Original Link: https://www.anandtech.com/show/1503
PQI & G. Skill: New Choices in 2-2-2 Memory
by Wesley Fink on October 9, 2004 11:35 AM EST- Posted in
- Memory
When Corsair 3200XL appeared on the market, it was the first time since the death of Winbond BH5 that we had seen a memory with 2-2-2 timings at DDR400. More than that, this new memory also proved to reach DDR500 performance levels - something that Winbond BH5 could never do. We certainly took notice of the new memory based on Samsung chips, and every other memory maker took notice as well. As you saw in =F-A-S-T= DDR Memory: 2-2-2 Roars on the Scene, almost every top memory maker now has a DDR400 2-2-2 memory in their catalog.
Today, we will compare the two most recent DDR400 2-2-2 memories from G. Skill and PQI to the major-brand DDR400 2-2-2 that we have tested in the past. Do these new DIMMs based on Samsung TCCD chips perform as well as others that we have reviewed? This is not a trivial question because Samsung TCCD memory chips are some of the most expensive memory chips on the market. If some of these newer modules with TCCD chips perform just as well, buyers can shop for DDR400 2-2-2 memory on the basis of price and warranty.
Full results based on new testing on our standard Intel 875 memory test bed are included. We also brought forward results on the new AMD Athlon 64 memory test bed. Both G. Skill and PQI were included in the recent Athlon 64 memory roundup, and the results are repeated in this review for convenient comparison. With both sets of results, you should have a very clear picture of how PQI PC3200 Turbo and G. Skill TCCD compare to the best memory that we have tested on both the Intel and AMD Athlon 64 platforms.
G. Skill TCCD
This is our first complete review of memory modules from G. Skill. You can learn more about this Taiwanese memory maker at www.gskill.com.tw. G.Skill was established in 1989 by Enthusiasts and they specialize in the production of memory.With a name of G. Skill TCCD, the memory chips should be obvious. This is a DDR sporting Samsung TCCD chips. Where G. Skill is a bit different is in rated speed of the memory. G. Skill actually quotes three different speed ratings - DDR400, DDR500, and DDR560. We have seen recent TCCD DIMMs reach DDR500 and beyond, but this is the first TCCD DIMM that actually specifies speed ratings to DDR560. The Samsung TCCD DIMMs are part of the G. Skill Extreme series and they carry a lifetime warranty.
You will also notice that there are no heat spreaders on the G. Skill DIMMs. Frankly, we have seen little, if any, cooling advantages with heatspreaders, so their absence will not be an issue to most. Heatspreaders are more often a cosmetic appearance item. They also appear useful when manufacturers want to make it a bit more difficult to determine the memory chips used on the DIMM.
Test DIMMs were a 1GB kit, a matched pair of 512MB double-sided DIMMs.
G. Skill TCCD Specifications
G. Skill TCCD Memory Specifications | |
Number of DIMMs & Banks | 2 DS |
DIMM Size Total Memory |
512 MB |
Rated Timings | 2-2-2-5 at DDR400 2.5-3-3-6 at DDR500 3-4-4-8 at DDR560 |
SPD (Auto) Timings | 2.5-4-4-8 |
Rated Voltage | 2.7V |
PQI 3200 Turbo
PQI is another new name in memory at AnandTech. PQI has US Offices in Fremont, CA and offers a full line of memory products, including flash memory manufactured by the parent PQI Corporation. More information on product line, the lifetime warranty on memory, and the company itself is available at www.pqimemory.com.The PQI 3200 Turbo comes in a wrap-around bubble package that stands out from the standard memory packaging.
Test DIMMs were a matched pair of PC3200 512MB modules. Like most other 2-2-2 rated DDR400 memory, the PQI is based on Samsung TCCD memory chips.
PQI 3200 Turbo Specifications
PQI 3200 Turbo Memory Specifications | |
Number of DIMMs & Banks | 2 DS |
DIMM Size Total Memory |
512 MB 1 GB |
Rated Timings | 2-2-2-5 at DDR400 |
SPD (Auto) Timings | 2.5-4-4-8 |
Rated Voltage | 2.6V |
Intel Performance Test Configuration
The G. Skill TCCD and the PQI 3200 Turbo were tested in our standard Intel Pentium 4 Memory testbed. The hardware is the same used in our earlier reviews of DDR400 and faster Memory.All test conditions were as close as possible to those used in our earlier memory reviews. We have also eliminated any memory from our charts that has been discontinued, including Winbond BH5 and BH6 versions from several vendors and earlier versions of several current memory products.
INTEL 875P Performance Test Configuration | |
Processor(s): | Intel Pentium 4 2.4GHz (800MHz FSB) |
RAM: | 2 x 512MB G. Skill TCCD (DS) 2 x 512MB PQI 3200 Turbo (DS) 2 x 512MB OCZ PC3700 Gold Rev 3 (DS) 2 x 512MB Geil PC3200 Ultra X (DS) 2 x 512MB Crucial Ballistix PC3200 (DS) 2 x 512MB Kingston HyperX PC3200 L-L (DS) 2 x 512MB Mushkin PC3200 Level II V2 (DS) 2 x 512MB OCZ PC3200 Platinum Rev. 2 (DS) 2 x 512MB Corsair 3200XL PRO (DS) 2 x 256MB Samsung PC4000 (SS) 2 x 512MB Buffalo FireStix PC4000 (DS) 2 x 512MB Shika XRAM PC4400 (DS) 2 x 512MB OCZ PC4400 EL Gold (DS) 2 x 512MB OCZ 3700EB (DS) 2 x 512MB OCZ 3500EB (DS) 2 x 512MB Mushkin 2-2-2 Special (DS) 2 x 512MB PMI4200 Gold (DDR533 DS) 4 x 256MB Samsung PC3700 (DDR466 SS) 2 x 512MB Kingmax DDR500 Hardcore Series (DS) 2 x 512MB Kingmax DDR466 Hardcore Series (DS) 2 x 512MB Corsair XMS4400v1.1 TwinX (DS) 2 x 512MB OCZ PC4400 DC Kit (DS) 2 x 512MB OCZ 4200EL(DS) 2 x 512MB Mushkin PC4000 High Performance (DS) 2 x 512MB Corsair TwinX4000 PRO (DS) 2 x 256MB Adata DDR450 (SS) 2 x 512MB Adata PC4000 (DS) 2 x 512MB Corsair PC4000 (DS) 2 x 512MB Geil PC4000 (DS) 2 x 512MB OCZ PC4000 (DS) |
Hard Drives | 2 Western Digital Raptor Serial ATA 36.7GB 10,000RPM drives in an Intel ICH5R RAID configuration |
PCI/AGP Speed | Fixed at 33/66 |
Bus Master Drivers: | 875P Intel INF Update v5.00.1012, SATA RAID drivers installed, but IAA not installed |
Video Card(s): | ATI 9800 PRO 128MB, 128MB aperture, 1024x768x32 |
Video Drivers: | ATI Catalyst 4.9 |
Power Supply: | Vantec Stealth 470Watt Aluminum |
Operating System(s): | Windows XP Professional SP1 |
Motherboards: | Asus P4C800-E (875) with 1016 Release BIOS |
We have found the fastest performance on Intel 865/875 to be achieved at Cycle Time or tRAS of 5, or the fastest tRAS setting that is stable with the tested memory. Intel platform benchmarks were, therefore, run with the fastest stable tRAS timings that we could achieve with PQI or G. Skill memory.
Test Settings
We ran our standard suite of memory performance benchmarks. The following settings were tested with both memories:- 800FSB/DDR400 - the highest stock speed supported on 875/865 and K8T800/nF3/SiS755 motherboards, and the rated speed of both G. Skill TCCD and PQI 3200 Turbo.
- 866FSB/DDR433 - a speed rating that we have used in testing other low-latency DDR400 memory.
- 933FSB/DDR466 - a standard memory speed also specified as PC3700.
- 1000FSB/DDR500 - a standard memory speed used in testing other high-speed memory and the rated speed of OCZ PC4000 Gold Rev. 2
- 1066FSB/DDR533 - a standard memory speed included for comparison.
- Highest Stable Overclock - the highest settings we could achieve with this memory and other memory that we have tested.
AMD Performance Test Configuration
The PQI 3200 Turbo and G. Skill TCCD were included in our recent memory roundup on the new Athlon 64 test bed. The complete review can be read at Athlon 64 Memory: Rewriting the Rules. We have included Athlon 64 tests in this review for completeness.The A64 test bed includes components that have been proven in Socket 939 Athlon 64 benchmarking, such as the Gold Editors Choice MSI K8N Neo2, the completely unlocked Socket 939 FX53, and the OCZ Power Stream 520 Power Supply. Since the Athlon 64 tests represent a new series of DDR testing, we have chosen the current generation nVidia 6800 Ultra video card for benchmarking. We have found the 6800 Ultra to be a particularly good match to nVidia nForce3 Ultra motherboards.
All other basic test conditions attempted to mirror those used in our earlier Intel memory reviews. However, test results are not directly comparable to tests performed on the Intel test bed.
AMD nForce3 Ultra Performance Test Configuration | |
Processor(s): | AMD FX53 Athlon 64 (2.4GHz, Socket 939, Dual Channel, 1000HT) |
RAM: | G. Skill TCCD (DS) 2 x 512MB PQI 3200 Turbo (DS) 2 x 512MB Crucial Ballistix (DS) 2 x 512MB Geil PC3200 Ultra X (DS) 2 x 512MB OCZ PC3200 Platinum Rev 2 (DS) 2 x 512MB OCZ PC3700 Gold Rev 3 (DS) 2 x 512MB |
Hard Drives | Seagate 120GB PATA (IDE) 7200RPM 8MB Cache |
PCI/AGP Speed | Fixed at 33/66 |
Bus Master Drivers: | nVidia nForce Platform Driver 4.24 (5-10-2004) |
Video Card(s): | nVidia 6800 Ultra 256MB, 256MB aperture, 1024x768x32 |
Video Drivers: | nVidia Forceware 61.77 |
Power Supply: | OCZ Power Stream 520W |
Operating System(s): | Windows XP Professional SP1 |
Motherboards: | MSI K8N Neo2 |
We have found the fastest performance on AMD Athlon 64 chipsets (nForce3, VIA K8T800 PRO) to be achieved at Cycle Time or tRAS of 10. Athlon 64 platform benchmarks were therefore run with the tRAS timing of 10 for all A64 benchmarks.
Test Settings
The FX53 is completely unlocked. This allowed a different approach to memory testing, which truly measures performance differences in memory speed alone. All tests were run with CPU speed as close to the specified 2.4GHz of the FX53 as possible, with CPU speed/Memory Speed increased at lower multipliers to achieve 2.4Ghz. This approach allows for true measurement of the impact of higher memory speed and timings on performance, since CPU speed is fixed, while removing CPU speed as a factor in memory performance.The following settings were tested with the six memories on the Athlon 64 test bed:
- 12x200/DDR400 - the highest stock memory speed supported on K8T800/nF3/SiS755 motherboards.
- 11x218/DDR436 - a ratio near the standard DDR433 speed.
- 10x240/DDR480 - a ratio near the standard rating of DDR466.
- 9x267/DDR533 - a standard memory speed used in testing other high-speed memory.
- Highest Memory Speed - the highest memory speed that we could achieve regardless of the multiplier. This setting was generally achieved at a 2T command rate and performance is often poorer than slower memory timings at a 1T Command Rate.
- Highest Performance - the highest memory performance settings that we could achieve. This setting is normally the highest stable speed using a 1T Command Rate.
We ran our standard suite of memory performance benchmarks - Quake 3, Return to Castle Wolfenstein-Enemy Territory-Radar, Super Pi 2M, and Sandra 2004 Standard and UnBuffered. Since the results for Athlon 64 tests are new, we are now including Sandra Buffered (Standard) test results and Sandra UnBuffered test results. RTCW Enemy Territory has also been added as a standard memory benchmark.
Test Results: G. Skill TCCD
To be considered stable for test purposes, Quake3 benchmark, UT2003 Demo, Super PI, Aquamark 3, and Comanche 4 had to complete without incident. Any of these, and in particular Super PI, will crash a less-than stable memory configuration. We have also included results for RCW-ET using the Radar benchmark.Intel Test Results
G. Skill TCCD (DDR400) - 2 x 512Mb Double-Bank | ||||||
Speed | Memory Timings & Voltage |
Quake3 fps |
Sandra UNBuffered | Sandra Standard Buffered |
Super PI 2M places (time in sec) |
Wolfenstein - Radar - Enemy Territory fps |
400DDR800FSB | 2-2-2-5 2.5V |
335.3 | INT 2899 FLT 2923 |
INT 4513 FLT 4512 |
130 | 71.8 |
433DDR866FSB | 2-2-3-5 2.75V |
359.8 | INT 3046 FLT 3066 |
INT 4857 FLT 4854 |
121 | 77.4 |
466DDR933FSB | 2.5-3-3-5 2.75V |
382.3 | INT 3112 FLT 3127 |
INT 5176 FLT 5177 |
113 | 81.9 |
500DDR1000FSB | 2.5-3-3-5 2.75V |
407.9 | INT 3328 FLT 3394 |
INT 5557 FLT 5551 |
105 | 88.2 |
533DDR1066FSB | 2.5-3-4-5 2.75V |
426.3 | INT 3505 FLT 3533 |
INT 5896 FLT 5894 |
100 | 92.6 |
561DDR1122FSB | 3-3-4-6 2.75V |
444.2 | INT 3795 FLT 3681 |
INT 6313 FLT 6248 |
94 | 96.3 |
The G. Skill TCCD performed very well on the Intel platform compared to other TCCD memory. The highest overclock was DDR561, verifying the claim of DDR560 performance.
AMD Test Results
G. Skill TCCD - 2 x 512Mb Double-Bank | |||||||
CPU Ratio at 2.4GHz | Memory Speed | Memory Timings & Voltage |
Quake3 fps |
Sandra UNBuffered | Sandra Standard Buffered |
Super PI 2M places (time in sec) |
Wolfenstein - Radar - Enemy Territory fps |
12x200 | 400 DDR | 2-2-2-10 2.6V 1T |
512.7 | INT 2636 FLT 2767 |
INT 6117 FLT 6046 |
81 | 110.4 |
11x218 | 436 DDR | 2-3-2-10 2.8V 1T |
513.4 | INT 2791 FLT 2928 |
INT 6486 FLT 6415 |
80 | 110.7 |
10x240 | 480 DDR | 2.5-3-3-10 2.85V 1T |
520.4 | INT 2794 FLT 3035 |
INT 6707 FLT 6609 |
80 | 111.5 |
9x267 | 533 DDR | 2.5-4-3-10 2.85V 1T |
525.5 | INT 3032 FLT 3226 |
INT 6956 FLT 6875 |
79 | 112.5 |
8x292(2.34GHz) | Highest Mem Speed 584 DDR |
3-4-4-10 2.85V 2T |
503.9 | INT 2779 FLT 2969 |
INT 6595 FLT 6514 |
81 | 108.2 |
9x285(2.57GHz) | HIGHEST Performance 570 DDR |
2.5-4-3-10 2.85V 1T |
557.8 | INT 3321 FLT 3429 |
INT 7408 FLT 7287 |
74 | 119.8 |
When we first tested memory based on the Samsung TCCD chips, none of the modules performed as well on the Athlon 64 as they did on the Intel test bed. At that time, TCCD topped out at a bit over 500 on Intel and about 466 on the Athlon 64. The lone exception to this was the newest OCZ PC3200 Platinum Rev. 2, which reached much higher on the Intel and to at least DDR500 on the A64 platform.
It is now clear with the G. Skill and other later TCCD memory that the OCZ performance was not a fluke. All of the recent TCCD is now doing even better on the A64 than they do on Intel.
The G. Skill reached DDR584 at 2T and achieved the best performance at 1T at DDR570. Both of these overclocks are substantially higher than what we could achieve on the Intel test bed with the same memory.
Test Results: PQI 3200 Turbo
To be considered stable for test purposes, Quake3 benchmark, UT2003 Demo, Super PI, Aquamark 3, and RTCW had to complete without incident. Any of these, and in particular Super PI and Return to Castle Wolfenstein, will crash a less-than stable memory configuration.Intel Test Results
PQI 3200 Turbo (DDR400) - 2 x 512Mb Double-Bank | ||||||
Speed | Memory Timings & Voltage |
Quake3 fps |
Sandra UNBuffered | Sandra Standard Buffered |
Super PI 2M places (time in sec) |
Wolfenstein - Radar - Enemy Territory fps |
400DDR800FSB | 2-2-2-5 2.5V |
337.5 | INT 2845 FLT 2935 |
INT 4523 FLT 4515 |
129 | 71.7 |
433DDR866FSB | 2-2-2-5 2.75V |
364.8 | INT 3172 FLT 3205 |
INT 4907 FLT 4902 |
120 | 77.6 |
466DDR933FSB | 2-3-3-5 2.75V |
381.5 | INT 3236 FLT 3253 |
INT 5167 FLT 5165 |
113 | 81.5 |
500DDR1000FSB | 2.5-3-3-5 2.75V |
405.8 | INT 3362 FLT 3395 |
INT 5557 FLT 5562 |
106 | 87.3 |
533DDR1066FSB | 2.4-3-4-5 2.75V |
423.0 | INT 3599 FLT 3563 |
INT 5944 FLT 5903 |
100 | 91.1 |
556DR1122FSB | 3-3-4-6 2.75V |
443.0 | INT 3643 FLT 3699 |
INT 6188 FLT 6183 |
96 | 95.3 |
PQI reached DDR556 on the Intel platform, which places it among the best DDR400 performers we have tested. The memory reached even higher overclocks on the AMD test bed.
AMD Results
PQI 3200 Turbo - 2 x 512Mb Double-Bank | |||||||
CPU Ratio at 2.4GHz | Memory Speed | Memory Timings & Voltage |
Quake3 fps |
Sandra UNBuffered | Sandra Standard Buffered |
Super PI 2M places (time in sec) |
Wolfenstein - Radar - Enemy Territory fps |
12x200 | 400 DDR | 2-2-2-10 2.6V 1T |
512.9 | INT 2605 FLT 2796 |
INT 6091 FLT 6039 |
81 | 110.4 |
11x218 | 436 DDR | 2-3-2-10 2.7V 1T |
512.1 | INT 2725 FLT 2906 |
INT 6446 FLT 6368 |
81 | 110.1 |
10x240 | 480 DDR | 3-3-3-10 2.7V 1T |
513.0 | INT 2849 FLT 2977 |
INT 6627 FLT 6545 |
80 | 110.6 |
9x267 | 533 DDR | 3-4-3-10 2.75V 1T |
517.2 | INT 2930 FLT 3159 |
INT 6910 FLT 6821 |
80 | 111.5 |
8x298(2.38GHz) | Highest Mem Speed 596 DDR |
3-4-3-10 2.8V 2T |
514.7 | INT 2916 FLT 3099 |
INT 6765 FLT 6685 |
80 | 110.7 |
9x285(2.57GHz) | HIGHEST Performance 570 DDR |
3-4-3-10 2.75V 1T |
551.4 | INT 3172 FLT 3413 |
INT 7402 FLT 7282 |
74 | 119.1 |
The PQI 3200 Turbo is also based on the latest Samsung TCCD chips. The latest TCCD chips appear to perform much better on Athlon 64 than the first TCCD samples tested in =F-A-S-T= DDR Memory: 2-2-2 Roars on the Scene.
PQI reaches DDR596 at the highest memory speed, very close to DDR600. Highest performance was achieved at a Command Rate of 1T at DDR570.
Intel Memory Comparisons
Performance of the PQI 3200 Turbo and G. Skill TCCD was compared to all of the memory recently tested on the Intel 875 memory test bed in:OCZ 3700 Gold Rev. 3: DDR500 Value for Athlon 64 & Intel 478
Geil PC3200 Ultra X: High Speed & Record Bandwidth
=F-A-S-T= DDR Memory: 2-2-2 Roars on the Scene
Buffalo FireStix: Red Hot Name for a New High-End Memory
New DDR Highs: Shikatronics, OCZ, and the Fastest Memory Yet
The Return of 2-2-2: Corsair 3200XL & Samsung PC4000
OCZ 3700EB: Making Hay with Athlon 64
OCZ 3500EB: The Importance of Balanced Memory Timings
Mushkin PC3200 2-2-2 Special: Last of a Legend
PMI DDR533: A New Name in High-Performance Memory
Samsung PC3700: DDR466 Memory for the Masses
Kingmax Hardcore Memory: Tiny BGA Reaches For Top Speed
New Memory Highs: Corsair and OCZ Introduce DDR550
OCZ PC3700 Gold Rev. 2: The Universal Soldier
OCZ 4200EL: Tops in Memory Performance
Mushkin PC4000 High Performance: DDR500 PLUS
Corsair TwinX1024-4000 PRO: Improving DDR500 Performance
Mushkin & Adata: 2 for the Fast-Timings Lane
Searching for the Memory Holy Grail - Part 2
For easier comparison to other DDR400 2-2-2 memory on the Intel platform, we have color-coded memory from =F-A-S-T= DDR Memory: 2-2-2 Roars on the Scene in light green. Memory performance was compared at DDR400, DDR433, DDR466, DDR500, DDR533 (where possible), and the highest stable overclock we could achieve that would run Quake 3, UT2003, and Super PI to 2MM places.
All discontinued products have been removed from benchmark comparisons. Please note that OCZ EB series memory has recently been discontinued, but we have kept the EB results in the memory charts in this review for better comparisons. EB will be removed from future memory test results.
Results are compared for Quake 3, Sandra UNBufferred Memory Test, and Super PI. SiSoft Sandra 2004 reports 2 results for each memory test - an Integer value and a Float value. Results reported in our charts are the result of averaging the INT and FLOAT scores, which are normally close in value. In other words, INT and FLOAT scores were added and divided by 2 for our reported score.
AMD Memory Comparisons
The G. Skill TCCD and PQI 3200 Turbo were included in our recent Athlon 64 Memory Roundup. Results are repeated here to provide a complete picture of the performance of these two Samsung TCCD memories compared to other top memory on the Athlon 64.Memory performance was compared at 200x12 (2.4Ghz, DDR400), 218x11 (2.4Ghz, DDR438), 240x10 (2.4Ghz, DDR480), 267x9 (2.4Ghz, DDR533), the Highest Memory Speed that could be reached, and the Highest Memory Performance Settings that we could reach. With a constant CPU speed, memory comparisons show the true impact of faster speed and slower memory timings on memory performance.
Intel DDR400 Performance
Intel DDR433 Performance
Intel DDR466 Performance
Intel DDR500 Performance
Intel DDR533 Performance
Intel Highest Memory Speed Performance
AMD DDR400/2.4GHz Performance
AMD DDR436/2.4GHz Performance
AMD DDR480/2.4GHz Performance
AMD 533/2.4GHz Performance
AMD Highest Memory Speed Performance
AMD Highest Performance
Final Words
Both the G. Skill TCCD and the PQI 3200 Turbo did very well on the Intel test bed. As we are seeing with other DIMMs based on recent TCCD chips, the bandwidth is getting better with later runs of Samsung TCCD. Both the G. Skill and PQI reached well beyond DDR533 to DDR561 and DDR556 respectively. With this Intel performance, the G. Skill and PQI join the OCZ PC3200 Platinum Rev. 2 and Geil 3200 Ultra X as DDR400 memories that can reach over DDR550. Considering these four memories are rated at DDR400 2-2-2, this extended bandwidth is all the more remarkable.In Athlon 64 Memory: Rewriting the Rules, we speculated that PQI 3200 Turbo appeared to be optimized for the Intel platform. Our testing here certainly confirms that. While the PQI does very well on the Intel platform, it tends to hug the bottom of our Athlon 64 TCCD comparisons. PQI could just as easily have tweaked the memory for the AMD Athlon 64 platform. If they had, we expect performance would have been on a par with the best of the new DDR400 2-2-2 memories.
In the Athlon 64 tests, both memories also showed great bandwidth, reaching to DDR596 with the PQI and DDR584 with the G. Skill. As we have seen with other recent TCCD memory, the Athlon 64 bandwidth is much better than the bandwidth on Intel 875.
Overall, on both Intel and AMD Athlon 64, the PQI and G. Skill performed very well. Performance was on par with the best TCCD memories that we have tested. This gives two new options to those searching for DDR400 2-2-2. You can now choose between Corsair, Crucial, Geil, Kingston, Mushkin, OCZ, G. Skill and PQI if you're in the market for memory based on Samsung TCCD chips. Certainly, not all of these memories are created equal or perform exactly the same. As we saw in our reviews, a few reach to DDR600, and some are capable of better timings at higher speeds. However, all of the TCCD DIMMs performed at stock DDR400, at 2-2-2 timings. All eight memories also reached at least DDR 500 when overclocked. If these specifications meet your needs, then you can select any of these memories based on which offers the best price and warranty.
Crucial Ballistix is another memory to consider in this group. It is based on Micron memory chips, but certainly performed well at DDR400 2-2-2 timings. Ballistix also reached DDR500 with the fastest timings that we have ever seen at that speed.
The only concern with both PQI and G. Skill is that we don't really know what to expect with either memory company. Both offer a lifetime warranty on their top memories, including the two tested here, but we have no experience in warranty claims with either company. With time, we will know more what to expect, but for now, quality of service is a question looking for answers. We will also be more comfortable recommending PQI or G. Skill when we have heard more from readers using these DIMMs. Is the excellent performance we found typical of memory from both companies? Is the great performance we tested here what buyers will get with both G. Skill and PQI? We can't answer these questions yet, but we are interested in hearing about any experience that you have with PQI or G. Skill memory.
Even without answers to all the questions, at the very least, you should definitely check the prices of G. Skill and PQI if you are in the market for fast DDR memory with excellent overclocking capabilities. 2-2-2 timings are readily available again, and these latest Samsung TCCD and Micron G DIMMs are the best memory that we have ever seen for fast timings and extraordinary overclocking.