Mushkin 2GB XP2-5300 3-3-3 Memory Review

Mushkin 2GB XP2-5300 3-3-3 Memory Review

Recently we have been looking at 2GB memory kits for our AMD readers, but today we take a look at a new low latency 2GB memory kit for all of our Intel DDR2 users. If you have been keeping up on DDR2 memory then you know that the best IC’s that money could buy used to be the Micron Revision A IC’s (Also Known As Fat-Body IC’s). Now that these IC’s are no longer in production it has left some memory companies in the search of a replacement part for the modules. Since the Micron Revision A IC’s have become EOL it has impacted the DDR2 memory market and you can even see for yourself by taking a trip to a popular online retail marketplace like Newegg. When shopping for low latency DDR2 memory only two brands of PC2-5300/PC2-5400 memory kits currently feature tight timings. These two kits are made Crucial and Mushkin, which is a very short list to work with, but only the Mushkin modules are under $350. While both kits have 3-3-3 timings they do differ by IC’s and PCB’s. Crucial’s kit features 3-3-3-12 timings with Micron IC’s of course (Micron owns Crucial), while the Mushkin kit features 3-3-3-10 timings and Elpida IC’s.

The Muskin PC2-5300 3-3-3 memory series is part of the Mushkin Extreme Performance Black Series (XP). The Mushkin Extreme Performance memory modules come with a black heat spreader to help eliminate localized hotspots, further enhancing lifetime and overclockability. As you can tell from the picture these are the new heat spreaders that Mushkin recently developed called frostbyte, which we talked about already in the article titled — Innovation Finally Comes to Heat Spreaders.

When looking down on the memory modules you can see that nothing is in contact with the top of the memory module PCB. The design works great for us since on the open test bench the modules are plugged in standing up and the heat rises straight up and away. In a computer case the heat spreader acts in the same manner, but just takes a little longer for the heat to escape. We all know that air is one of the worst conductors of heat, so don’t expect any overclocking miracles by changing the heat spreaders. We think the design is better than the old heat spreader and the clips are awesome to work with as removal is a breeze. Don’t remove yours though because there is no need to and you will end up with a warranty that is void.

Let’s take a look at the memory features and what is under the heat spreader.