Corsair DDR1 2GB Memory Roundup

TWINX2048-4000PT

“The TWINX2048-4000PT is a pair of two 1028 MByte, two-bank, ultra-performance DDR SDRAM DIMMs screened specifically for gaming applications. This part delivers outstanding performance at very high clock speeds. It has been tested extensively in a variety of motherboards commonly used in gaming rigs. This memory has been verified to operate at 500MHz (3-4-4-8). This part is also available in single modules. Side-by-side comparison indicates that this is one of the fastest DDR modules available in the world.” – Corsair Website

Specs and Features:

• MODEL:TWINX2048-4000PT
• MEMORY TYPE: 184-Pin DDR SDRAM
• CAPACITY: 2GB (2 x 1GB)
• SPEED: DDR 500 (PC 4000)
• TIMINGS: 3-4-4-8-IT
• VOLTAGE: 2.75V
• WARRANTY:Lifetime

As of right now the choices for overclockers who want a quality 2GB kit are pretty limited. While the market is flooded with 1GB kits that scale to some pretty extreme speeds, you can probably count on one hand the 2GB kits that will overclock anywhere near your motherboard or processors top end. Corsair’s TWINX2048-4000PT is based on Samsung’s UCCC IC’s, which are rapidly developing a great reputation for their versatility and more importantly their overclocking ability.

Starting out at our baseline of DDR400, the best timings this kit would run were 2.5-3-3-6. Though somewhat surprised by the inability to run the CAS latency at 2, the difference will be undetectable to everyone except the most diehard benchmarkers. Moving up the FSB latter, this memory scaled pretty well with very minor voltage increases. I was able to run 2.5-3-3-8 all the way to 242FSB (DDR484) while only increasing the voltage to 2.85V. Raising the timings to 3-3-3-8 got me to DDR506, just past what this memory is rated at for DDR500. Next up was the maximum overclock at the rated timings. Without much effort, and only increasing the voltage to 2.85V I was able to reach DDR560 while maintaining 100% stability, well beyond the rated speed of DDR500 and very close to the insane Crucial PC4000 kit and its DDR590.

What really made this kit stand out was how cool it ran. While my biggest complaint with the Crucial kit was the heat it generated, the Corsair TWINX2048-4000PT was an extremely cool kit. Being able to run a CAS latency of 2 would have made this kit close to perfect, however the great overclocking ability easily makes up for that. Another factor that makes this kit attractive is the pricing, right around $265. I would recommend this kit for the extreme overclocking crowd. While not exactly on par with the Crucial PC4000 kit, the TWINX2048-4000PT is no slouch itself.