256mb Corsair PC-3500C2

Overclocking:

We had very high hopes for this memory due our prior review on the Corsair PC-3200C2. Our first motherboard for testing was our good and trusty ABIT KX7-333R. We were able to get the memory up to 212mhz, which comes out to 424mhz since it is DDR. We hit this mark at Cas 2-2-2, 4 bank interleave, 1T command, and enhanced mode. Anything higher than this caused windows to crash after boot up. The limit to this board is the 1.85v DDR maximum setting. So on to the next board which is the ABIT AT7-MAX2. Although this board goes up to 2.25v on the memory we found that the board likes to corrupt hard drives after 210mhz. So after several corruptions we gave up on our testing till we have a board that can handle and bench above 424mhz memory.

To sum up our overclocking section, the Corsair memory outperformed the motherboards that we had on hand at the time of the review. As soon as we get a board that can show the limits of the Corsair PC-3500 memory we will update this review with our findings

Conclusions:

Go buy this if your looking for the best quality high-performance memory! What else can I say when this memory is able out perform some of the best motherboards sold on the market today. For the average user this memory will allow you to upgrade your budget system without having to upgrade your memory again. For the power user/gamer this memory will allow you to out benchmark/frag all your friends as long as they are not also using Corsair XMS memory.

To sum things up we were very impressed with the Corsair XMS PC-3500 memory module, as it is true memory with muscle! It is fast, stable and most importantly, can withstand today’s highest clock speeds. After 3 weeks of testing in our test systems we never had one problem with this memory. We have run hundreds of benchmarks while using it and played dozens of games for hours problem free. Due to this it is worth pointing out is that our old Corsair XMS PC-3200C2 is getting taken out of our testing system, so the newer and faster Corsair XMS PC-3500 can take the lead role of memory duty in our test rig.

PROS

• Untouched Performance
• Memory Cooling
• 5ns Memory
• Best Performance You Can Buy
• Looks Great

CONS

• High price for some users

IMPROVEMENTS

• Needs a parachute to slow down

The XMS 3500 also recieves our Editor’s Choice award for something we can’t max out!