Mushkin PC3200 LII V2 Memory Review
Mushkin
is one of those names that almost every enthusiast will recognize, after all
they've been manufacturing memory since 1994 and produce some of the fastest memory on the market. Like
Crucial, Mushkin sells direct to the public, and with a 9.71 lifetime reseller rating you know they're doing something
right.
While
Mushkin does not produce their own PCB's or DRAM modules, they do assemble everything
in house and hand test their best on a variety of platforms just like the average
overclocker. nForce2, KT600, i865/i875P you name it, Mushkin tests all platforms
and with pretty much every brand on the market for compatibility purposes. Come
to think of it, I can't remember reading about any compatibility problems with
Mushkin memory on the various computer forums on the web.
Here's a little snippet of information for those
hardcore overclockers out there. When speaking with a Mushkin rep, he happened
to mention that Mushkin does not place voltage limiters on their memory! If you
want to push 3V+ through your memory, go right ahead, they're not going to stop
you although it does void your warranty. ;-)
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Mushkin PC3200 LII V2 |
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Today
PCstats will be
checking out a couple of Mushkin's new low latency PC3200 Level II version 2 memory modules. Each stick of DDR RAM is 512MB in size (for total of 1GB), and
operates at 200 MHz with timings of 2-2-2-5 at 2.6V. Both modules are protected by sleek
black heatspreaders which should keep the modules safe from physical damage.
Mushkin ships their memory in the most unique way, they place the memory modules inside a plastic air pocket.
After bouncing the bubble around like a basketball for a few minutes, I'm positive it safeguards
the memory just as well as your average foam and box.
Under the Armor
Mushkin equips its memory with black
Neng Tyi aluminum heatspreaders. They are good for protecting the memory from
physical damage.
PCstats
removed the heatspreader on the Mushkin PC3200 LII V2 for a closer look at the DRAM. Below, we found that
the PC3200 LII V2 is using Samsung K4H560838F-TCCD DRAM.
These are the same DRAM modules that Corsair use on its 3200XL
line. It doesn't seem to scale quite as well as Winbond BH-5 DRAM with tight
timings, but loosening things up does allow these Samsung chips to hit fairly
decent speeds with modest voltage increases.