PCSTATS tests DDR memory on AMD Athlon64 systems
only because Intel has effectively made the transition to DDR2. Enthusiasts
usually keep to the bleeding edge, so fast DDR memory is useless for the Intel
overclocker looking for more juice.
On AMD test systems we're only interested in seeing
how high we can go with the memory running 1:1, as running with other dividers
puts the overclocking bottleneck elsewhere, not with the system memory. We
usually run DDR RAM latency at 2-2-2-5, or the memory's tightest possible
timings, as quick access is important to the CPU design. However in cases where
memory is built to run at high speeds with lax memory timings, we will run the
benchmark tests at the manufacturer specified timings. Not doing so would put
high speed DIMMs at a disadvantage since the memory may not be designed to run
at tighter memory timings.
As we move into the benchmarks a quick explanation
is in order as to why the results will show minor performance gains due to the
faster memory speeds we're testing. With previous platforms, increasing memory
speed often meant also increasing the bus speed between the processor and
memory. Since the memory controller is integrated into the Athlon64 processor,
overclocking memory does not increase the speed of data moving to and from the
processor any further, since there is no bus. To really get the most from your
memory overclocking, you must also increase the CPU speed so it can handle the
increased memory bandwidth. The reason why we do not do this during testing is
because CPU speed will affect the benchmarks and that would not allow the
results to be directly comparable to previous tests. By keeping the processor at
approximately the same speed for all tests, we are seeing the real world benefit
from the increased memory frequency alone.
Overclocking Athlon 64's is a bit different since there
is no more bus between the memory and CPU. On your system, make sure you
increase the speed of your processor so you can get the most out of both the
memory and CPUs!
 |
| PCStats Test System Specs: |
|
memory test system specs |
reference system specs |
| processor: |
amd athlon64 4000+ |
| clock
speed: |
12 x 200 mhz = 2.4 ghz
8 x 290 mhz = 2.32
ghz |
12 x 200 mhz = 2.4 ghz |
| motherboards: |
dfi lanparty nf4 sli-dr (nf4-sli) |
| videocard: |
nx7800gtx-vt2d256e |
| memory: |
2x 1024mb corsair twinx1024-4000pt |
2x 512mb patriot pdc1g5600elk
2x
512mb corsair twinx1024-3200xl pro
2x 512mb centon gemini
pc3200
2x 1024mb ocz pc4000 gold
2x 1024mb corsair
twinx1024-4400 pro |
| hard drive:
|
74gb western digital
raptor |
| cdrom: |
aopen combo
52x |
| powersupply: |
pc power & cooling turbocool 510
sli |
| heatsink: |
athlon64 4000+ reference
heatsink |
| software
setup |
windowsxp
forceware nf4 6.70
catalyst
5.12 |
| benchmarks
|
business winstone 2004
sisoft sandra
2005
pcmark04
pcmark05
3dmark2001se
3dmark05
ut2003
ut2004
doom
3 | |
with that out of the way, let's get started with the
benchmarks!
 Winstone
2004 |
Source: Zdnet |
|
Business Winstone 2004 runs real applications through a
series of scripted activities and uses the time a PC takes to complete these
activities to produce its performance scores.
| Business Winstone 2004 |
| Memory: |
Points |
Ranking |
| 2x 512MB Patriot PEP5125600ELK PC5600 (200/400) |
31.7 |
   |
| 2x 512MB Corsair TwinX1024-3200XL PRO (200/400) |
31.5 |
|
| 2x 512MB Centon GEMiNi PC3200 (200/400) |
32.3 |
|
| 2x 1024MB OCZ PC4000 Gold (200/400) |
32.5 |
|
| 2x 1024MB Corsair TwinX2048-4400 Pro (200/400) |
32.7 |
|
| 2x 1024MB Corsair TwinX2048-4000PT (200/400) |
32.1 |
   |
| 2x 1024MB Corsair TwinX2048-4000PT (290/580) |
35.2 |
|
The extra 1GB of memory does not do much for workstation style applications,
however overclocking can boost performance nicely.
| SiSoft
Sandra 2005 |
Source:Sandra |
|
Sandra is
designed to test the theoretical power of a complete system as well as the
individual components. The results are also purely theoretical and may not
represent real world performance.
| Sisoft Sandra 2005 Benchmark Results
|
| Memory |
Integer SSE2: |
Float SSE2: |
|
2x 512MB Patriot PDC1G5600ELK PC5600
(200/400) |
6066 |
6018 |
| 2x 512MB Corsair TwinX1024-3200XL PRO
(200/400) |
6057 |
6026 |
| 2x 512MB Centon GEMiNi PC3200 (200/400) |
6058 |
6026 |
| 2x 1024MB OCZ PC4000 Gold (200/400) |
6080 |
5993 |
| 2x 1024MB Corsair TwinX2048-4400 Pro (200/400) |
6074 |
6012 |
| 2x 1024MB Corsair TwinX2048-4000PT (200/400) |
6063 |
6021 |
| 2x 1024MB Corsair TwinX2048-4000PT (290/580) |
7047 |
6833 |
Memory bandwidth at stock speeds is nice and high, and breaks
6000MB/s. Overclocking allows the Corsair TwinX2048-4000PT to break the 7000MB/s
barrier, very sweet!
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