-2-5 @ 200MHz 3210
2-2-2-5 @ 200MHz 3262
2-2-2-5 @ 220MHz 3545
2.5-3-3-9 @ 250MHz 3986
2.5-3-3-9 @ 260MHz 4149
range: [ 0 , 4200 ]

   Moving onto PCMark04 it seems that the 1.5 Tcl timing actually acts as a deterrent as it performs worse than the memory at stock. From there, everything looks linear.

 SiSoft Sandra 2004
Memory Bandwidth (Int) mb/s
1.5-2-2-5 @ 200MHz 3078
2-2-2-5 @ 200MHz 3085
2-2-2-5 @ 220MHz 3403
2.5-3-3-9 @ 250MHz 3853
2.5-3-3-9 @ 260MHz 4011
range: [ 0 , 4050 ]
Memory Bandwidth (Float) mb/s
1.5-2-2-5 @ 200MHz 3080
2-2-2-5 @ 200MHz 3085
2-2-2-5 @ 220MHz 3405
2.5-3-3-9 @ 250MHz 3856
2.5-3-3-9 @ 260MHz 4017
range: [ 0 , 4050 ]

   Parallel results in SiSoft Sandra 2004, 1.5 doesn't look too ideal.

 SuperPi (1 million digits)
Memory seconds
1.5-2-2-5 @ 200MHz 54
2-2-2-5 @ 200MHz 55
2-2-2-5 @ 220MHz 0
2.5-3-3-9 @ 250MHz 44
2.5-3-3-9 @ 260MHz 42
range: [ 0 , 60 ]

   Rounding out the tests is SuperPi. For some reason, SuperPi refused to run at 220 2-2-2-5. Does this represent instability? Not to my knowledge: I ran Memtest 86+ and there were no errors; Sandra's Burn-in-Wizard over-night using only the Memory Bandwidth test reported no problems.

   What do all these synthetic benchmarks tell us? That by itself, the module performs quite well. But how much can we get out of the XBL? Dropping the CPU multi down to 8x, LDT multi to 3x and keeping the standard 2.6V, I easily hit 280HTT 2.5-3-3-9 which was the highest stable clock I've reached. Bumping the VDimm to 2.8V, I hit 290HTT and soon after, 300HTT, albeit, neither were stable.



   While the TCCD does not crave voltage like the BH-5 did, nor will you soon be able to achieve 250 2-2-2-5 (this TCCD topped out at 234), the XBL puts up quite the fight. It is never-the-less always impressive when PC3200 memory can go 1:1 at DDR600 speeds. At only $115 shipped for a 512mb stick and $230 shipped for a 1GB Dual Channel pack, Patriot's TCCD offering is the cheapest on the market and is worth the small investment.

Pros: Cons:
  • Low Latency
  • Inexpensive
  • Great OverClocker
  • None




Microsoft Natural
4000 Keyboard




Xbox Modding
Installing a Larger HDD




Xbox Modding
10 Min Guide




QuakeCon 2005
Day 3 Coverage




QuakeCon 2005
Day 2 Coverage




QuakeCon 2005
Day 1 Coverage




Antec P160 Case
COMPONENT - REVIEW




Patriot PC3200 Memory
HARDWARE - REVIEW




Bargain Shopping 101
MISC - ARTICLE




A4Tech Battery-Free Mouse
HARDWARE - REVIEW




XG Vigor 500W PSU
HARDWARE - REVIEW




Steelpad S&S Mouse Surface
ACCESSORY - REVIEW




TechFreaks' FAQ
UPDATED 10-08-04




SilverStone LC-02 Case
COOLING EXPLANATION




SilverStone LC-02 Case
CASE - REVIEW




Microsoft Optical Mouse by S+arck
ACCESSORY - REVIEW




ThermalRight SLK-947U Heat-Sink
COOLER - REVIEW




Patriot PC3200 Memory
MEMORY - REVIEW


© 2004 TechFreaks.org
All Rights Reserved
Best viewed in at least 1024x768

Compare Prices on your Online Shopping at 123 Compare Prices

Printers | Scanners | Jewelry | Watches | Shoes | Perfume | Cologne | Luggage | Office Supplies | Athletic Shoes | Boots | Men's Shoes | Sandals | Women's Shoes
Body Jewelry | Bracelets | Diamond Jewelry | Earrings | Necklaces | Rings



Find coupons and discounts at JumpOnDeals.com.